[chooknewbie]

hiya everyone,

one of my girlies is laying soft shelled eggs. I have grit and sand with oyster shell down (went and found some of the sand after seeing a post on here), they are getting cod liver oil and poultry spice, but still getting soft shells so thought i would give the calcium tablets a go...problem being I am not sure which of my chooks it is, and with them being down on the lottie its going to be a bit difficult to tell. I have checked around their rears and there are no tell tale signs.

so.....do i treat them all?? there are four of them in there..5 including the cockrel ( he is still here...but only just...keeps on having a go at my feet the little so and so..) I am assuming a calcium boost wont do any harm to the other girlies that are laying well...an eighth of a tablet each isnt it? best bet to crush half a tablet, split into four and then add to some cat food?? or try and get the eighth down the chooks throat whole sale??

[Aunt Sally]

Why tablets ?

Limestone flour is good and very much cheaper.  It's sold for foals at horsey supply shops.

[chooknewbie]

TBH it was the first thing i thought of, and as was in town today figured i would get something now and treat asap as i know its not very comfortable for them...

can order the flour online but dont think i have anywhere "horsey" near me.. 

[Foxy]

you could just bake their egg shells, crush and add to their pellets. calcium tabs would only be needed in an emergency. A few soft shelled eggs is OK, if you have cut out treats,corn etc they will gradually have enough calcium naturally over a few weeks.

[chooknewbie]

I have been selling all the eggs i have at the mo so havent even got any shells to bake... I will have to order some limestone four then and just wait for that to arrive...she has been laying them for a little while now... had hoped that things would settle down again as its not the first time it has happened...but like you said after a little bit all seemed well...but not so far this time... and really didnt want to prolong things too much longer... will take a mooch around online and see what i can find...whats a good price?? obviously it depends on how much you get..

[Aunt Sally]

If you've already got the calcium tablets the go ahead with those !

[chooknewbie]

got them but easy enough to take them back if the limestone flour is better for the chooks... want to do whats best...

[chooknewbie]

what are the ratios of the limestone flour please... been looking on the web and found a couple of suppliers...on the auction site...and wondering how much i will need... and stupid question most likely, but if i get the larger container, and keep it in for next time (cos there is bound to be one!!) does it have a use by date??

[Aunt Sally]

I just sprinkle some on their pellets if the shells are getting a little thinner than usual.

At a guess about a desertspoon full to about a kilo of pellets.  Give it a shake up every day to mix it again.

[Rubellite]

I'm also having soft shells from my cuckoo maran. She has been laying for over three weeks and we have had a real assortment of eggs from her. Big double yolkers, a tiny wind egg, small regular eggs (all with good shells), then a couple of eggs that looked like the grit had settled in the shell, like sandpaper, all interspersed with soft shells. I don't understand how one day can be fine then another soft shelled? I don't vary their diet that much on a daily basis and the other girls are all fine.

[Aunt Sally]

She's practicing    She'll settle down (hopefully)