[T C]

Hi everyone, late this afternoon, i went to give my girls some treats, but Loli didnt look happy, she looked all puffed up, her head seemed to be set back, her neck and chest pushed forward, tail down, she went off into the corner and seemed to slightly shake her head from time to time, she seemed to buck up a bit a little later on, she isnt eating but from time to time she pecks at the ground, one of the other hens is fussing round her,keeps preening her feathers for her, Loli shuts her eyes, just standing there, its 7.35pm here, not dark yet, but im waiting to see if see goes inside with the others, do hens go like this sometimes, im really worried about her, ive picked her up to have a good look at her, she is very strong,struggles to get free, keep your fingers crossed for our Loli, she is a lovley hen  :(

[Vember]

Hi TC

I have had hen's go very quiet & withdrawn when they are going to lay a soft shelled egg.

Has your girlie laid recently?
How old is she?
What do her poops look like?

Sarah

[T C]

Hi Vember, i ddnt think of a soft shelled egg, i have 6 hens i get 4 5 and somtimes 6 eggs a day, i got the hens in the spring, pol, they started laying about end may, early june, poos look normal, i have  just been to look and all are on the roost, Loli favours the nesting box, and she has made it up there, if this is a soft shelled egg, how long will it take for her to lay it, and will she be ok when she has rid of it.

[Vember]

Hi TC

IF it is a soft shell they are normally out within 24 hours of you first noticing the withdrawn symptoms.
Again IF it is she will perk up almost straight away.

It really does seem to knock them sideways :?

Double check her tomorrow have a feel to see if it's not the opposite a huge egg which she's having difficulty passing.

Apart from that all I can suggest is doing all the routine checks, tempreture, lice/mites, sneezing/weezing.



Sarah

[T C]

I had a good look at her before dark, couldnt see any lice, or mites, she just seemed depresed, standing apart from the others, all her feathers are puffed up, and she turns her head to one side from time to time,as if she is giving it a little shake, she has now gone to bed, i will go out latter to see how she is, i havent had any abnormal sized eggs as yet, we only had 4 eggs today, we will have to see what the morning will bring.

[NormandyMary]

Fingers crossed for Loli and for you TC!

[mumsy]

One of mine was the same & laid a soft shelled egg, that was in her first week of laying.  I have another one that did exactly the same, twice, both times she didn't lay for 25 days after having just one day looking depressed & very poorly :!:  Weird............by the evening she was running around & eating again, but during the day we thought we would lose her :roll:

[T C]

Thankyou Normandymary, i hope Loli will lay a soft shelled egg in the morning, and she will get back to normal.

[T C]

Its good to hear from people like you Mumsy, who have had the same thing happen to thier hens, its a worry when one goes sick, cant remember why they lay the soft shelled egg, do all hens lay one at some time, or is it only some of them

[T C]

Good news this morning, Loli is up and running with the rest of the girls, she seems to be her normal self, no sign of a soft shelled egg, but they could have eaten it, as i dont think a soft egg would roll away down the slope, i must say she had a really runny poo this morning, she sleeps in the nest box, i have to clean it out every morning, this is the first time its ever been runny, so that may give someone a clue what may have been wrong with her, well im keeping an eye on her to day, fingers crossed she is over it, Tina

[Vember]

Glad she is better today TC



Sarah

[T C]

Hi Vember, im so glad to, she even laid a lovley brown egg today, i was surprised to see her alive this morning, so to see her as fit as a fiddle it was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one.

[Vember]

Was the egg any bigger than normal?? Just wondering if that's what had upset her as you said there was no sign of a softie


Sarah

[Oliveview]

I got a dreadful fright this afternoon, I was coming back through the hens side of the garden and there laying on her side head on the ground was a hen :shock:   I yelled for hubby to ocme quick (I don´t like dead hens) and up jumped the hen and ran off     Boy was I relieved, all she was doing was sunbathing
Pamela

[Vember]

I've done that a couple of times  
Was last year though, not had enough sun this year  

Sarah