Sometimes it takes a lot of calcium citrate to help an old hen build an egg shell

[Fontaine]

Thank you @Sueby for contributing some very valuable and interesting information to this thread. Few people are aware of the extent that calcium is crucial to a hen's health and body functions, not just egg laying.

My biggest concern for my hen is that if she isn't absorbing enough calcium to make a decent shell, the risk of sudden death syndrome increases. This happens when a hen has low calcium levels and her body pulls all the available calcium from her blood stream to make a shell and this robs her heart of calcium needed to keep it beating, causing a heart attack and death.

This is why I keep the bottle of citrate in my run so it's handy to give a hen exhibiting signs of having trouble passing an egg. My thinking is that giving her an easily absorbable cacium tablet on her way in to lay a difficult egg could help her avoid sudden death from her body draining all her available calcium. Egg laying can be risky business for a hen under some circumstances.

After reading these threads I’m wondering if I should switch back to layena layer feed so all my chickens get enough calcium. I’m feeding purina flock raiser with side of oyster shells nobody eats. My 10 chickens are 3 hrs old. A few lay fairly regularly .one of those always has a very soft shell. Another chicken lays shelless eggs every few days for 2 mos. The rest lay occasionally . The shells are sandpaper like. The summer was very hot and now some are starting to molt so even fewer eggs. So…..the all flock low calcium sounded ok but now I’m reading about the need for calcium in all chickens. It sounds like you can give a lot of calcium supplements without harm, so why would daily intake of a higher calcium food be bad.? Should I switch back to layer feed? I’d appreciate any advise as I’m crazy about my chickens and want to keep them healthy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

now some are starting to molt so even fewer eggs. So…..the all flock low calcium sounded ok but now I’m reading about the need for calcium in all chickens. It sounds like you can give a lot of calcium supplements without harm, so why would daily intake of a higher calcium food be bad.?

If you were happy with the results of using layer feed and have all hens of laying age, it's an appropriate feed to use if it works for you.

Just keep in mind that during molting you may see an increase in egg quality issues regardless of how much calcium they get, plus many birds will not resume after molting until daylight hours start increasing again. At that time they do not need the excess calcium.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

After reading these threads I’m wondering if I should switch back to layena layer feed so all my chickens get enough calcium. I’m feeding purina flock raiser with side of oyster shells nobody eats. My 10 chickens are 3 hrs old. A few lay fairly regularly .one of those always has a very soft shell. Another chicken lays shelless eggs every few days for 2 mos. The rest lay occasionally . The shells are sandpaper like. The summer was very hot and now some are starting to molt so even fewer eggs. So…..the all flock low calcium sounded ok but now I’m reading about the need for calcium in all chickens. It sounds like you can give a lot of calcium supplements without harm, so why would daily intake of a higher calcium food be bad.? Should I switch back to layer feed? I’d appreciate any advise as I’m crazy about my chickens and want to keep them healthy.

It may seem as if nobody is eating the oyster shell you are providing, but there is a good chance they are. They just don't need very much, so it's hard to tell they are eating it when it seems that the volume of oyster shell in the dish is not actually going down. But it is! Just so very slowly!

If you have any chickens that are not laying, the calcium in a layer feed puts a strain on their liver and kidneys and can ultimately do them harm. So young birds, old birds, male birds and molting birds - in short, any birds not actively laying - don't need to be on layer feed. Many of us feel it's easier and safer to feed the low-calcium all-flock, with a side dish of oyster shell, knowing that the birds that need it will help themselves.

 

[aftica86]

I have a seven-year old Easter Egger named Wheezie. She's always been one of my favorites because she's very smart and lovable and knows her name and she demands cuddles no matter what else is happening. When she began laying in February after fall break, her eggs all were coming out without a shell. She's been courting disaster with these shell-less eggs, and a few times, she was eggbound and it was touch and go.

I've been giving her calcium citrate every day since February trying to build up her reserves, hoping to see a normal egg from her, but settling for not having a soft egg break inside her. All of her eggs were either smashed wet spots in the nest or a puddled mess on the poop board come morning. This is what she has been getting every single day. View attachment 3079595Last night at roosting time, Wheezie was in egg crisis mode, I gave her an extra calcium, and put her on the perch. Early this morning sometime, she made it to the nest, and I found this.View attachment 3079594It's thin and dented but, by golly, it's a shell!!

