[jaws]

I started keeping chickens about 5 years ago. I started off with 2 in one of those coop and run combined but they had free range of the garden. My husband got fed up of chicken poo in the kitchen and made a substantial run on part of the garden. The brown chicken layed well for about 18 months - 2 years till it died of sour crop - my fault for throwing long pulled grass into the run. The white hen layed a three yolker once but mostly eggs with no shells. I tried feeding them oyster shell, ground egg shell and limestone flour and cod liver oil to no effect. I was told laying soft eggs and a dirty bottom was caused by a disease which they should have been vaccinated against. She also died and I have three more.
At first they laid well but they are about 2-3 years old and lay hardly at all now.For the past year the eggs have been all soft or thin shelled or wrinkled shells - all three hens I think. The have also got dirty bottom feathers and runny poo in the nest box. The look healthy and enjoy eating, drinking, sctatching and dust baths. They have layers pelets, some mixed corn, the grass and weeds in their run as we alter the position, and other veg trimmings - carrot, cabbage etc. and access to oyster shell.
If there is such a disease could it have been passed on in the environment, if so can I eradicate it or have I just been unlucky with my hens? Other friends have hens which are older and still laying regularly
Thanks for any suggestions
Joan

[PaulineM]

Hi
Have all your hens been brown hens?
If so, this sounds quite normal to me, they lay really well for @18 months and then, in my experience no matter what supplements etc you give them they lay soft shelled eggs.
Do you worm them with Flubenvet?
Pure breeds tend to lay less often eg between 3 - 5 per week but continue for years and don't seem to get problems with their shell quality.

[jaws]

Two have been brown, two have been white - hybrids, the sort you see big flocks of, I think they were amber line and gold link or vice versa, rhode island/sussex crosses I think. One black one seemed to be laying longer than the other two but I think the wrinkled eggs.

It sounds like I would be better with pure breeds and less eggs per day as I was having difficulty keeping up with using all the eggs when they were at their prime laying.

Thanks for your response

Joan

[ANHBUC]

As Pauline said, hybrids generally lay well for the first 18 - 24 months and shell quality can then deteriorate.  Have you wormed them with flubenvet as the runny poo can be a sign of worms?  They also need access to grit which they use in their digestive system to grind up their food.  I would cut out any treats if the shell quality is not good.  Green leafy vegetables are good though and help them to absorb the calcium needed for the shell.

Just to remind you that it is illegal to feed your hens anything that has been in your kitchen.   

[grinling]

It is down to age. BIL had warrens (brown hens) which laid daily but after a couple of years numbers go down until in the last 9 months not a lot, last one died aged 4.
I have an 8 year old which lays thin shelled eggs, which I don't use; also a 7 year old bantam which may lay this year (she laid 10 last year and went broody), hoping she will start laying this month so fertile egss will go under her.
I have a Bluebell and a light sussex which were POL last year and an egg day from them and lastly a Scot's Dumpy, which started laying this year.
I am aware that my 8 year old would have to be culled if an egg was to break inside her, but I am happy for her and my bantam to live even without eggs. I had another cochin bantam which never laid and died after 18 months after I aquired the hens from another allotmenter.

[Willow_Warren]

Unfortunatly one of my hybrids (a columbine) is laying thin shelled often cracked eggs, I put it down to age and breeding.  It's a shame but I guess that's a bit the price you pay for a hybrid??  She's still healthy and happy and that's the most important thing to me...  I'm fortunate that the other three (two of which are much older) are laying well "touch wood" (they did take a very long winter gap).

My young pekins are on fire with their laying 

Love chickens 

Hannah

[jaws]

Thanks for all your comments  I have some Verm-X - will that do for worming? It does not specifically mention worms but intestinal hygiene.

I was interested in ANHBUC's comment  "Just to remind you that it is illegal to feed your hens anything that has been in your kitchen".
I did not know that. I did not sell my eggs and sometimes gave some to relatives.
I  give them carrot peelings, cauliflour and cabbage leaves and sometimes made up some couscous, pasta or rice to tempt them if they are off colour or I need to get some medication into them.

What size grit should I use. I saw chicken grit which  was about the size of a pea and I thought that looked a bit big. I have a mixture of oyster shell and red stone grit at the moment. I usually rely on them picking up enough grit from round the garden.


Thanks
Joan

[ANHBUC]

Best to worm with flubenvet as other products are to prevent rather than kill the worms and are not proven.

The law is for all poultry keepers even if the eggs are just for your own consumption.  Have a read of THIS which is from DEFRA

If the oyster shell and red stone grit is shop bought it should be alright.  The grit it usually quite big but soon wears down in the process of grinding the food down and the remains are passed with the poo.

[jaws]

Thanks ANHBUC I read the link with interest.

Oh dear. Is this "Elfin Safety" going OTT again and disregarding common sense. Where do you make up mash for the chickens? a lot of advice books suggests treats of spaghetti, rice etc. I have read several other forums/question sites re this subject and even found reference to it being illegal to put kitchen waste onto compost heaps - surely thats what they are for - not meat, fat, gravey etc but  vegetable trimmings. We rarely put cooked food out in the compost bin - the dog demands that - thats probably illegal too.

When our forefathers all had a few chickens in their garden/yard they probably only feed them scraps and grain - they could not have afforded fancy chicken pellets, there were not epidemics of disease. Now with intensive rearing to obtain cheap supplies of eggs and meat, and the overuse of chemicals and antibiotics the small hobby chicken keeper is at risk of doing something illegal by trying to recycle and avoid waste. Its really quite depressing.

[ANHBUC]

It stems from the outbreak of mad cow disease and I think the simpler the law the easier it is to understand.

You can store and prepare vegetables in a garage or outbuilding and the same with preparing mash for your hens.