Too much calcium

[chickpeatay]

Hey Y’all. I’ve owned chickens for about 3 years now and I had my first one stop laying. She never laid very often but never showed signed of poor health or anything. I noticed recently she is panting and her comb is very dark red. I’m thinking she’s getting too much calcium. I have her eating oats and low calcium fruits and will get her started on chick feed tomorrow. Any tips for helping her get back on her feet? She is doing better now that she’s eating oats and her stool is way less watery, i’m just considered about the panting and labored breathing.

 

[nuthatched]

Why are thinking too much calcium?
What's her normal diet, including treats?
Is she trying to lay? Is it hot?
Oats aren't great for chickens, I'd reccomend you not do that.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do you always feed layer feed? That can have too much calcium for non-layers. You can feed your entire flock chick feed or an all-flock formula if you wish. It's generally higher in protein (20% compared to 16%) and you can supply calcium to your layers in the form of oyster shell in a separate vessel. Non-layers will ignore it.

 

[chickpeatay]

Why are thinking too much calcium?
What's her normal diet, including treats?
Is she trying to lay? Is it hot?
Oats aren't great for chickens, I'd reccomend you not do that.

She hasn’t laid in quite some time, at least a few months, she’s three years old.
She normally eats laying crumbles with the occasional veggie scraps or scratch. It’s not very hot where we are, if anything this is the coolest it’s been all year.
I do have some chick feed for her tomorrow but she has only had oats one other time, so it should be okay, thank you for the info!

 

[chickpeatay]

Do you always feed layer feed? That can have too much calcium for non-layers. You can feed your entire flock chick feed or an all-flock formula if you wish. It's generally higher in protein (20% compared to 16%) and you can supply calcium to your layers in the form of oyster shell in a separate vessel. Non-layers will ignore it.

I do! She hasn’t had any issues until very recently, but I have chick feed that will be here tomorrow morning for her. Thank you for the info! Do you know if there’s anything I can do to help her recover?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Panting and dark red comb could be a respiratory, circulatory or heart issue but I'm no expert. Let me tag a few Educators for you.

@Eggcessive, @azygous, @Wyorp Rock

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do you know if there’s anything I can do to help her recover?

I think first we have to get a better idea of what might be wrong with her. I think you're right to take her off the layer pellets since she's not laying, but it's almost impossible to feed one chicken something different. They can all eat the chick feed if you supply oyster shell.

 

[chickpeatay]

Panting and dark red comb could be a respiratory, circulatory or heart issue but I'm no expert. Let me tag a few Educators for you.

@Eggcessive, @azygous, @Wyorp Rock

Thank you! It isn’t hot where we live right now, it’s actually pretty cool. She has no discharge from eyes ears or nose, so i’m not completely sure what’s going on. All of my other hens are doing great and laying though

 

[nuthatched]

She hasn’t laid in quite some time, at least a few months, she’s three years old.
She normally eats laying crumbles with the occasional veggie scraps or scratch. It’s not very hot where we are, if anything this is the coolest it’s been all year.
I do have some chick feed for her tomorrow but she has only had oats one other time, so it should be okay, thank you for the info!

She sounds like she's have reproductive issues so yes, the extra calcium is no longer necessary.

 

[chickpeatay]

I think first we have to get a better idea of what might be wrong with her. I think you're right to take her off the layer pellets since she's not laying, but it's almost impossible to feed one chicken something different. They can all eat the chick feed if you supply oyster shell.

I’m thinking I’ll switch them and offer oyster shell, I have a few chickens getting older and they may be ready for the switch anyways