[newatthis]

hi all, not sure if in the right bit, feel free to move it in wrong place...
i have 8 girls up the allotment 5 are about 14/15 weeks old and 3 older 1's about 6 to 9 months old i think, when we first got the older girls we did get 2 eggs and 3 evey other day, this went on for about a couple of weeks then it stoped, we have been getting 2 a day and then last week i put them to bed as normal and let them out about 6.30 and on the floor was 1 normal egg ( broke) and 1 soft shell egg (also broke), but nothing since just 2 eggs evey day with out fail, we are not sure who laid it as the older girls are 1 cream legbar and 1 cream legbar x i think( looks like a legbar but half the size of the other 1) and a slikie cross golden legbar ( we was told), we have evey day 1 brown and 1 very pale blue( almost washed out colour) and when the other hen was laying a true blue colour egg,
they all eat layers and in the eveing i do put some corn down, and i sometimes mix it with the layers, they have fine girt and they do get treats, like meal worms and mash and sweetcorn and anything we have left over from dinner( no meat)...
i will be worming this weekend/early part next week..
is there any thing more i can do or is this normal for them to lay and then stop?
all hens are eatting and drinking none are un-happy
and none of the older girls look egg bound( no lumps or bumps)
also they was dusted for red mite a couple of weeks ago, should i do it again in case?
sorry for a story and a half, but would love to get back to my 3 eggs evey other day...

[Jeanette]

I have cream legbars and they lay a blue egg (not very pale) when the weather changes ie from hot to cold this can change the laying pattern. Also if they have been laying soft shelled eggs it can take it out of the girls. Do they have oyster shell ? as this helps to harden the shells. You can also pop the egg shells into the oven for a few minutes and then crush them up very well and give back to the girls. Try to keep treats to a minimum as fat chickens do not lay.

[newatthis]

hi thankyou i think it's the cream legbar cross thats lays the very light blue egg, and i think the pure legbar must have had the soft shell, i will give them oyster shell and see how that goes and they only get treats may be once or twice a week...

[dizzylizzie]

Oyster shell is a very important part of a chucks diet, i put mine in a tub so they have access all day. Lots of us bake the egg shells,grind them up and feed them back to the girls, this can help with egg shell quality. Is she going through a moult maybe?i know there are what is seen as 'set' times for moulting, but i have a few just coming out of one now. Also, even with 3 hens laying, it would be vey unusual to have 3 eggs every day

[newatthis]

hi thankyou, i have seen a lot of feathers in their run but i put that down to the younger 1's but will put the oyster shell in today...

[newatthis]

just a quick up-date, i have spoken to the lady i brought her from and she had them from day olds and she said that the hen in question (cream) is at POL, and she was only just starting to lay at her's,
i have change the budgie grit to osyter shell and there is a pot of grit too, and now she is laying for the last 2 days evey day so thats 3 hens= 3 eggs so fingers x she keeps it up,
the hens names are

saff (blue bell)
henny penny(welsummer)
pepper(copper black x slikie)
speckals(speckal x slikie)
ginger spice (not sure what breed but a light brown/ginger)
and the big girls are
coffee (cream legbar) also top hen
cream ( crested cream legbar) and last but not least is honey,(light sussex x slikie), with 5 toes on each foot...

my 10 year old named them all

[joyfull]

and last but not least is honey,(light sussex x slikie), with 5 toes on each foot...

proper silkie feet then 

[newatthis]

yep..