Soft Shelled Eggs and Trauma - Do chickens mourn?

[grendel558]

Yes, all my girls are on same diet, they get lots of treats, I can try more protein. I'm just wondering if this is common or if she is defective. She is very friendly and quiet. Looks healthy too.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If a bird not laying eggs continues to eat layer feed, they'll eventually become defective.
I reiterate what I said in post #8. "A bird that hasn't laid an egg in over a year and has been eating layer feed (4% calcium) will likely eventually have kidney damage and succumb to gout."

Read the part on calcium.
http://www.nutrecocanada.com/docs/s...-formation-and-eggshell-quality-in-layers.pdf

http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/12/2300.abstract

 

[DebsDavo]

Well I seem to have cured the soft shelled egg problem! I added two more POL chickens on Sunday to my flock (now consisting of 4) and now no one is laying anything. Am apparently running a full board, all inclusive holiday resort for hens

. Hopefully production will resume soon.

 

[mimsy]

Any change can cause stress and cause them not to lay, or sometimes if a trauma will cause them not to finish an egg properly. My little Red will lay an egg without a shell anytime change first occurs at our place.

Loss of a friend, if she saw the fox, new chickens all can be stresses. Once they get the pecking order all figured out and things go to normal I'll bet everyone will start laying again, not counting any possible health issues.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well I seem to have cured the soft shelled egg problem! I added two more POL chickens on Sunday to my flock (now consisting of 4) and now no one is laying anything. Am apparently running a full board, all inclusive holiday resort for hens

. Hopefully production will resume soon.

That may all be good in the long run.