*update post #6* How long after starting oyster shell and yogurt

[RollinWithTheStones]

should I see stronger eggs?

I've gotten 3 eggs from my sex link in a week and a half, each time the shells were brittle to mushy. Two of them were already broken by the time I got there

I will say at least she does lay in or around a nest unlike my other two

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

I've heard (read) it takes 3 days for any diet change to take effect. True or not, I do not know!

 

[gallusdomesticus]

The hen uses calcium in her blood stream to form the shell. If their is insufficient calcium, she has to take it from her bones which takes longer to process. My experience is soft or brittle shells are normally laid first thing in the morning, when the hen hasn't had anything to eat to increase her calcium levels in her blood. Increasing the calcium in her diet works but seems to take a couple of days. Three days is probably a good estimate.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Okay

I'm on day five. Guess I'll just keep feeding it to her and hope it works. The eggs do seem to be laid first thing in the AM.

 

[gallusdomesticus]

Here's a good article on factors affecting egg laying from the Univ of Florida.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/ps/ps02900.pdf

Of note, the article says that larger oyster shell grit gives a slower release to the hen's system and may eliminate the first laid egg in the morning problems.

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

So after a week of pumping that poor girl full of yogurt, dark leafy greens, cottage cheese, and oyster shell. I finally got a solid egg, though I must admit it took an hour and 15 minutes and she seemed pretty freaked out.


IMAG1192 by StonesChickens, on Flickr


IMAG1202 by StonesChickens, on Flickr

 

[JodyJo]

its huge...a double yolker....how long has she been laying?

If she is fairly new to it, it takes a couple weeks for the soft shelled eggs to disappear...and double yolkers usually stop after a month or so.

she should adjust and start giving you great shelled eggs soon enough without all the TLC

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

Supposedly she's between 12 and 18 months, she's been laying for awhile according to the last owner. It's really not that big, I think it's just my DD's small hands.