Now, I have reason to hope that her shells might keep on getting better, heading for a normal egg one day soon.

I'm posting this thread to urge you all to get a bottle of calcium citrate and keep it in your run so it's handy to give to a hen that is having egg issues. The stuff really works. Just pop a tablet into the beak each day until you see normal eggs.

Hi I have a little 2yr old who has been experiencing the same thing I have been giving
her the calcium citrate for just over 2wks now
but not seeing much improvement. I was worried
about prolonged usage. How long did you give
to your hen? I also noticed you were giving 630mg I was only able to find 300 so I have been
giving her 2 I cut them up and put them into
blueberries. Have you seen a complete turn
around how long did it take and is she still
receiving the supplement? Thanks for any feedback you can offer.

 

[WingsysRoost]

For anyone who needs an alternative source of calcium for their chickens for whatever reason, I have found that offering kefir really seems to help with eggshell quality for my flock! It happened fairly quick, though, to be fair, mine weren't at the "soft shell" stage yet.

 

[azygous]

Wheezie is healthy and very much alive, but quit laying, thankfully, not long after I made this thread. It's a huge blessing when an older hen having egg laying issues quits laying.

But now I have a six-year old hen with the same problem. I wish she would stop laying, but I keep finding smashed eggs in the nest. Sometimes, the calcium simply doesn't help.

You can safely give your hen the calcium for a couple more weeks. Be sure she's getting a balanced diet and plenty of sun which helps her absorb the calcium better. Magnesium can also help. These foods are high in magnesium and make great treats, as well.

• pumpkin seeds, 30g — 156mg.
• chia seeds, 30g — 111mg.
• almonds, 30g — 80mg.
• spinach, boiled, ½ cup — 78mg.
• cashews, 30g — 74mg.
• peanuts, ¼ cup — 63mg.
• soymilk, 1 cup — 61mg.
• rolled oats, 100g — 29mg.

 

[GCrumb]

I had a hard time finding oyster shell and when I got some thin-shelled eggs I dusted the chicken feed with that 'Repti-Cal' powder one uses to dust crickets for pet lizards. Precipitated calcium carbonate and vitamin D3. Servings of feed in bag, spoonful of repti-cal powder, shake, every pellet or grain is covered in white powder. The chickens were very excited to eat it, eggshells improved overnight, they do not love it now that they have oystershell.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I had a hard time finding oyster shell and when I got some thin-shelled eggs I dusted the chicken feed with that 'Repti-Cal' powder one uses to dust crickets for pet lizards. Precipitated calcium carbonate and vitamin D3. Servings of feed in bag, spoonful of repti-cal powder, shake, every pellet or grain is covered in white powder. The chickens were very excited to eat it, eggshells improved overnight, they do not love it now that they have oystershell.

I changed my Like response to Informative. Amazing what you learn here!

 

[aftica86]

For anyone who needs an alternative source of calcium for their chickens for whatever reason, I have found that offering kefir really seems to help with eggshell quality for my flock! It happened fairly quick, though, to be fair, mine weren't at the "soft shell" stage yet.

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated

 

[aftica86]

Wheezie is healthy and very much alive, but quit laying, thankfully, not long after I made this thread. It's a huge blessing when an older hen having egg laying issues quits laying.

But now I have a six-year old hen with the same problem. I wish she would stop laying, but I keep finding smashed eggs in the nest. Sometimes, the calcium simply doesn't help.

You can safely give your hen the calcium for a couple more weeks. Be sure she's getting a balanced diet and plenty of sun which helps her absorb the calcium better. Magnesium can also help. These foods are high in magnesium and make great treats, as well.

• pumpkin seeds, 30g — 156mg.
• chia seeds, 30g — 111mg.
• almonds, 30g — 80mg.
• spinach, boiled, ½ cup — 78mg.
• cashews, 30g — 74mg.
• peanuts, ¼ cup — 63mg.
• soymilk, 1 cup — 61mg.
• rolled oats, 100g — 29mg.

Thanks,appreciate the suggestions, hopefully I can turn this around for she’s only 2 and super sweet.