falcieri
Hatching
- Jun 24, 2015
- 1
- 0
- 7
I know this comes up a lot, I'm just trying to get a handle on what might have caused this for my personal situation. I have 3 bantams which I've had for over 5 years. We've never had a day of illness or any other sort of problem bar the occasional egg misfiring at the beginning/end of the laying season. I've never used any sort of medical intervention on my girls including worming and I keep a close eye on their health and behaviour.
Suddenly this year and more noticeably the last few weeks I've noticed broken eggs in the hen house and collapsed shells. They are not softshells as they are formed but it's like the air has been deflated out of a balloon. I've worked out who it is based on her sudden 'eggbound' behaviours over the last week and sporadically earlier this year. She always lays but I guess that as they are soft it makes them more tricky to pass.
This has come right out of the blue. It could be a delayed to reaction to the fact we've had to move house twice this year (and they've had to move 3 times so I didn't have to rehome them permanently), but I have moved with my girls before and not seen this kind of reaction.
They are fed layers bokashi mash and free range on average 4/5 hours a day in a grassed garden. They get additional calcium through repatriated egg shells. And nothing much has changed in all the time I've had them.
Apart from the laying problem they are in fine health. They look great, they are enthusiastic, eat well and are the same as ever, it's just that 24 hour period where is trying to lay and looks so sorry for herself.
I am going to go first for a potential worm problem so I am going to worm them as soon as I can get the stuff delivered. Keeping them in for a week is going to be hard. They are going to go nuts. But it has to be done.
Could it just be age? They were 5 in April but I thought Bantams laid longer than this. Could it simply be a moving house again protest? I know worming them isn't going to hurt either way so I'll do this anyway.
Any other suggestions for why this might suddenly come out of the blue?
Thanks all!
Suddenly this year and more noticeably the last few weeks I've noticed broken eggs in the hen house and collapsed shells. They are not softshells as they are formed but it's like the air has been deflated out of a balloon. I've worked out who it is based on her sudden 'eggbound' behaviours over the last week and sporadically earlier this year. She always lays but I guess that as they are soft it makes them more tricky to pass.
This has come right out of the blue. It could be a delayed to reaction to the fact we've had to move house twice this year (and they've had to move 3 times so I didn't have to rehome them permanently), but I have moved with my girls before and not seen this kind of reaction.
They are fed layers bokashi mash and free range on average 4/5 hours a day in a grassed garden. They get additional calcium through repatriated egg shells. And nothing much has changed in all the time I've had them.
Apart from the laying problem they are in fine health. They look great, they are enthusiastic, eat well and are the same as ever, it's just that 24 hour period where is trying to lay and looks so sorry for herself.
I am going to go first for a potential worm problem so I am going to worm them as soon as I can get the stuff delivered. Keeping them in for a week is going to be hard. They are going to go nuts. But it has to be done.
Could it just be age? They were 5 in April but I thought Bantams laid longer than this. Could it simply be a moving house again protest? I know worming them isn't going to hurt either way so I'll do this anyway.
Any other suggestions for why this might suddenly come out of the blue?
Thanks all!