Neolithic Nostalgia
Hatching
- Aug 11, 2024
- 1
- 0
- 7
Hello all!
My name is Joe and I am new to Backyard chickens. I am a big fan and am excited to join the conversation!
However, I do wish my first post was focused on a subject more positive, but 3 of my 4 young hens are experiencing difficulties in laying.
We have 4 hens all of which are 19-20 weeks old. These include 2 SGE, 1 amberlink, and 1 australorp. All besides the australorp have been laying for roughly 3 or so weeks. These hens have a coop with a run, but also with free range access to our backyard during the day. We feed them layer feed, and have been cutting back on treats since laying difficulties have been occurring. They roost in the run during the night and are locked up come dark. They have access to nestboxes all day and several small places throughout the yard where we have setup boxes to encourage laying if they don't like the boxes. The 3 layers(minus the australorp who is not laying yet) have been experiencing difficulties with their laying.
Symptoms include:
-Soft shelled eggs (sometimes multiple per day in yard, below roosts)
-Irregular laying schedules(no eggs some days, 2 on others, laying at night)
-Uncomfortable/sluggish disposition(occurs on soft shelled egg days, tail down)
The laying hens have been experiencing this oscillating egg laying success since they started laying. They will at times lay eggs with great shell condition, smaller size, and on a regular schedule (1 per day). However, they also have been experiencing periods of soft shelled eggs below the roost, in the yard, and in the nest boxes. Sometimes they will lay 2 soft eggs in a day and have the slow, sluggish, tail down appearance of discomfort. They are still eating, drinking, roosting, and foraging normally once they recover from the soft shelled laying.
Even with allowance for pullets/young hens "getting out the kinks" in their system for laying we believe something else may be occurring. Calcium deficiency has been addressed by feeding them tums, crushed up eggshell and giving access to oyster shell. Tumwater administered orally through syringe, mixed tums in with yogurt, and a mix of other methods to maximize intake of calcium, which they have been consuming with no qualms. Their calcium intake has been exemplary and we find it hard to believe they aren't getting enough.
The oddest feature of this is that the amberlink and 1 of the SGE have experienced the laying difficulties off and on since they started laying, however the remaining SGE has laid normally and reliably from the get-go with no issues.
But as of this morning, the reliably laying SGE is also having the same difficulties/symptoms as the others! Almost as though she "caught" it from the other 2 laying hens. Such an idea seems a bit ridiculous, but it is difficult to explain otherwise. Could parasites be a possible culprit for these issues? We also plan to switch to a different feed to see if that helps. No signs of mites or worms, poop is normal. It has been hot here 80s-90s.
My wife and I are thoroughly stumped and are looking for input/experience from others on what may be occurring?
Thank you for any help and input!
My name is Joe and I am new to Backyard chickens. I am a big fan and am excited to join the conversation!
However, I do wish my first post was focused on a subject more positive, but 3 of my 4 young hens are experiencing difficulties in laying.
We have 4 hens all of which are 19-20 weeks old. These include 2 SGE, 1 amberlink, and 1 australorp. All besides the australorp have been laying for roughly 3 or so weeks. These hens have a coop with a run, but also with free range access to our backyard during the day. We feed them layer feed, and have been cutting back on treats since laying difficulties have been occurring. They roost in the run during the night and are locked up come dark. They have access to nestboxes all day and several small places throughout the yard where we have setup boxes to encourage laying if they don't like the boxes. The 3 layers(minus the australorp who is not laying yet) have been experiencing difficulties with their laying.
Symptoms include:
-Soft shelled eggs (sometimes multiple per day in yard, below roosts)
-Irregular laying schedules(no eggs some days, 2 on others, laying at night)
-Uncomfortable/sluggish disposition(occurs on soft shelled egg days, tail down)
The laying hens have been experiencing this oscillating egg laying success since they started laying. They will at times lay eggs with great shell condition, smaller size, and on a regular schedule (1 per day). However, they also have been experiencing periods of soft shelled eggs below the roost, in the yard, and in the nest boxes. Sometimes they will lay 2 soft eggs in a day and have the slow, sluggish, tail down appearance of discomfort. They are still eating, drinking, roosting, and foraging normally once they recover from the soft shelled laying.
Even with allowance for pullets/young hens "getting out the kinks" in their system for laying we believe something else may be occurring. Calcium deficiency has been addressed by feeding them tums, crushed up eggshell and giving access to oyster shell. Tumwater administered orally through syringe, mixed tums in with yogurt, and a mix of other methods to maximize intake of calcium, which they have been consuming with no qualms. Their calcium intake has been exemplary and we find it hard to believe they aren't getting enough.
The oddest feature of this is that the amberlink and 1 of the SGE have experienced the laying difficulties off and on since they started laying, however the remaining SGE has laid normally and reliably from the get-go with no issues.
But as of this morning, the reliably laying SGE is also having the same difficulties/symptoms as the others! Almost as though she "caught" it from the other 2 laying hens. Such an idea seems a bit ridiculous, but it is difficult to explain otherwise. Could parasites be a possible culprit for these issues? We also plan to switch to a different feed to see if that helps. No signs of mites or worms, poop is normal. It has been hot here 80s-90s.
My wife and I are thoroughly stumped and are looking for input/experience from others on what may be occurring?
Thank you for any help and input!
