She did it! She did it!
Sweetpea laid a perfect egg. Ran an errand, came back, and there it was!
As far as the others, I've baked and crushed eggshells, and they are eating them. I sprinkled them on the ground, near the barn, and that's the first place they all go when I let them out to forage in the evening. I decided to put them in the container their oyster shell was in. I'm having to refill it every few days. Egg laying is back to normal levels. I don't know that the eggshells did the trick, but I am relieved that things are going better. Yesterday, I finely ground some eggshells in the food processor and put about two cups in their remaining feed (about a half of a 50 lb bag). I'll update later.
BTW, Sweetpea stopped ovulating for awhile when we kept her in a darkened room for much of the day and she finally molted. She's over 2 years old and had never molted. None of the Golden Comets have. I think they may have been bred to be that way. A neighbor gave them to us when the grandkids got tired of them. I will never willingly get Golden Comets again (except to rescue them like that), although they have been very sweet. and quiet. Our Rhode Island Reds also have molted only under duress or the "force" of darkness... one after "hatching" eggs (we slipped babies under her when she was broody), one in a shock molt after a dog attack, and the third after we kept her in a dark room (humanely let outside several times a day) for a week. The Black Australorps and Ameracaunas molt every year.
Regarding the hormone therapy like the pill, I wonder if the acid environment in the crop would affect its efficacy. I wish they would come out with something like that, but the egg industry, where all the pharmaceutical revenue is, would have no need for that, therefore, the companies wouldn't find it worth getting approval for that use. On the other hand, owners of expensive "ornamental" birds are very vested in their birds, and might be willing to pay for it. Thank you for bringing this idea up. I'm going to research a bit and see what I can find.
Quote:
DUMOR layer pellets:
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 3.80%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 4.80%,
www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca/pdfs/factsheets/fs_133.pdf (found no date for this):
"The most common source of calcium for layer feeds is limestone. Consisting primarily of calcium carbonate, this mineral supplement is well digested by the chicken. It is important to realize that the limestone is broken down into calcium ions and carbonate ions: it cannot be transported into the blood stream intact. And when it is synthesized to form the egg shell, the calcium and carbonate ions must be recombined to become the calcium carbonate of the egg shell. Although the hen is capable of digesting the limestone, the process is by no means perfect. In fact, the best that can be expected is 50 - 60 % retention of the calcium in the feed. Therefore, to ensure the retention of 2.5 g of calcium daily, 4.0 - 4.5 g must be fed in the diet."
So, at the minimum of the DUMOR feed, (3.8) ,it may be a bit low, hence the need for supplemental calcium free choice, and at the maximum, (4.8), it should be adequate. I did find another article (or maybe it was cited in one of these studies), that calcium in steam produced pellets was more available.
http://www.scopemed.org/?jid=73&iid=2013-3-7.000
"Findings of this study demonstrated that dietary limestone increased egg production feed intake and improved feed conversion ratio, therefore could be included in laying hen diet as a satisfactory calcium source. None of (I think they mean "neither" ) limestone or oystershell had negative effects on egg shell quality traits." (However, they cited previous studies that concluded that larger oyster shell pieces stayed in the gizzard longer, releasing calcium into the bloodstream more slowly)
As far as the others, I've baked and crushed eggshells, and they are eating them. I sprinkled them on the ground, near the barn, and that's the first place they all go when I let them out to forage in the evening. I decided to put them in the container their oyster shell was in. I'm having to refill it every few days. Egg laying is back to normal levels. I don't know that the eggshells did the trick, but I am relieved that things are going better. Yesterday, I finely ground some eggshells in the food processor and put about two cups in their remaining feed (about a half of a 50 lb bag). I'll update later.
BTW, Sweetpea stopped ovulating for awhile when we kept her in a darkened room for much of the day and she finally molted. She's over 2 years old and had never molted. None of the Golden Comets have. I think they may have been bred to be that way. A neighbor gave them to us when the grandkids got tired of them. I will never willingly get Golden Comets again (except to rescue them like that), although they have been very sweet. and quiet. Our Rhode Island Reds also have molted only under duress or the "force" of darkness... one after "hatching" eggs (we slipped babies under her when she was broody), one in a shock molt after a dog attack, and the third after we kept her in a dark room (humanely let outside several times a day) for a week. The Black Australorps and Ameracaunas molt every year.
Regarding the hormone therapy like the pill, I wonder if the acid environment in the crop would affect its efficacy. I wish they would come out with something like that, but the egg industry, where all the pharmaceutical revenue is, would have no need for that, therefore, the companies wouldn't find it worth getting approval for that use. On the other hand, owners of expensive "ornamental" birds are very vested in their birds, and might be willing to pay for it. Thank you for bringing this idea up. I'm going to research a bit and see what I can find.
Quote:
DUMOR layer pellets:
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 3.80%, Calcium (Ca) (max.) 4.80%,
www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca/pdfs/factsheets/fs_133.pdf (found no date for this):
"The most common source of calcium for layer feeds is limestone. Consisting primarily of calcium carbonate, this mineral supplement is well digested by the chicken. It is important to realize that the limestone is broken down into calcium ions and carbonate ions: it cannot be transported into the blood stream intact. And when it is synthesized to form the egg shell, the calcium and carbonate ions must be recombined to become the calcium carbonate of the egg shell. Although the hen is capable of digesting the limestone, the process is by no means perfect. In fact, the best that can be expected is 50 - 60 % retention of the calcium in the feed. Therefore, to ensure the retention of 2.5 g of calcium daily, 4.0 - 4.5 g must be fed in the diet."
So, at the minimum of the DUMOR feed, (3.8) ,it may be a bit low, hence the need for supplemental calcium free choice, and at the maximum, (4.8), it should be adequate. I did find another article (or maybe it was cited in one of these studies), that calcium in steam produced pellets was more available.
http://www.scopemed.org/?jid=73&iid=2013-3-7.000
"Findings of this study demonstrated that dietary limestone increased egg production feed intake and improved feed conversion ratio, therefore could be included in laying hen diet as a satisfactory calcium source. None of (I think they mean "neither" ) limestone or oystershell had negative effects on egg shell quality traits." (However, they cited previous studies that concluded that larger oyster shell pieces stayed in the gizzard longer, releasing calcium into the bloodstream more slowly)
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