Internal Layers and Other Egg Issues....Will this never end?? LONG

[Tuffoldhen]

I'm so sorry. It's not easy raising chickens, so much can go wrong in the drop of a hat! I've lost 2 or 3 over the years to the same things.

 

[speckledhen]

Cetawin, I'd have to do hysterectomies on so many, it's just not feasible. And you really dont know when the problem starts because by the time you realize they are not laying, it's usually very advanced. Then when they start to lose weight, it can be a matter of a couple weeks before they pass on.
I want to know what on earth they are doing to the hens who are the mothers of the hatchery chicks to cause their daughters to "turn off" at just about two years old. It really gives one pause, doesn't it? I mean, five out of ten hens, all same age, same hatchery, different breeds.... very odd.

 

[miss_inscan]

I too would like to know what the root cause of our internal layers is.
I lost Lucy, my favorite girl, at 16 months and now I'm afraid Hennrietta is an internal layer now. She's at 20 months now.

The odd thing about Lucy was when she had not laid for about 2 months she suddenly laid for a few days. Those eggs were not brown, but almost white, and had a sandpaper texture. But they were very appreciated gifts! After losing her I am no longer getting as attached to the others...........I think.

/Barb

 

[mypicklebird]

There is a fair amount of research on the causes of egg yolk peritonitis aka internal laying- in production laying birds. Not really the same thing as our backyard flocks, but the root cause might be the same.

What I have read basically says that over fed hens can come into production too early to be able to sustain healthy egg laying. The production poultry houses apparently restrict or control feed to prevent early laying- they do not want the hens to come into lay until their bodies can handle the stress. Hard work laying eggs! Also bringing them into lay early by turning on the lights, can increase the incidence of peritonitis.

Also more of a problem when the birds are too fat, especially when out of lay.

I think many breeds of birds that have been bred to be big egg producers probably have more of this than the more 'wild type' poultry that lay clutches and take a break, and the birds that take a long winter break. I wonder if the hens that have a strong broody tendency also have less of the problem.

I have heard there is about a 10% loss each year in the average backyard flock- due to multiple reasons. If you are losing more than this, or all of them seem to be due to the same problem- maybe look closely at the food and when they are coming into lay. Extrapolate from the known info about production birds and peritonitis. If you are doing the chick food to flock raiser to layer ration by the book, and they are not coming into lay around 4 months (pretty early), and they are not obese little hens- then the problem may have nothing to do with food.

My own experience with peritonitis has mostly been with older girls that had other underlying problems, and egg yolk peritonitis was the proverbial nail in the coffin.

 

[speckledhen]

I have read all that information. These hens were not heavy, just about 6 lb to 6.5 lb, which is right for their breeds. All of them came into lay about 22 weeks to 24 weeks for Rosemary. They didn't get scraps from my kitchen because I never have any, just their starter/grower till they began to lay then layer pellets. Scratch was used just to call them home in the afternoon and a couple handfuls on cold mornings, so I'd say they eat the same or less than most backyard flock chickens. And even the scratch I used had little corn-it's sometimes the 11 grain, rarely the 5-grain. It was basically a feed for game roosters.

What you said about the broodiness is what I've been telling people all along. They need the break that brooding chicks provides and they need to stop laying during molt, which most of mine didn't except for a week or two. They are bred to produce every day, even during most of their molts, and none of them ever went broody. All were very healthy, shiny feathered ladies who freeranged most of every day of their lives, so they got lots of exercise, too. None of them was ever ill before this. The only SLW girl of the three originals of that breed that I still have is the only one who ever had any issues-she had persistent bumblefoot and was on multiple antibiotics till I said "enough!" and quit giving them to her. That girl should glow in the dark from all the meds, but maybe, ironically, that is what saved her. She's still laying beautiful eggs for me, no issues.

I believe the way they are bred is what is causing this. IMO, they are genetically pre-programmed to lay like gangbusters for however long their bodies can take it, then die.

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[hinkjc]

Cyn, I just saw this post and am hoping things look up soon.

Jody

 

[speckledhen]

Yeah, Jody, me too, thank you. It just makes me feel helpless. My birds have the best of everything I can afford to do for them and are in glowing health, then BAM! Suddenly for no apparent reason, the eggs start "backing up and cooking inside".

 

[Dill]

I'm sorry Cyn.

This is why I wish my (future) female chickens won't lay very much. I'm afraid they'll get egg bound or something

My duck Dill used to have egg problems but then she stopped laying for a long time after that. Now she's started back to laying again, but all her eggs like healthy.

 

[speckledhen]

Rosemary probably wont make it through the day. My husband is out digging a hole to bury her remains in, next to the others I've lost this year. He may decide to go ahead and euthanize her, even though it's so hard for him. Rosemary was special to him; she'd always fly up on his arm or shoulder and want him to take her to the blueberry bushes. She wont even look at food or water today.

 

[kinnip]

I'm so sorry. It's not fair. You may be onto something with the genetics. I'm sure hatcheries aren't keeping their layers for more than two years. Even if they all carried a killer gene, they'd be disposed of before it had a chance to manifest. My heart goes out to you.