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Barnyard Buddies:  Thin egg shell  |
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 05:04:15 AM
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I have to Red Stars that give me eggs with such thin shells they crack while being handled. What can I give to boost shell quality?
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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Sweet_Tea
True Blue Farmgirl
194 Posts
Tara
Newberry
SC
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 07:02:50 AM
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ground up oyster/shrimp shells.. what kind of feed are you feeding?
Farmgirl Sister #2974
~ http://notsosweettea.blogspot.com/
"The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears"
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 07:09:23 AM
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the stuff from Agway and I have added the oyster shell and ground up egg shells too. I have tried milk and yogurt too.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 07:25:19 AM
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hi girls, sometimes its when they are younger and learning to make eggs. it also takes a while to build back up the loss if its been awhile since they had oyster shell. also if they try to lay too many eggs in a day one wil have a soft shell. batz will come on here i bet and have great ideas for you. she is the hen queen. LOL she knows her stuff when it comes to chickens. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 09:25:27 AM
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another idea is alfalfa leaves, they are really high in calcium, or really any greens (lettuce, mustard greens, cabbage) we started feeding stuff like that and our little quail also quit eating there eggs
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 09:58:15 AM
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I have not tried the greens so I'll get going on that. Thanks so much for the info ladies!
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 11:13:54 AM
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Oh Sherrye, I am honored...thank you so much...xoxo.....I have learned that some chickens will never really eat enough of the oyster shell chips to help them...yes greens are wonderful just don't give them spinach...too high in iron for them & can give them the runs big time....small amount alright ever so often...now what I did was go out & buy a bottle of cheap calcium from the drug store....after lots of research which I do with everything dealing with my 'kids'....I ground them up in my coffee grinder & twice a week I give 2 teaspoons to their feed i put in their feeders...this way I know each chicken is getting the calcium they need for better shells & healthier bones.....I only do a small amount because too much can cause other problems but what they get is small enough to be of a help....so far it has worked very well...but if you start getting rough sanding feeling eggs cut the calcium back to once a week, that indicates too much calcium....good luck dear hen...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 12:40:04 PM
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Thank you ladies! her shells are a bit rough already but very frail. I have some calcium left from my sons broken arm that will now become chicken food.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 09 2011 : 12:46:17 PM
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A bit rough is alright but the frail does indicate she is lacking in something...try also uping the protein just a bit...& Vit D (milk,yogurt, cheese ect)...with you in NY you are getting shorter days like we where they just can't get enough sun to help...so a bit of dairy will help with the shells also....For protein get those cheap cans of tuna in water...spread it out with the tuna water cause they will go nuts...even if they all get one bit it will help....For my 20 hens I have in the back yard I use 2 cans of this.....now I do it maybe once a month but when they were molting, sicky ect they got it once a week.....I can get 4 cans for a $1 at one of our stores so I don't feel bad getting it for them since I know the eggs they will make will be even better.....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2011 : 06:13:43 AM
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I think you hit the nail in the head. This two chickens came from a free range farm but I have had to cut their "free time" down because of wild cats. I'm trying the tuna today, thanks so much for sharing.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1145 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1145 Posts |
Posted - Nov 10 2011 : 4:56:46 PM
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Just a thought. Since these are free rangers, do they have any access to a plant high in oxalic acid? Oxalis (wood sorrel) is very high in oxalic acid as is spinach and some other greens. The oxalic acid renders calcium unusable and it is not absorbed by the chicken. May not be a bad idea to ID any weeds/plants that they are eating.
:0)
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2011 : 10:23:03 AM
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What a difference a little protein makes! I feed the two Red Stars extra protein yesterday and the eggs today are harder than ever before. Now, how often do they feed them the extra protein? I'll check for a list of plants high in oxalic acid as well.
