Something in chicken butt

[Singing Chickens]

Is she a first year hen or just recently started to lay?

She just turned 4 years.

 

[DaviJones]

If you still want tips on getting her to eat the pill. I've had luck with a crushed tablet in yogurt. I've done the same with cats and dogs too. It'd give her some extra calcium too

Heck that's even what my mom would do if a pill was too large for us or tasted unpleasant.

 

[azygous]

Mixing the oyster shell into the feed is not a good idea over the long term because it's harder for the hens to regulate their calcium intake that way, and they risk getting too much instead of too little. It shouldn't hurt to it for a few days, though.

If soft shells are a problem with more than one hen, the feed may be lacking in the proper nutrients to support calcium absorption. Commercial feeds are balanced with these vitamins and minerals, but if you are feeding a homemade mix or an off-brand, you might want to do an evaluation of the feed.

When you have one hen every once in a while with a soft shell, it's usually a glitch in that one hen, not the feed. That's where it's easiest to treat a single case with calcium supplements. I give it until the eggs are consistently displaying sturdy shells.

 

[Singing Chickens]

If you still want tips on getting her to eat the pill. I've had luck with a crushed tablet in yogurt. I've done the same with cats and dogs too. It'd give her some extra calcium too

Thank you. I guess with both PNButter and Yogurt you would need to be cautious. Peanut Butter with Xylitol is toxic to dogs (which I never have the Xylitol in my house due to a Chinese Crested dog that loves to steal my food), and Yogurt is a milk product. But they both sound like an easy way to get the chicken to eat the calcium.

 

[DaviJones]

My chickens all adore peanut butter. You ever see a dog after it eats peanut butter? Chickens are even funnier!

I crush the calcium tablet with a hammer and mix it into a dab of peanut butter. The chicken gobbles it right up.

Well I know what my chickens are getting with breakfast tomorrow. They'd like to thank you for planting that seed.

 

[Singing Chickens]

Mixing the oyster shell into the feed is not a good idea over the long term because it's harder for the hens to regulate their calcium intake that way, and they risk getting too much instead of too little. It shouldn't hurt to it for a few days, though.

If soft shells are a problem with more than one hen, the feed may be lacking in the proper nutrients to support calcium absorption. Commercial feeds are balanced with these vitamins and minerals, but if you are feeding a homemade mix or an off-brand, you might want to do an evaluation of the feed.

When you have one hen every once in a while with a soft shell, it's usually a glitch in that one hen, not the feed. That's where it's easiest to treat a single case with calcium supplements. I give it until the eggs are consistently displaying sturdy shells.

Thanks again. I will only use the Oyster Shells in the feed tomorrow. The other chicken's egg shells are hard, but they used to be really hard and I noticed they crack easier now. I did notice this Sultan laying a couple of egg without shells last summer, but it was really hot outside (107-114) and I thought it was due to that. I will definitely get some calcium tablets tomorrow for her. I have her on an organic layer crumble I buy at the local grange co-op.

 

[DaviJones]

Thank you. I guess with both PNButter and Yogurt you would need to be cautious. Peanut Butter with Xylitol is toxic to dogs (which I never have the Xylitol in my house due to a Chinese Crested dog that loves to steal my food), and Yogurt is a milk product. But they both sound like an easy way to get the chicken to eat the calcium.

Either should work fine, I just added an alternative if you didn't have one on hand. I didn't know peanut butter had xylitol in it, for what it's worth, I checked the Jif in the fridge and it only had sugar, salt and palm oil in addition to peanuts of course. Which is great because my pups also adore peanut butter. The yogurt shouldn't hurt them if you're worried about that, mine adore yogurt and I've heard of some given kefir even. It can be harmful in large, and I mean large amounts, but she only needs a spoonful or so to get it down. Only real difference I could see between the two is PB could potentially be a bit more difficult to swallow, but I haven't given mine any yet so I don't know.

 

[Singing Chickens]

Either should work fine, I just added an alternative if you didn't have one on hand. I didn't know peanut butter had xylitol in it, for what it's worth, I checked the Jif in the fridge and it only had sugar, salt and palm oil in addition to peanuts of course. The yogurt shouldn't hurt them if you're worried about that, mine adore yogurt and I've heard of some given kefir even. It can be harmful in large, and I mean large amounts, but she only needs a spoonful or so to get it down. Only real difference I could see between the two is PB could potentially be a bit more difficult to swallow, but I haven't given mine any yet so I don't know.

Usually regular brands of peanut butter do not contain the Xylitol, only some of the so called health food ones. Go Nuts, Hank’s Protein Plus Peanut Butter, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘n More, and P28. Also a variety of gum and mints contain it. Always good to check your labels, as it can kill a dog real quick.

 

[DaviJones]

Usually regular brands of peanut butter do not contain the Xylitol, only some of the so called health food ones. Go Nuts, Hank’s Protein Plus Peanut Butter, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘n More, and P28. Also a variety of gum and mints contain it. Always good to check your labels, as it can kill a dog real quick.

That makes sense as to why I've never seen it, I'm a Jif and Skippy fan, the health food ones are a bit too expensive for my taste. We also have a store out in the sticks that sells everything peanut related including peanuts butter that you grind yourself in a machine. I probably took that for granted. >Check your labels< I see someone else is part of the cult, I do it almost religiously, especially with gum, a family member is allergic to sucralose.

Anyway, I hope she makes a full recovery! And best of luck!

 

[Saaniya]

Sea Shell Grit Or Oyster Shell Are Amazing Source Of Calcium ..Or Limestone ...But keep on eye on the quantity she ate most of the time in some nutrients need they eat excess which cause blockage in gizzard .

Just give in moderation level with their regular food ..