Egg Issue

Hi All,

I know I've weighed in on numerous egg issues for others, but now I'm hoping you might do the same for me.

So Talula (a red spotted sussex pullet of about 6 months) started laying back in early November. She was doing great. Laying every day, maybe missing one day a week. Then she layed this HUGE egg compared to all her others and now seems to be having some trouble.

She's skipping more days than usual. We were gone Wednesday through Saturday evening for the holiday and there were NO eggs of hers in the carton that the neighbor was collecting. I just found an egg shell on the bottom of the hen house floor. its her's, but its really weak - like paper. I found another one like that a week or so ago.

So do you think she's eating them or do you think that she's laying really weak eggs that are being kicked (or laid) out of the box?

Edited to say: I just went out and made the best of my 10 last minutes of day light and after stirring around the deep litter in the coop, it appears as if there were about 4 more of these paper-shelled eggs. They are so close to the box, she could almost be in the box with her chicky-bum sticking out the wrong direction. Then we have the whole issue of Lacey not getting out of the box... darn broody cochin with no rooster and no babies to rear. ;-)

What can I do to help? More protein, oyster shells, ....

This message was edited Nov 30, 2008 4:59 PM

Sorry these folks were to busy to answer your question. I have already answered you somewhere else if you have question Dmail Me or Email i would love to help.


Edited to remove comment

This message was edited Dec 8, 2008 10:05 AM

What the hay? I've gotten 19 views and no responses since 3 hours ago???

Oh well, byc is answering, thanks anyway.

I caught ya on BYC sorry Lazy_Ladies. I did not see this one on here. :(
I thought the oyster shells was a good idea.
You said you have 16% protein already?
That broody girl!!!! Cant help with that one. Mine wont sit any longer than they have to. :)

Sorry as i said they are to busy to notice.

This message was edited Dec 1, 2008 12:34 AM

thanks sewincircle. I knew I had seen you over there.

yes, they have 16% layer pellets, but I'm about to switch them to a locally grown and milled 19%.

I have never seen 19% layers ration. That would probably help too.
That hen of your, broody girl... I dont know. I do not think she is pushing them out of the box, because they would probably break if they are so thin. You would find a bunch of broken ones. I do hope she gains some shell mass soon. The large egg may have sapped her though. I guess time will tell.

oh, they are broken. they are so thin that they are hard to see in the pine shavings. I have to dig around in the shavings before I see them. they look like little shaving pancakes, then when I pick them up it is thin shelled little eggs with shavings stuck to them. They are broken open, but I can't tell if someone is eating them or if they are just breaking when they drop or get trampled.

*sigh* I just don't know! That's why I was asking for other's input.

I guess time will tell. I would give her all the love, oyster shells, extra protien and wait.
She ought to recover soon though. Poor little girl! Give her a hug from me. ;)

Did you read my explanation on the thin shelled eggs on the other forum. I thought i explained it to you.

yes, and it makes sense. So time will tell. About how long before the reproductive system gets back on track usually. I mean...when will the eggs slow down in their route through the body?

Boy Lazy, I'm not sure but usually the very thin shelled are a result of Not enough oyster shell, and no free range grazing. The extra large egg I have experienced that last year on at least three or four occassions. From what i've been told the extra large egg sometimes does damage to the oviduct and the hen refrains from laying until the healing is completed. I'.m not sure how or if this helps but I sure hope you will keep us posted. I must tell you I used to visit and chime in once in a while on the byc forum but quickly got sick of the Sillyness that Harmony was speaking of. I very much enjoy a little fun but when things get to silly and we lose the help and info that each of us look for, then I simply fade away. Hope that doesn't happen on this forum. Haystack Good luck and keep us posted.

OHHHH! Just went and reread....If it is the reproductive glitch then calcium wont do much good... Then just give her a hug from me then. :)

Sorry Harmony, but I was offended that you said everyone was too busy being silly to answer. That is starting trouble if you ask me.
If you're going to be like that, then who wants to come to her thread?
There is only one response you should be concerned about.. your own. You are not a moderator here..