thanks for all the help.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2011 : 11:14:29 AM
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if they are free range you should try to give it to them 2-3 times a week...if they are in a run ect with normal chicken feed 1 time a week will help greatly....Also do you feed them chicken feed at all?...if not the free range ones will benefit from this as a scratch...it has all the vits/minerals in it that they require......Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2011 : 1:03:23 PM
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They get the chicken feed and also get to run free from a couple of hrs every day. But the two that use to be "wild" (from a different farm) require more protein that the ones I raised last spring.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 11 2011 : 9:25:40 PM
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oh that is nice they get a bit of free ranging every day....I just finally got my big coop kids out of their run & into the fenced backyard with the small coop kids...took 3 days of having a fence between them to get used to each other but the babies kept getting out into the yard 7 no one minded then CeeCee the big roo decided he would work his way thur an opening so I stayed out there after I removed the dividing fence & they all did well...Gertie had a minor discussion with CeeCee but I was there to make sure he didn't get to yelling at her if you know what I mean...now they are all out & seem to really enjoy being together during the day...I love it...now to work my 4 in the basement coop out there & they can all enjoy each other during the day.....
yes your 2 wild ones will require more protein for some time until their systems adjust to the new area & feeds...that can take time & they may lose a bit of weight until their systems re-adjust....sounds like your doing a great job honey....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1145 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1145 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2011 : 10:22:27 AM
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I hardboil eggs and feed them back to the flock when they're in molt/stressed. Kinda weird, but I chop them up (shell and all) and they LOVE them. They get tons of nutritional goodies from them. I haven't had any problem with egg-eaters, either. I do try to chop it up pretty good so it's not recognizable as an egg.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Nov 30 2011 : 4:16:47 PM
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Well, today I found a really, really soft egg in the nest with another egg. Sherrye had mentioned that it is possible they could lay two eggs in one day? Wow..ouch..impressive! I have 6 chickens...got three eggs yesterday and 3 today. One of the three today was the soft one. I have some first time layers starting this week. Seems like someone turned on the faucet...waiting, waiting...then boom..all of them seem to be laying. I wonder if one of the new layers had a couple of eggs stored up and laid both of them? The soft egg was pretty sizable. The other egg in the nest was a small pullet-sized egg. The girls' eggs are normally very hard with thick shells, so this was quite a surprise...and worrisome. I would appreciate any words of wisdom or comfort.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 06:35:40 AM
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hey there paula, sometimes they just come out soft and weird. i do think it will stop. they make mistakes when first starting to lay. so maybe a week or so they should start laying normal hope this helps you some. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 07:12:05 AM
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Thank you Sherrye...it sort of freaked me out to see that egg...and then I started worrying about my girls. No one seemed out of sorts, so I hope it is a temporary thing.
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Dec 01 2011 : 07:43:51 AM
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Even old layers will have this happen sometimes...something spooks them or they just decide to lay too quickly......Nothing to worry about as their systems will get in toned with what needs to be done....Even though its weird to find one I always try to show the neighbor girls cause they get to have a little lesson on eggs & chickens....Kinda a cool way to introduce chickens to people...they get all freaked out when they see the egg & can actually hold it while its like jello & see whats inside it....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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Forrester Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
703 Posts
Ann
Belmont
MI
USA
703 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2011 : 06:19:01 AM
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We have a slight issue with soft shells right now too. Thanks so much for all the advice. I'll try the tuna today! I love that just as I thought that I should research what to do about the soft shell issue - MJF was right there with an answer. You farmchicks rock!
Ann
Forrester Farm
www.forresterfarm.com
(site, blog & etsy shop)
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retasos2
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Pilar
Centereach
NY
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2011 : 06:27:20 AM
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UPDATE:
I have seen a HUGE difference in the shell quality of the two Red Stars since I started to give them the tuna. They did not like the dog food whole so I ground it up and mixed it in with their scratch. Thank you ladies for all your help.
Pilar
Farmgirl Sister #2498
Little Hen House on the Island
" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is, until she gets in hot water" Eleanore Roosevelt |
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Dec 03 2011 : 08:19:38 AM
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I would get tuna, but I have this dilemma about tuna and the whole mercury issue. We stopped eating canned tuna, and started reading canned salmon labels until we were dizzy, and then settled on Bumble Bee Wild Alaska Red Salmon. I hope this helps with their protein levels too, because I found a big wet spot in one of the nests yesterday, and had a big uh-oh moment. Now I've been worrying about egg eaters. I wonder if it wasn't from the girl with the soft shell again. I couldn't find any shell in the nest...just a lot of fluid drained down through the shavings and hay. So I cleaned out the entire nest box hoping to get rid of any evidence and am hoping for the best for the future. 
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
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Barnyard Buddies: Thin egg shell |
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Thin egg shell
