What would you do?

[ChickenLegs13]

Yeah, a Pet Pen, that's what you need! Must devise plan to keep hubby and his sharp knives away.

 

[Secretlyspotted]

I have saved some egg shells to feed back to them and put them in their regular treat rations. But you dry them in the oven and then crush them? May I ask how that helps? Are they more likely to eat them if they are in a powder? And what temp and time do you use? How often do you do this?

 

[Secretlyspotted]

Oh! I hadn't thought of that. I certainly wouldn't want her to suffer. How did you know an egg had broken inside her? Just so I'll know what to look for if we do end up keeping her. I've had to cull one due to sickness but that was easy- she was pretty much dead anyway. Part of keeping chickens, I know.

 

[Secretlyspotted]

LOL. It isn't that I have a problem eating chickens we've raised. I eat plenty of grocery store chicken at least I would know mine had some good lives! But I didn't plan to eat THIS one. She was one of the original 6 I got and I kinda thought I would keep those until they met a natural end. Hubby is going to be bummed if we don't eat her..... he still doesn't believe that I would eat one at all!

 

[Coralietg]

Oh! I hadn't thought of that. I certainly wouldn't want her to suffer. How did you know an egg had broken inside her? Just so I'll know what to look for if we do end up keeping her. I've had to cull one due to sickness but that was easy- she was pretty much dead anyway. Part of keeping chickens, I know.

Her last couple of laid eggs were almost shell-less and very strange looking, then we found "egg farts" around randomly. She showed a lot of signs off being egg bound, constantly in the nesting box, fluffed up feathers, generally miserable. She wasn't egg bound, couldn't feel anything up there, I'm pretty sure it was peritonitis. Since she had started laying, she had very soft eggs. I wonder if it's a genetic problem sometimes.

 

[Secretlyspotted]

Nugget's eggs have had thin shells since I got her- about 6 months ago. It really is too bad because her eggs are a beautiful mint green and they are yummy. I do think it is something genetic about her. It was curious that she was the only laying hen that was for sale at the farm I went to. The others were roosters or pretty far from laying. I am going to try to increase her calcium intake by mixing it into the treats, but if that doesn't work I will probably end of culling her. I just can't have my whole new batch of layers find out how yummy eggs are! I will probably have a pet pen at some point, but the more I think of that it doesn't seem feasible for awhile.

 

[ShadyHillFarm]

You dry them and crush them so that they don't actually don't look like a whole/half egg and encourage egg eating. I actually just keep my cracked egg shells in a bowl in the frig. Then when I decide to bake something in the oven, I toss them in there when the baking is done and shut the oven off. They stay in until the oven cools or until I open the oven and remember I'd been drying eggs.

They don't have to be crushed to powder; I just pulse them a few times in the processor.