Paper-thin shells

[Pumpkin Becki]

Paul
If it is just a lack of calcium you could try feeding them eggshells which I've seen advised on poultry forums. You need to bake them in the oven and then bash them into "grit". They really love it too, whenever I have a fresh lot, they elbow each other aside to get a go at the feeder. Doesn't turn them into egg eaters either, I've not had any problems with that. They still have the grit but this is supposed to be a good way of giving them a good dose of calcium
best wishes
Sue............................................................................

There is mixed feelings on the feeding of baked eggshell. A lot of people do say it leads to egg eating, especially if weak shelled eggs are being laid at the moment, which are an easy target.

Paul, you might also find that Daisy is older than Delicious. Hybrid hens will lay an egg a day for about 18 months from reaching POL, after this time you will find they lay a little less frequently and you will get the odd 'strange' egg (thin shelled, teeny-tiny etc).

Ex Bats are normally 'got-rid-of' just as egg production starts to drop, so Daisy could be at about this stage. Add this to the new feathers shes trying to grow, and this combination is probably the cause. As her health improves her eggs will too.

Delicious came to you in a different way when she made a bid for freedom after TV stardom, its possible that she was a much younger bird who wouldn't have normally been rescued yet. She was in better health and has therefore made the transition to normal life quicker.

Daisy will soon follow suit!

[bluemoon]

Sorry, I keep asking really stupid questions, but I'm about to buy my first ever hens and I want to do everything right, but I'm also starting to panic a little. If a hen lays a thin shelled egg which breaks or an egg with no shell at all, is it more likely that she and/or her coop-mates will attempt to eat it and thus go on to develop one of those habits which all the books I've read seem to be quite hysterical about? And if this is so how would I prevent the eating from starting in the first place?

[kirsty b]

I sometimes break eggs accidentally when I'm collecting them and I let the girls eat it if that happens. So far though I have never found them breaking eggs deliberately to eat them.

[TPeers]

Sorry, I keep asking really stupid questions, but I'm about to buy my first ever hens and I want to do everything right, but I'm also starting to panic a little. If a hen lays a thin shelled egg which breaks or an egg with no shell at all, is it more likely that she and/or her coop-mates will attempt to eat it and thus go on to develop one of those habits which all the books I've read seem to be quite hysterical about? And if this is so how would I prevent the eating from starting in the first place?

If a hen lays a thin or no shell egg the other birds might well eat it - this has certaintly happened with my birds, especially when one has 'dropped' an egg while on the perch! (thick birds - don't ask!) But generally this has not lead to problems as they only look at eggs laid in the wrong place - so an egg in the roost or run is fair game but they never touch the ones in the nest box.....

go figure.....