Thin and/or Porous Shells

[azygous]

Hi, I'm now to chickens and mine have only been laying for about a week. Hopefully I won't need to worry about calcium supplements, but out of curiosity, how long is too long on the nest. I've noticed that most of mine spend about a half hour on the nest before laying, but I had one who spent a half hour, got up for about 10 minutes and then spent another 20 to 30 minutes on the nest before laying. It was her second or third egg. At what point do you need to be concerned and give them extra calcium?

I have a hen that hops into the nest, lays her egg, and is outta there in little longer than the time it took me to write this sentence. Most layers average a half hour to an hour. When I notice a hen on a nest and she's still there two or three hours later, that's when she gets a calcium tablet.

Also, if a hen has spent an hour on the nest and gets off without laying an egg, she gets a calcium tablet.

 

[Clousic Chicks]

Here's my tutorial on why chickens have an easier time swallowing a bulky pill than humans do.

We think chickens must have a problem swallowing a large pill just because we do. But their digestive process is different from ours. We begin the digestive process by chewing first, then swallowing. We aren't meant to swallow large chunks. We naturally choke.

Chickens don't have teeth for a good reason. They don't need them. Their digestive process begins after they swallow. The food goes directly into their crop without passing "Go", and then it trickles down into their gizzard where the "chewing" action goes into full swing.

Therefore, chickens can amaze us by swallowing things that we think would choke them, large pills included. But they actually have no problem. Slip the pill into the beak and you'll see it disappear like magic. Unless you don't get it far enough back on the tongue. Chickens can rival dogs and cats at firing a pill across the room like a guided missile, but it's not because they aren't able to swallow it easily.

Thank you! I began giving Majesty calcium citrate and vitamin D3 immediately. She didn't lay for three days. Her first egg yesterday was perfect, as was todays! I'm encouraged and hopeful this will be the fix she needs. I also have offered extra D3 to my other pullets and my older hens in molt. Thank you again.

 

[Clousic Chicks]

Any chance you're familiar with Amoxicillin capsules? They're actually pretty large in my opinion. I had a sick OEGB bantam pullet that was barely over one pound. She needed to take an Amoxicillin capsule and @azygous shared her knowledge with me about my pullet being capable of swallowing the entire capsule. I opened her beak up and sure enough she was able to get that large capsule down with absolutely no problems whatsoever. The calcium citrate + vitD is an even larger tablet. I opened Mally's beak by gently pulling on her wattles and placed the tablet in the back of her mouth. She had no problem at all. I couldn't even tell they were swallowing anything.
I am so sorry that you've dealt with anyone being unkind on this site. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there are members here from all over the world. There are so many different cultures, different mindsets, different morals, different attitudes, and different personalities. I don't believe some folks intend to be perceived as rude/mean/hateful/etc, it's just the way they are. Another thing to keep in mind is there are a wide range of ages in the members here and that can make a huge difference in the way we perceive someone. I hate that there's no way to read emotions through the internet, but keeping the differences in mind help me to relax a bit whenever I feel like someone is frustrated with me. I won't lie and say that I've not read some rude replies but the kind, helpful, and knowledgeable folks here far outweigh that. I mentioned it before and I'll say it again, my life is better because of some members here. I hope that you will give BYC another chance because we all learn from each other. I'd love to see your MMM! My Mally is so beautiful so I'm sure your hen is too!
@Sunshine_Chick
I forgot to check the dosage but I'm heading out there now, so I promise I will post about it very soon. I sincerely apologize!

Majesty is gorgeous and huge. She's also a gentle giant. I was able to purchased Calcium Citrate "petites" at Walmart. I had to laugh at myself asking about them taking a pill--I've seen them literally inhale a nightcrawler! lol