As for Lazy_ladies.. I can't help much.. I don't have the experience... I can say that it was a beautiful Sunday Outside today. I hope you get your egg issues resolved.

Sorry I missed this, LL. Looks like Harmony has the best suggestion thus far. No experience or advice other than to up the nutrients and give her healing time. (I've been on but never saw this posting til now?!)

Thanks ladies,
I guess I just get back to trying to kick Lacey out of the box so that when Talula is healed and ready she can use it again. ;-) Darn broody girl!

Sorry ZZ just noticed as LL said she had 19 views and no responses in 3 hours and i noticed that other threads of a humorous nature was recieveing all the post. Sorry if you were offended and i know i'm not a moderater but i do care that people who post here get the help they need.
I helped lazylady and that was my intentions and she appreciated that.

Again I'm so sorry ^_^

Glad we got it figured out hopefully it will work for the broody and i would give the other girl a little time.
The soft shell egg thing may correct itself it's not uncommon for it to happen. Keep me posted on hows shes doing.

This message was edited Dec 1, 2008 12:23 AM

Hey there LL: I have four cochin's, three white and one buff, one of the whites is so broody that I can't keep her out of the nest even when I take all the eggs from her. I have gotten to where I have to take her from the nest and put her outside, then close the door to the coop, oop's now how do the others get in to lay. I'm going to place her alone in an out door pen and feed her seperately. Don't know how else to keep her out of the nest. " OUCH" AM I sensing a little bit of a family feud. Happens in every great family. Personally I admire those who speak their mind, and yet are very caring persons. Haystack.

Hi Lazy,
I too have had the paper shells.....are yours all rolled up? I have found them like that too - almost like a skin sort of thing. Weird.
Now, I can't really tell who is laying what in my coop, as my girls all lay brown eggs. But, I do have a girl laying ENORMOUS eggs (although I haven't gotten one in 2 days now) and then the weird skin ones now and again.
I do the oyster shell thing as well. My girls are all new to laying - as I think yours are too - so maybe they are still just figuring things out biologically. ??
I just posted a thread today about one of my girls laying while roosting. Now, doesn't that add to the mix :)
They are almost like kids - we need an instruction manual!!
T.

LOL Teresa. Feather kids!

It appears that lurkers like myself could be causing problems again, sorry Lazy_Ladies. I am sure that your post would not have been ignored by those with the knowledge to help. You are one of the 'core' posters. Hard to take when you are waiting for a response, especially when told people had posted to other threads.

I can think of a few reasons why the post was not responded to in a timely manner. 1. Lurkers (guilty) 2. Posters during that time just came on to update their own threads. 3. Those with just a couple of minutes to spare could have just responded to the top posts. 4. no experience with the problem. 5. It was around the evening meal time and then the evening chores time.

As I have more time than sense I went all down the page noting times of posting. I came up with a about 14 posts between the time the thread was started and reponses were made. 6 were adding to their own thread, most of the remaining were responding to what would have been the top post at the time and a couple were from people who have admitted they had no experience with the problem. None of the posts were of a 'silly' nature (they were all earlier, later or a different day}. Some 'silliness' can brighten up a bad day and we all have some of those. So I would suggest when anyone needs help they keep bumping their posts to the top so they will be noticed sooner.

OK that's my two pence worth, back to lurking. Hoping posters will remember not to go by just number of views on a post as lurkers are bad at raising that number. I will try to remember not to look until a response has been posted.

Thanks much, Surreybrit!!

Point Takin Thanks

Surreybrit, et al,
You bring up all very valid points. I cross posted with Harmony in those first two responses. I was 1/2 just giving the crew a hard time and 1/2 bumping my thread back up. Sorry if I came off wrong. I wasn't trying to be rude.

I have no problem with silliness. I have been known to be a bit silly - here maybe - in real life ALL THE TIME! ;-)

I do really appreciate your response though. I forget about the lurkers.

