[Julie in Somerset]

I have an 10 month old Goldline, not ex batt, I bought her POL last April. She's always been more delicate than the Columbian Blacktail that I bought at the same time.

She's been off for a few weeks and been on extra calcium and cod liver oil. She's laid the odd softie and the odd good egg as far as I can work out.

Today she was OK until about 4pm when she just laid down. I isolated her and she laid a lash and an egg with only a membrane. Seems ok in herself now. Is there any hope of her laying again? Should I carry on with calcium supplements?

She has only been fed on pellets(Garvo this time) and Ex Batt crumb with greens and very few treats. Any advice would be welcome, thanks Julie

[Aunt Sally]

She will probably not lay again but keep on with the calcium supliment for a while as laying soft or no shell eggs would indicate that she has low calcium and her bones will need building up so that they don't get brittle.

Let us know how she gets on.

[Julie in Somerset]

Thanks for your reply, my post should read that she's 18 months old.

Have 3 chicks laying softies- the other 2 are ex batts that have been out for 9 months so I'm thinking of separating all 3of them every morning so they can have the extras as I don't think I should give the ones that are ok an extra calcium etc.

Is that a good idea? Julie

[Aunt Sally]

Seems like a good idea to me.

[woodburner]

Even if the lash was an ovary, and I've seen pics of other things called lashes too, she still has one, but something is not right as she's persistantly laying softees, albeit alternating with normal eggs.
With the exception of definitely needed medication, I don't believe in forcing them to eat something by adding it their only source of something else that they need. There are other more complicated reasons that a hen will lay soft shelled eggs. If they need more calcium, they will eat calcium grit such as oyster shell.
There are at least two other reasons why they may lay softees, one is stress, whether from change in environment or from illness. Another is that calcium absorbtion is not a simple process, and if they are short of another mineral (sorry I can't find the article to check what it is :? ) they will still be short of calcium, no matter how much calcium you give them. Problems with the egg laying tract itself can also lead to eggs being laid shelless, and as it is only one hen that is having this problem, and she has been looking poorly as well, I doubt that it has anything to do with her diet anyway.

[joyfull]

hens whilst they have two ovaries only one is usually functioning. The other stops growing whilst they are chicks.

[Aunt Sally]

Another is that calcium absorbtion is not a simple process, and if they are short of another mineral (sorry I can't find the article to check what it is :? ) they will still be short of calcium, no matter how much calcium you give them.

You are trying to think of Phosphorus and Vit D3 which are required for calcium uptake.

A lash is the lining of the uterus (shell gland) and can be shed in response to an infection.

Only the left ovary develops to produce eggs, the right ovary is vestigial.

[Julie in Somerset]

Hi all, thanks for your comments.

I really don't know what to do now, what type of infection could she have? It's no good asking my vet although they do sell me A/B if I ask for them. She's subdued today but not as bad as yesterday.

Please tell me what you would do. Thanks Julie

[Aunt Sally]

If she seems poorly I would get some antibiotic for her.