[Chookaholic]

Hi
One of our new chooks has layed her first eggs,she layed 2,one after the other.The first was well formed but with a soft shell,the second came straight after & was just like a yolk in a sack.Now she's been quiet & lethargic 2day,& I thought it was because of either two things
Firstly she could be ill,secondly she's stressed,because we have been out in the garden all morning erecting a brand new hen house for them,& we took their smaller one away.Maybe she layed prematurely because of the stress of her home being taken away?Is that a possibility?Bless her she just did them in her run infront of us,it was like watching her give birth!She wouldn't have known where to go to lay them.Now she just seems very lethargic & keeps shutting her eyes all the time.When I came in she had gone to sleep.She seemed fine yesterday,& this morning when I let her out of her pop hole.So do you think this behaviour can be caused through the stress of use taking her coop away?Please help  :?

[Vember]

I've had hens go like your discribing an it's usually been before she's laid a soft shell.

Maybe your girls going to lay another one :? It took my goose 6 go's at laying before we got a perfect one


Sarah

[Aunt Sally]

Keep an eye on her.  If she gets better all well and good but if shr stays low or gets worse the you may want to take action.

[Foxy]

hi have you got any oyster shell handy? Or limestone powder? This might make laying a bit more comfortable it is making her feel a bit down.

[Chookaholic]

Hooray!She's much better now!I left her having a snooze as I said earlier,& after about an hour I looked out the window & she was pecking around back to normal!I was so worried earlier,she didn't even want any maggots..or corn..I reckon the stress of us moving their home together with it being her first time to lay was not a good combination!I didn't think they can lay two in one go,is that common?
Anyway,I hope they enjoy a mor spacious sleep tonite,they didn't perch in the other coop,it was too small for them.This one has two 3ft perches,it is gorgeous,room for more in future!I have also extended their run,(although they mostly free range anyway )it is now 12ft x4ft.So I'm pleased everything has turned out ok today
Never a dull moment with chooks! :shock:     Thanks for your advice.I will get some oyster grit & I also want to get some ACV

[blulagoo]

Chookaholic,

Don't panic. It sounds like she is on the mend. One of my girls started laying a week ago - 4 eggs so far, 1 the first day, 2 small round ones 3 days later (together and tiny) and then a normal one today - she isn't sure where to lay and they just drop out on the ground! I think that is mainly 'cos she takes ages thinking about laying whilst in the nest box but then the other Sussex throws her out so that she can lay! By the time Sussex 2 is out Sussex 1 has laid hers on the ground!

Oh well, I'm sure they will sort themselves out in time.

Well done on the egg front though!

[netserve]

I've been trying to find an answer to this question for a couple of weeks now.

The first attempt at an egg was a bit of a disaster, membrane and no shell, but then that wasn't surprising considering the hens aren't expected to lay for another 2 weeks.

They've been on layers pellets for 10 days now, and I've got two grades of mixed grit and shell from the local supplier.  What I'm not sure about is how much to add.  For every 1 to 2 kilos of feed I give them, I add a handfull of grit/shell and they seem to eat everything.

Also they have about 2 square m of grassed run per hen plus we let them out onto the rest of the garden for about 3 hours each evening once we're home from work.

[Aunt Sally]

Put the shell and grit in a different dish to the pellets and just make sure it's always topped up.