I don't know if anybody would be able to shed any light or has experienced anything like what seems to be going on with my flock lately but here goes...
I have 9 Chickens a polish bantam, a Peking bantam , a gold brahma hen and her brother, a light Sussex, a bluebell, a silkie, a cream legbar and a Calder ranger, the polish and her brother (who unfortunately I had to re home due to my neighbour and his relentless crowing) the legbar and the Peking and the brahmas grew up together from small chicks followed by silkie, Sussex , Calder ranger and bluebell joined the flock later in that order all were introduced slowly with minimal trouble and have lived together happily until recently.
Firstly and for a reason known only to her the Sussex half killed the legbar in the coop one night (she is now separate) and living safely with some chicks. Since then the Sussex has become a bully only 3 of the bigger girls are laying and on several occasions I have found empty egg shells soft that are squashed. I have watched all of them carefully for egg yolk peritonitis but all are still laying, eating and drinking and not showing any signs of illness.
Secondly, the other day the polish started to become a little withdrawn and skittish ( she is normally very friendly) and ran off into the plants in the garden and began to put up a terrible din (she is on point of lay and I thought she was going to start there and then) no egg arrived and the Sussex and the Calder ranger kept going into the plants to take a peck at her and would not leave her alone.
Again I though of EYP, she is still eating and drinking but noticeably now sets herself aside from the rest of the flock. Tonight I found her under the coop when everybody else had gone to bed. I am at a loss as to what is going on. I did think maybe it was because we had re homed her brother and she was a bit lost. Also in the run I have found a small white egg looking all the world like a chick has hatched. It had the blunt end chipped off in a perfect circle with a single first hole at the other end, it had dried up veins on the inside and the last bit of yolk sac stuck to it.
The problem is 1 only got this new coop and run 2 days ago nowbody has been outside of the run and no one was sitting on any eggs, my only broody hen was the silkie but that was weeks ago and we placated her with a false egg, besides the empty shell was much smaller. I had seen the polish roo mate the Sussex before he went but that is all. There are no overhanging trees for it to have come from a wild birds nest and no other nests anywhere else.
The coops are not overcrowded they have ample free range room in the garden, all have access to constant food and water in several places, all have been wormed, treated for potential mites/lice and foot checked so I am left scratching my head.
Any ideas would be welcome
I have 9 Chickens a polish bantam, a Peking bantam , a gold brahma hen and her brother, a light Sussex, a bluebell, a silkie, a cream legbar and a Calder ranger, the polish and her brother (who unfortunately I had to re home due to my neighbour and his relentless crowing) the legbar and the Peking and the brahmas grew up together from small chicks followed by silkie, Sussex , Calder ranger and bluebell joined the flock later in that order all were introduced slowly with minimal trouble and have lived together happily until recently.
Firstly and for a reason known only to her the Sussex half killed the legbar in the coop one night (she is now separate) and living safely with some chicks. Since then the Sussex has become a bully only 3 of the bigger girls are laying and on several occasions I have found empty egg shells soft that are squashed. I have watched all of them carefully for egg yolk peritonitis but all are still laying, eating and drinking and not showing any signs of illness.
Secondly, the other day the polish started to become a little withdrawn and skittish ( she is normally very friendly) and ran off into the plants in the garden and began to put up a terrible din (she is on point of lay and I thought she was going to start there and then) no egg arrived and the Sussex and the Calder ranger kept going into the plants to take a peck at her and would not leave her alone.
Again I though of EYP, she is still eating and drinking but noticeably now sets herself aside from the rest of the flock. Tonight I found her under the coop when everybody else had gone to bed. I am at a loss as to what is going on. I did think maybe it was because we had re homed her brother and she was a bit lost. Also in the run I have found a small white egg looking all the world like a chick has hatched. It had the blunt end chipped off in a perfect circle with a single first hole at the other end, it had dried up veins on the inside and the last bit of yolk sac stuck to it.
The problem is 1 only got this new coop and run 2 days ago nowbody has been outside of the run and no one was sitting on any eggs, my only broody hen was the silkie but that was weeks ago and we placated her with a false egg, besides the empty shell was much smaller. I had seen the polish roo mate the Sussex before he went but that is all. There are no overhanging trees for it to have come from a wild birds nest and no other nests anywhere else.
The coops are not overcrowded they have ample free range room in the garden, all have access to constant food and water in several places, all have been wormed, treated for potential mites/lice and foot checked so I am left scratching my head.
Any ideas would be welcome
and Welcome To BYC! Wonder if you found the remains of some sort of wild bird egg, ie if you have pigeons anywhere near they lay small kinda white eggs that pretty much look like bantam or silkie eggs, they will set on eggs pretty much any time of year.
