Lethargic after soft egg

[amlee1234]

My chickens are 22 weeks and I’m having some issues. We went through the heat wave last weekend without any problems. Everyone that was laying, continued to lay everyday. Then our temps dropped down 20° overnight and I had 4 hens lay soft shelled eggs. These were in addition to them laying thier normal eggs in the morning. My Barred Rock was acting sluggish yesterday, then laid a soft shelled egg (this was her very first time laying). Today she has been sitting in the coop on the roost, very apathetically. They have plenty of oyster shells. My other hens have laid normal eggs since, so I assumed it was the funky weather causing issues. However, BR doesn’t seem to be getting over it well. Is there something I should do for her? Or just let it run it’s course?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do have have them eating a layer feed along with having a separate container of crushed oyster shell to provide extra calcium? Soft or shell-less eggs can be common in new layers. Shell-less eggs are harder to lay, and may get stuck. Various reproductive problems can make a hen or puller feel weak or sluggish. I would take some of your egg shells and crush them finely and feed them back to the layers for a few days. For the one who is sluggish, you can give her a human calcium tablet or a Tums orally (cut in two) or feed a little egg yolk with the crushed egg shell. This is safe to do for a few days. Hopefully, the shells will firm up and she will feel better.

 

[amlee1234]

Do have have them eating a layer feed along with having a separate container of crushed oyster shell to provide extra calcium? Soft or shell-less eggs can be common in new layers. Shell-less eggs are harder to lay, and may get stuck. Various reproductive problems can make a hen or puller feel weak or sluggish. I would take some of your egg shells and crush them finely and feed them back to the layers for a few days. For the one who is sluggish, you can give her a human calcium tablet or a Tums orally (cut in two) or feed a little egg yolk with the crushed egg shell. This is safe to do for a few days. Hopefully, the shells will firm up and she will feel better.

Thank you! They are on layer pellets, for a few weeks now. She’s the last to lay. I put oyster shells in the middle of thier food dish (on a rock that’s in there to keep the chickens from flipping it). So it’s in with thier food but it’s not mixed in. They also have a dispenser of oyster shells so they can have them if they want them.
I kind of assumed it was natural, and she would just get over it, but with her being sluggish today as well, it had me concerned.

 

[amlee1234]

Do have have them eating a layer feed along with having a separate container of crushed oyster shell to provide extra calcium? Soft or shell-less eggs can be common in new layers. Shell-less eggs are harder to lay, and may get stuck. Various reproductive problems can make a hen or puller feel weak or sluggish. I would take some of your egg shells and crush them finely and feed them back to the layers for a few days. For the one who is sluggish, you can give her a human calcium tablet or a Tums orally (cut in two) or feed a little egg yolk with the crushed egg shell. This is safe to do for a few days. Hopefully, the shells will firm up and she will feel better.

Also, this was her droppings just now.. i wish that so many illnesses didn’t have the same symptoms.