[Nicki85]

Hi all,
Sorry to start a new post but thought it might be easier! 

I need some advice as to what to do with Delia chicken.  Here are the facts-

1. She is unable to lay hard shelled eggs
2. She is about 25 weeks old
3. She is in fine health apart from not being able to lay

But...

We are unsure if the egg laying problem is egg drop syndrome which is a virus and can be spread to my other three.  On the otherhand she could just have a dodgy egg laying system!

So what do I do with her??  The breeder recommends I return her incase it is the virus or keep her seperate from the others.  I just don't feel I can make the decision to end her life without knowing if she has the virus.  I have the room to keep her and I would prefer to keep her as she is a pet really. I don't think i'm prepared to keep her seperate forever, seems a tad unfair!  So far I plan to...
give her additional calcium
add a vit and min supplement
try and find out a bit more about this horrible virus!

Any further thoughts?  What would you do?

Hm maybe i'm a bit attached to my chooks  :blink:  But in my mind they were never to be eaten or culled as they are pets.    

[hillfooter]

How long has this been going on and did she start producing eggs normally before the soft/shelless eggs?  Is there any history of EDS which makes you suspect it either from the breeder or your existing birds?  What has made you uspect EDS rather than other possible diseases?  Has she been in contact with ducks geese. guinee fowl or wild water fowl?

EDS is usually spread vertically via the egg.  If you keep her isolated and never breed from her or allow other birds to eat her eggs or be exposed to her droppings there's a good chance the disease won't spread but your hygiene must be good.  EDS is seldom fatal and even if she has the disease she may appear perfectly healthy other than the poor laying.  What you do is upto how much effort you want to put in and whether you want to keep her isolated.

There's a possibility if she's just come into lay that it isn't EDS and she may settle down to lay normally so I'd give it a bit more time yet.

HF

[joyfull]

here is the other post about Delia HF - this may provide more background info for you:-

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=81568.msg913600

[Nicki85]

Hello!

We only suspect EDS as the breeder mentioned it as a possibility...

She has never managed to lay properly which makes us think it is something else... not EDS. 

I've ordered a calcium/ vit D supplement so will see how that goes...

But I am pleased to say that she managed to lay a beautiful, solid blue egg this morning in the nest box!  We will see if she manages to not lay any softies over night... Fingers crossed 

[bantam novice]

Good luck with Delia and keep us posted.   

[hillfooter]

Thanks for that clarifing link Joy.  It's not very helpful when there's two threads running on the one topic if there's no connecting link.

From the history it doesn't sound like a typical EDS infection.  EDS is not a very common condition and I 'm not that familiar with it but cases I've come across usually are characterised by a sharp drop in productivity when in peak lay which can be accompanied with thin chalky/gritty shells or soft shells and with pale colour.  It's one of those diseases which aren't always obvious as there are no signs of illness or depression and the productivity loss can be mistaken for a number of possible infections or even climatic conditions.

That's why I was a little surprised that your breeder supplier would suggest it unless there's some history and he/she's seen similar symptoms.

What it sounds like to me is some egg transportation problem.  Three eggs all being laid at once in differing states of maturity sounds like one egg (the solid? one) is holding up the following two.  I suspect that the eggs are being released at the correct interval but they are bunching.  When she eventually passes it the following two eggs are laid in quick succession without having time to have a proper shell deposited.  The shell of course is the penultimate process with the final one being to apply the colour coating. 

Pale eggs are often associated with EDS which might be connected with things getting out of order with incomplete processes in the later stages of laying.  However I've never heard or read that EDS can cause these apparent bunching effects.

I'd try the vits and some extra calcium though I suspect won't help it might right itself with  a bit more time.

HF

[Nicki85]

Thanks Hillfooter that it is some useful information.  We will see how she gets on with the extra vits.

Apologies for the confusion and not linking the threads at the start.

[hillfooter]

Thanks Hillfooter that it is some useful information.  We will see how she gets on with the extra vits.

Apologies for the confusion and not linking the threads at the start.

Keep nutrition simple with layers pellets ad lib and a handful of corn in an evening.  Cut out all treats like mealworms.

Cod liver oil is a good source of Vit D3 needed fo calcium absorption you can sprinkle it on the pellets and mix in.  You can also feed a 2 -3mm particle size crushed oystershell which will be retained in the gizzard as grit for a slow release of calcium which is in some ways better than calcium flour which flushes through quickly.  

Don't mix in calcium to the feed (as flour or oystershell) for more than 2 - 3 weeks without seeing any signs of improvement.  Feeding excess calcium isn't without its risks so if there's no improvement there's little point.  layers should have 4% anyway which is more than plenty for a pure breed hen.  After 3 weeks just make OS available ad lib.

Oily fish like tuna in brine (NOT in oil itself) is another source of Vit D3.  Strictly this isn't supposed to be fed if the produce is for human consumption so don't feed as a regular thing and then only if you aren't eating the eggs (but what you personally do is your decision)

Best of luck
HF

[Nicki85]

Just thought i'd give you an update on Delia chicken   

I think Delia must have read the posts on here and the emails to her breeder cause she has really pulled her act together! 

This week we have had four beautiful eggs... We have also had two days were she has laid a softie in the run/ off the perch and also a thin shelled/ weird egg in the nest box.  The thin shelled ones are so weird... one looked like it had cracked and then extra calcium deposited to heal the crack... I'll have to post a pic of it.  But, in short things seem to be improving    She is on a couple of supplements now as well but the improvement happened the day the supplements arrived 

I think it must of been the case that it took a month or so for her body to sort out egg laying... i'm hopeful it will continue to improve but haven't got my hopes up to high! 

[joyfull]

sounds like things are looking up  .
Well done Delia (just in case she is reading these posts  ).

[hillfooter]

... one looked like it had cracked and then extra calcium deposited to heal the crack... I'll have to post a pic of it.  

Strange though this sounds it's quite possible.  There is a condition which sometimes occurs which causes the muscles which transport the egg down the oviduct to be unsynchronised and the egg travels backwards towards the ovary.  This would accord with the bunching effects she is also producing on ocassion. 

Chickens with this condition can sometimes produce an egg within an egg.  I had something similar recently where an additional membrane (this membrane should normally have enveloped the albumen and been under the shell , but this egg had two) had been deposited on top of the shell.  Usually these 'odd' soft or misshaped eggs are laid out of the nestbox as and the birds seem to know when they are producing a non-viable egg and don't 'contaminate' the  nestbox with it.  They will often 'clean it up' by eating it too.

I'm not sure what condition this might be associated with other than being hereditary and whether birds which do this evenually settle down to a normal cycle.  You could google for it and let us know what you discover.

HF

[Nicki85]

I need to do a better search on the subject but for now here are some pics-






And just a last one of the nice eggs she has managed to lay (to closest- obv. not the brown one!!)

[NormandyMary]

WHITE EGGS...what "make" is Delia that she lays white eggs or is it just by chance? Ive had that sort of cracking before, I never took much notice of it to be honest, Im sure it doesnt affect the inside of the egg. So glad that Delia is well on the mend.

[Nicki85]

She is a Cotswold Legbar... I think most Legbars lay white/blue/green eggs (but don't quote me on that  )!  Doreen her sister lays proper white eggs whereas Delia's are more bluey... they are very pretty!