Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: chris mutter on March 08, 2021, 15:05
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I have two Chickens, Warren, I got from local farm that were to be replaced. These are well fed very well fed, Layer Pellets, Fruit, Veg odd egg given back and Grit, but the Eggs are not a smooth shell (ripples) and some times they come out slightly off Oval (egg shape). Is this normal for a Hen that has been a production Bird. They now have a good life now. Thank You.
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Quite normal - that's why the farms get rid of them. They are no longer doing supermarket grade eggs every day so not economically viable to keep. I've got 3 similar girls. Some days I don't get any eggs and other days, they're rough or bumpy. For me, the girls are pets and my kids love having them around too. If we get eggs, that's a bonus.
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Chickens are hatched with a finite amount of eggs, warrens and other commercial breeds are bred to produce an egg a day on average for a very short period of their lives. Rare breeds will produce less eggs a week but over a longer period. Once the eggs are used up then sadly that’s it. The shells will become distorted and weaker because they will have used up their calcium supply and may have trouble absorbing more (like a female after menopause).
Please keep a close eye on your girls because sometimes an egg can break on it’s passage out leading to all sorts of infections.
I notice you say they are very well fed but please don’t over feed them and certainly not too many treats because they won’t eat their proper food that will have the correct vitamins and minerals for them (think of treats like a child’s sweets - too many helps obesity set in and rots teeth plus stops a child eating nourishing food).