Soft shelled eggs

EWROBERTS41

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I have 6 hens one of which is laying a soft shelled egg nearly everyday, but by the time I let them out at 7am it has been eaten. I provide them with plenty of grit which I leave in a bowl inside their run. Any ideas how I can stop it please.

Stanierman
 
Hi Staneirman

Is it the grit with oystershell or just plain grit?, also how old are your birds as this will give a better idea of what is likely to be going on. It is natural for the birds to clean up soft shell eggs and rarely leads to them indulging in egg eating so I wouldn't worry about them eating it too much.
 
Hi Dinosaw,
Thanks for your reply. There is oystershell with the grit. The hens are about 14 months old. Didn't find a soft one this morning but for the last 3 days there was the remains of an egg on the floor of the coop.

regards
Stanierman
 
Well there could be several causes then but at least old age and settling into lay can be ruled out. Firstly the bird may be laying faster than it can shell the eggs in which case you get two eggs being layed on the same day, with one being soft shelled. It could be stress of some sort, such as being bullied, predators around the coop at night etc. It could be a failure to absorb calcium properly though that is rarer in birds of this age, overweight hens can lay soft shelled eggs and soft shells are more common following hot days as the birds take in less feed, worms can also cause the problem. If you are up to date with your worming, aren't overfeeding scraps and treats and are providing oystershell then there isn't a lot more you easily can do I'm afraid.
 
I'm up to date with my worming, in fact they are due their next dose next Wednesday. I use Vermex by the way, and have never had any problem with it.I She could be bullied I have one that has a bare behind and a few feathers missing round her neck an near the tail. As regards predators, they are in a secure coop with a wooden floor which is then in an enclosed run with the wire netting buried inthe ground, and unless a fox has wire cutters and a few other tools there is no way to get in. I lock the gate into the run every night. As regards worms I have seen no evidence of any in their droppings. As for scraps the only things they have is lettuce or cabbage every day apart from two days when they have porridge and grass cuttings when I mow the lawn.
 
The only thing I would say about verm-x is that there is no proof that it works as a wormer as there haven't been any clinical trials of the product, it's up to you of course but I would recommend using flubenvet to worm on a 6 monthly basis which is clinically proven. By the time worms are visible to the human eye then the chickens are in real trouble so not seeing them doesn't mean they aren't carrying a high burden. Of course this doesn't mean that worms are the reason for your soft shells but switching wormer would do your birds a favour in the long run.
 
Hi Stanierman
It's rather telling that apart from the alluding to worms in the name, Verm-x makes no claim to be a wormer.. I've no doubt that the ingredients have various benifits for 'intestinal hygiene ' (garlic is good stuff). The most common chicken worms (as whole worms) might appear in droppings, unfortunatly, when there's no more room for the population inside. Threadworm in cecal dropping an exception.
The odd soft-shelled egg or two seems to be a glitch - occasional bare bottoms also common but a bit more of an indicator that somethings amiss maybe. A couple of mine have bare behinds due to a lice infestation that I hope I've sorted but that kind of irritation can also make egg laying/quality go off the the rails.
 
Hi Rick and dinosaw,

Thanks for your input re Verm-x. I was under the impression that it was for worming, obviously I was mistaken. I will now get some flubenvet and see if that improves things. I am also going to put some garlic in their water as I have read somewhere that it is good for hens. I will also treat the one with the bare behind incase it is caused by lice.

Thank you both for your help.

Regards

Stanierman
 
I have ordered some flubenvet for my hens , how do I give it to my hens? With the verm-x I just put some on their poridge. Can I do the same with the flubenvet or do I have to mix it will their layers pellets. What is the best way to make sure that they get the wormer? Any help appreciated.