Yes, and I only actually check for new threads on the poultry and livestock forum once every 2-3 days. Mostly I just follow up with posts for the ones I am already on. That is why I don't always get around to answering stuff very quickly. It's hard enough to keep up with the threads I'm already on sometimes, with everything else going on in life (i.e. work, school, chores, etc).

Hi L L: Just a follow up question. Some days have passed now and I was wondering how your little girl is doing? The large (egg layer) is she back to laying and is alright? Hope all is well. Haystack

Hey Haystack,
Thanks for thinkin' of me! :-) Talula laid an egg yesterday -- in the middle of my back yard, but hey, it was an egg. NO eggs from either of them today, but hopefully that's a sign of her getting back on track.

Oh Thats such good news Kristen it must have been that glitch in her reproductive system i told you about. Glad your girl is back to normal again ^_^

I am glad to hear that. I was on BYC yesterday and read your encouraging words to that person.
Very nice to hear she is getting on better now.

Also don't forget that the (lack of) weather this time of year has a substantial part to play in the (in)frequency of egg laying and also contributes greatly to the size issue. There are, of course, a myriad of other causes....at this time of year I actually cut BACK on protein. I know there are a lot of commercial farmers who disagree with me on that issue - but my birds are better off for it, in my humble opinion. Contrary to popular practise I also keep the lights OFF - in every single run and barns - during Winter months (with the exception of the automatic predator lights)...I am repaid handsomly for this practise during the early days of Spring. This is also the time to rotate roosters and I shift the 80 or so into different pens and barns in order to allow 'the girls' to get used to them. Lastly, you might also try adding some fine (washed) sand into the fields...I used to mix about 300 pounds of sand to every 1,000 pounds of (oyster) shell but have now increased the sand ratio dramatically with exceptional results.
Good luck!

Well, NOW you've given me furiously to think EF. Would you mind elaborating on the 'less protein' idea? I'm not getting anywhere by myself. Stumped. Please?

Good day grownut...regarding the 'less protein' statement. It is my particular train of thought that, during the shorter daylight hours, as most of my girls cut way back of egg production just where is all that protein going? After several years - although not all the years were 'scientific' - of careful study and analysis I find that one of the main reasons for feeding protein at this time of year is simply based on what feed companies and suppliers have urged us to do. Since I have cut back on protein I feel my birds are healthier, far less stressed, sleep better and, qwhen they start producing eggs in greater numbers again I find a far superior grade off egg is produced.
I am not a big producer - I have around 5,000 laying hens with another 1,500 in various age stages...however I do keep a careful eye on my financial feed situation. Good luck.

Thank you. Glad to know 1.) the thinking behind the protein bit and 2.) that 5,000 layers does not a big producer make! My birds seem to be wanting something different this time of year, but I'm at a loss to figure out what that is. It may be giving them a lower % ration is the way to do it. Though with their just being past molt now, less of anything is a little counterintuitive...

5000 hens? How do you keep all their names straight?! (Just kidding, I'm sure you don't have names for them). I call 5000 birds a huge producer, but I guess I am wrong!

Now I'm worried about protein. I just feed Layena pellets all winter because there is no fresh grass for them to dig around in. Is the protein too high in that? I don't give supplemental light because I want them to take a break. Egg production is super low right now. Maybe 2-3 a day out of 50 hens.

Claire

I give 20% crumbles mixed in w/ scratch...

You know, of course, that all chickens originated from India (they were the original jungle fowl) until, that is, the Brits brought them back to Blighty and then over to the colonies and settlements. The point being that when hens started to molt back in their native land - the ambient temperature wasn't quite as a big a deal to them (being in a sub-tropical climate) as it was in England and over here!

I feed 16% protein and mix a little scratch in and i don't use lights.

Okay Eggfarmer i have a question i've seen people on here giveing very high protein 20% and up and talking of raiseing it.
I thought to much protein was bad on their kidneys and liver??

My girls get layer pellets mixed with cracked corn and the occasional bread/greens/etc. We have lights on until 10pm, heat that goes off at 45 F- today was another 6 egg day (we only have 6 hens!!) :)