I have a Hen, Amelia, that has a bad egg timer and I was wondering if anyone has any advice as I dont know what else to do.
Background: She is a Houdan that is just over a year old and for over 4 months she has been laying soft shelled eggs. Her actions are very strange. 3 out of 4 days she will go inside to the nest and sit like she is going to lay an egg but nothing ever comes out. Then at some other time later in the day or the next day she gets this morbid look about her for about an hour, hunches over and then plops out a soft shelled egg. I have tried everything possible regarding her calcium intake and I dont think it is related. I have given her yoghurt, added milk and crushed calcium pills to her feed, I have switched the blend of their feed (it is Soy Free Organic Layer Feed) and I have increased her greens intake. All of the other hens have egg shells that are like a rock. She has never gone Broody. I was hoping she would as it might reset her internal clock. It is as though she is laying 3 eggs every 4 days when she should be laying 2 eggs every 3 days if that makes any sense.
Environment: She is in a flock of 8 that free range in a completely walled acre that is a very controlled environment. They graze on a very fine and dark green golf course hybrid grass. I assume it is high in calcium because of the color and it is very easily digestible. There are 3 oyster shell stations, 2 outside and 1 inside. They get treats of either steamed corn, black grapes, tomatoes, romaine lettuce or yoghurt 3 times a day. In the evening and during the heat of the day they come in an Aviary that has HVAC and is completely cleaned/sterilized daily so there is no parasite issue. They are checked for worms every 3 months and bathed every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how dirty they are.
If anyone knows what is wrong or what else I should do please let me know.
Background: She is a Houdan that is just over a year old and for over 4 months she has been laying soft shelled eggs. Her actions are very strange. 3 out of 4 days she will go inside to the nest and sit like she is going to lay an egg but nothing ever comes out. Then at some other time later in the day or the next day she gets this morbid look about her for about an hour, hunches over and then plops out a soft shelled egg. I have tried everything possible regarding her calcium intake and I dont think it is related. I have given her yoghurt, added milk and crushed calcium pills to her feed, I have switched the blend of their feed (it is Soy Free Organic Layer Feed) and I have increased her greens intake. All of the other hens have egg shells that are like a rock. She has never gone Broody. I was hoping she would as it might reset her internal clock. It is as though she is laying 3 eggs every 4 days when she should be laying 2 eggs every 3 days if that makes any sense.
Environment: She is in a flock of 8 that free range in a completely walled acre that is a very controlled environment. They graze on a very fine and dark green golf course hybrid grass. I assume it is high in calcium because of the color and it is very easily digestible. There are 3 oyster shell stations, 2 outside and 1 inside. They get treats of either steamed corn, black grapes, tomatoes, romaine lettuce or yoghurt 3 times a day. In the evening and during the heat of the day they come in an Aviary that has HVAC and is completely cleaned/sterilized daily so there is no parasite issue. They are checked for worms every 3 months and bathed every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how dirty they are.
If anyone knows what is wrong or what else I should do please let me know.
