Wet nesting box

[azygous]

You pry open the beak and shove the pill inside. Chickens swallow pills with far more ease than humans do.

 

[Cheeper Keeper]

Sorry, don't mean to hijack OPs thread, but I'm having a similar situation, except I belive mine is due to my bird just beginning to lay. I have 6 hens also but only once have gotten 6 eggs in a day. They all started laying separate times as they are Different breeds and a couple weeks apart in age but the 1st to lay began about 1 month ago and the last about 1-2 weeks ago. In that time I've been noticing an egg with no shell in the roosting area, never in the nest box. It's happened several times. I belive I've narrowed it down to one bird but can't be sure. Would i treat the suspect with calcium in this case? Or is that something common to new layers that works itself out on its own? I did get 6 eggs for the first time 2 days ago, so i know it's not every time.

 

[azygous]

Treat the hen as I described above. While it's not uncommon for new layers to have this problem and it often corrects itself, giving the calcium citrate for a few days won't hurt.

 

[Cheeper Keeper]

Will do, thanks so much!

 

[rosemarythyme]

You pry open the beak and shove the pill inside. Chickens swallow pills with far more ease than humans do.

If you're struggling to get the beak open...

If the bird has wattles you can pull on them to make them open their beaks, but I find it easier to put the hen on the ground, crouch with her between my legs (so she can't back up), and get a finger between the beak with one hand while the other hand stuffs in the pill. They'll fuss and complain but they'll swallow it without issue once you push it in there.