ive got a white leghorn that may be molting or nearing a molt. The other hens her age are just finishing their molt and laying again (not leghorns, I only currently have one laying leghorn.)
She looked like maybe she lost and replaced feathers near the top of her head but other than that I have seen no white feathers around.... she has taken a few days off laying here and there over the last few weeks which is unlike her, so I attributed it to a molt and her laying through the molt. (She is a production variety from Texas a&m hatched in a classroom project. I’ve heard some of these leghorns barely molt...)
The flock eats a layer feed and has free choice oyster shell. They free range all day and have access to feed then as well. I have been feeding mealworms and BOSS (limited) for the molting and heat. I put it In Ice trays in the afternoon because I lost a hen during molt to heat stress and I figured the extra protein and ice would help cool them and as soon as I started that the few on strike from the heat started laying again.
Anyway, only the leghorn has had six out of the last 8 eggs soft. They’ve cracked in my hand or in the nest when another moves it. The day I fed scrambled eggs with egg shells her eggs got hard for two days but now back to soft.
She is the only hen with soft shells. What can I do to get her what she needs?
We are through the heat, should I cut out all treats even though all the other hens are producing excellent shells? Should I just feed eggs with shells as a treat?
She looked like maybe she lost and replaced feathers near the top of her head but other than that I have seen no white feathers around.... she has taken a few days off laying here and there over the last few weeks which is unlike her, so I attributed it to a molt and her laying through the molt. (She is a production variety from Texas a&m hatched in a classroom project. I’ve heard some of these leghorns barely molt...)
The flock eats a layer feed and has free choice oyster shell. They free range all day and have access to feed then as well. I have been feeding mealworms and BOSS (limited) for the molting and heat. I put it In Ice trays in the afternoon because I lost a hen during molt to heat stress and I figured the extra protein and ice would help cool them and as soon as I started that the few on strike from the heat started laying again.
Anyway, only the leghorn has had six out of the last 8 eggs soft. They’ve cracked in my hand or in the nest when another moves it. The day I fed scrambled eggs with egg shells her eggs got hard for two days but now back to soft.
She is the only hen with soft shells. What can I do to get her what she needs?
We are through the heat, should I cut out all treats even though all the other hens are producing excellent shells? Should I just feed eggs with shells as a treat?