Regards
Stanierman
 
As you have six hens, you need to weigh out 6 kilos of pellets.Put about one kilo into a second large container, and add a small amount if vegetable oil, just enough to lightly coat the pellets, so the Flubenvet powder will stick to them. Stir them well, then add the right amount of powder, which will be 3 level scoops ( using scoop provided.) Stir carefully, then gradually add the rest of the feed in batches, mixing well each time.
Empty the feeder and refill with treated pellets. Feed ONLY THESE for 7 days, no other treats (although I do give my girls some greens in the evening, once they've eaten enough pellets that day.) The idea is that, if only fed treated pellets, each hen will self-dose with the correct amount for her bodyweight. If fed other treats, she may not get an effective dose.
You can buy pre-treated pellets, but they can be wasteful as any left over will be out of date before the next worming, or else the bag will run out before the week is up. The powder can be stored for the three treatments you can get out of one pot for six hens, so if well in date when you buy it, it's the best way to buy.
This method entails confining the hens in a closed run for the week. It's definitely the best way, as the medicine goes down gradually, sort of drip-fed bit by bit. However, if they're in a run which is too small for them 24/7, you could try Method 2, based on treat feeding all in one daily dose. For this method, they are allowed to free range as normal, but have to be hungry enough to eat the treated corn enthusiastically (not difficult!)
For 6 hens, find a small mug to use as a measure. Put 7 mugfuls into a large container. Add oil and 3 scoops of Flubenvet powder mixed as before, only making up to a more concentrated feed. Put a large plate or similar off the ground on a block, and give the hens one mugful per day to share. Watch carefully, as with this method, the boss hens may get more than their share and the lower ranking ones may not get enough. If so, you may need to separate the timid ones and feed them their share separately. This method does get it into them, but has obvious disadvantages compared with just feeding treated pellets for 7 days, no fuss.
Vermex used to claim to kill worms, but this claim had to be dropped following complaints and tests, showing it didn't actually have any effect. I never use it myself, my hens seem to stay healthy and lay well on a simple diet and no supplements. But lots of people do like to feed various extras to their birds, and if your purse is deep enough, I suppose they do no harm. Flubenvet is the only effective wormer licensed for poultry, and it's safe to eat eggs produced whilst using it.
It's good to keep up to date with worming, but there may be other reasons for softies in a young hen. Sometimes, even with a vaccinated hen, there may have been a low-level infection as a grower, which can have an effect on laying performance later on. If so, nothing really that can be done about it. See Poutrykeeper https://poultrykeeper.com/egg-problems/soft-thin-or-missing-egg-shells/
 
Very useful info regarding worming. I only got my hens last week, when should I worm them? Also where is the best place to buy Flubenvet from?
 
Just around point-of-lay for the first time is ideal I think. I've been getting my flubenvet from British Hen Welfare Trust as I like to give them the profit.
 
Hi Marigold,
Thanks for the information about the flubenvet, much appreciated. I hope that you or anybody else can help me with the dosage of garlic to put in the drinking water. How many segments of the clove would I have to put into a 4 litre bottle of water for it to become of any use for the treatment of my hens?. I am trying to utilise all the information given to me i.e sweetcorn, how much do they get at any one time. Codliver oil again how much do I give them. I am very grateful for all the advice given to me. I thought I was doing OK but obviously I have a lot to learn.!!

Regards

Stanierman
 
I dont know re garlic in water - I put a squished clove in half a cup of olive oil (sunflower etc) and then stir a spoon of it in with a days food.
Cod liver oil is one teaspoon per hen on a days food (well mixed like the Flubenvet technique.) but just once as a boost, not every day. It's the Vit D that cod liver oil is good for - they make their own by sunbathing so shouldn't be a problem this time of year.

I actually am not sure if a Vit D supplement is neccessery at all if they are on a good layers food as it's one of the additives usually (assuming a barn possibility where they don't get outside). I think the trick of 'a drop of sunshine' may be an old one when chicken feed was less well formulated. But a bit in the winter wouldn't do any harm.
 
If you have healthy young hens, on a diet of good quality layers pellets and greens, they really do not need ANY additives, tonics or or other boosters. Layers pellets contain a balance of all the extra vitamins and minerals that are required, in the correct proportions to support regular laying, and 'extras' can put this diet out of balance. A very little amount of Vit.D could possibly be of use for run-down birds in the depths of winter when there is very little light, but as their systems slow down then anyway, you do run the risk of overdosing them on cod liver oil, which is dangerous in excess and also makes the eggs taste fishy.
Yes they love sweetcorn, and a small amount as a treat to make them tame will do no harm, but be aware that it's highly fattening, either as corn on the cob or as maize, which is the same thing only dried, and found in mixed corn. Over time, an excess of fattening treats causes hens to lay down fat around the ovaries, eventually slowing down their lay and can cause serious physical problems.
I know it makes people feel good to dose their hens with various expensive potions, but quite honestly I think it's more for the owner's benefit than the chickens'.
(I know not everyone will agree with me about this, so I'll get off my hobby horse now!)
 
Absolutely second that!
Its interesting to know what various foods do but also interesting to note that a 'wild', 'natural' chicken is not the same as the chickens we have, that are usually bred to perform much better and are bound to their genetics (i.e egg laying). They need their good quality pellets. Its quite funny how they all seem to be protesting about the standard boring food whenever I go in the coop but it disappears at an alarming rate when I leave!
 
Hi Marigold,

Thanks for the directions of how to use the Flubenvet powder. I have just mixed 6 kilos of pellets with the powder as you instructed although I did wonder at one stage whether the 3 level scoops of the powder was enough to mix in with the 6 kilos of pellets, but it must be right as the leaflet says so as well. Any way I gave them a good stir until my fingers were hurting. The treatment starts tomorrow morning. Again thanks for your help.

Kind regards

Stanierman
 
Good luck - and I hope you washed your hands very carefully after mixing in the Flubenvet! It's very concentrated stuff and I don't suppose you've got worms....
Next time, maybe wear plastic gloves, and/or mix with a big spoon?
6 kilos was just an estimate, based on what I give mine - if not quite enough, mix up a bit more to last the week, and if a small amount is left over just top up with normal pellets and let them use it up.
 

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