[Maccbean]

I have five hens, three hybrids, two legbars, all around two years old.  They were all great layers for the first 8 months, so many eggs I was selling them to next door!.  Since then it has gone down rapidly. I get one proper egg most days and two maybe once or twice a week (from the hybrids).  Problem is that the legbars have only laid thin shelled eggs that are always squashed for about a year, plus one of my other hybrids has been doing the same for about a month (and one of them is scoffing the yolk). One of the legbars had an impacted crop last October which had to be opened up and emptied, and she hasn't laid since, but in the circumstances we'll let her off.

They get good quality layers pellets, I worm regularly, they have grit and oyster shell in their run, plus they get ACV, poultry spice and garlic powder. So Monday was the time to get tough! They have been freeranging all day for about a year, which I read somewhere could be part of the problem (filling up on grass etc), so that has now ceased and they are not allowed out of their run until after 12pm.  Hopefully by then they will have all had a fair share of the layers pellets.  I've also bought some Davinova C, which I started adding to their water yesterday. 

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Deb

[joyfull]

make sure they get plenty of greens to help with the absorbtion of calcium. If it still continues then try a little bit of limestone flour sprinkled in their feed for a few days.

[Maccbean]

make sure they get plenty of greens to help with the absorbtion of calcium. If it still continues then try a little bit of limestone flour sprinkled in their feed for a few days.

When you say greens, I assume you don't mean grass?

If I get some limestone flour, am I ok to use it regularly and ongoing?  I always worry that I'm giving them stuff they don't need for too long.

[joyfull]

greens such as cabbage leaves could help.
I would only use limestone flour for a week at the most if a few months down the line it is a problem again then repeat.

[Maccbean]

Thanks, I'll give it a go.  I've already had two proper eggs for the past two days, so perhaps strictness works!:D

[joyfull]

In which case continue doing what you are doing - no need to buy other stuff 

[ehs284]

Made a special treat of rice with curry powder and limestone flour. It makes it easy to know who got what (if you control!) and when. Easier than trying to mix with layers or feed single birds.

[Maccbean]

I've managed the two eggs every day since the regime started.  But the blue and white eggs that I get only 2-3 times a week are still incredibly thin, plus they are scoffing the yolks .  I've only been giving them the calcium for two weeks, but I'm not sure it's making a difference.  Time to get the limestone powder and give it a try I think.

[Maccbean]

Yay, got a solid white egg yesterday, first in about two months!   That's three eggs in a day.  Now to see if we can manage that more than once this week, then onwards to the blue egg!