[Kiwi]

Hi everyone!
One of my lovely minorca chickens has laid 3 soft shell eggs this week, inbetween she has laid normal eggs, so I am assuming she's not egg bound, would I be right?
I feed them all the same, layer pellets, a bit of grain, and veg from the garden. They are not quite free range, but their run is so big they may as well be. I know which hen it's not, but I'm not sure between 2 of them which one it is. They are all just a year old this week.
Yesterday when I got a normal egg I thought oh maybe she just had a fright or something and it would be fine, but then another soft one this morning. It's never in the nesting box, but under the tree they roost in.  My plan is to give them nothing  this week except their pellets and some oyster shell and see what happens as I wondered if she wasn't eating enough calcium.
They all look really healthy, shiny feathers, nice red combs, no mites.
I'm just worried it's something more serious. Anyone of you got any suggestions?

On a happier note Maude went broody a few weeks ago so I decided to get her some fertile eggs - well  she hatched 5 of the 6 and today her chicks are 1 week old!

there are some pics here and a upsidedown video!
http://ourweefarm.blogspot.com/2008/11/then-there-were-5.html

hope you're all grand! sorry I haven't been around for so long -we had a horrible wet winter so I wasn't really out in the garden much - spring has now sprung and the garden is coming along beautifully.

[mumsy]

Hi
Everyone will come back & say how old? what are you feeding etc

I have found that if they are new to laying then this happens & will sort themselves out.  If they are older then it can be a problem.  If they have access to pellet, lime flour, oyster shell etc, then there is nothing more you can do.  I had the same & in the end I had to rehome.........
Older hens are prone to this when they are nearing the end of their laying days.

Lovely pics by the way, would love to visit NZ one day

[Vember]

Hi Kiwi

They're beautiful babies

Extra calcium is normally the solution to the soft shelled eggs, I get limestone powder to add every so often to their feed. We can get this from Horsey feed places as its normally given to foals :?


Sarah

[Kiwi]

they are just a year old this week. Just dawned on me - they have been laying solidly since March, wonder if they're coming into moult?

I'll get some limestone powder today - we live in a very rural area and there are farms all over the place so I bet out local RD1 ( farm shop for everything!) will have some. I hadnt heard of that at all,so thanks.

I forgot to say, we also bake the eggshells and crush them up and give them to them too.

[Kiwi]

oh and yes!! the babies are so so cute. I'm just loving having them!