What to do?

[Squizz]

For a few weeks we have been finding weak shelled eggs and also some with no shell at all. The chickens all seem well but yesterday I noticed one has a prolasped vent which sometimes sticks out and sometimes not and I found a soft shell hanging from one of the other chickens vent. What should I be doing please?

[Mell]

fist obvious question has to be are they gertting sufficient calcium ? From a complete feed or extra poultry grit

[Mell]

Bear in mind if the poultry is free range or fed of other things eg left over veg etc it will eat other stuff than the complete food, therefore reducing the trace minerals, hence why I offer grit in addition.

[Squizz]

They have layers pellets always available and a handfull of corn each about lunch time. (I read that they must not be given anything other than the pellets after lunch as they need to fill up on this before going to bed and not corn) As a treat especially in this weather they get either mealworms, ham or cheese but only a small amount again before lunch. Always available is mixed grit mixed, oyster shell and tonic in their water. They are fussy chickens and eat nothing else but this.

[Mell]

Sounds a healthy diet, only thing I'd query is ham, with salt & prevervatives in it, not sure it will be very good for them. Are they laying naturally or are you forcing them with light ? calcified seaweed could be tried. There are diseases that can cause this, so be aware of any other symptoms esp if the problem is seem in all your hens, might be best to run it past a vet

[Scarlet]

Have they been frightened in anyway? This can sometimes upset the quality of shell. Are there any other symptoms that may suggest an infection? How old are they? When did you last worm them?
It might be an infection but to start with I would cut out all treats, bake some eggshells and feed them back to them sprinkled on their layers, offer them Oyster shell and perhaps add a littel apple cider vinegar in their water - I have heard this helps the body absorb the calcium although this could be an old wives tale!

[Suechooks]

I'd try some cod liver oil. They should be getting enough calcium in their layers pellets but due to the short days and rotten weather they may not be absorbing it. One solution to this is to give them the Cod Liver Oil 2 or 3 times a week during the winter as sunshine is so lacking ( this helps the body produce Vitamin D to absorb the calcium) I'd leave a pot of grit out as well though just in case.

[Nicos]

Sesame seeds,broccoli and apricots...and a teaspoon every other day of cod liver oil are my emergency shell boosters.

Mine free range and have pellets and access to oyster shell, but mine are producing thin shelled eggs too at the moment.

[Squizz]

Thanks, that's very helpful. I am not forcing them with light and generally out of 5 chickens I get at least 3 and normally 4 eggs a day, which isn't bad given the weather. They're coming up to 2 years old and I last wormed them 6-8 weeks ago with Flubenvet. They've not experienced any shocks I can think of other than the obvious 5th November celebrations. I'll try your recommendations and if things don't improve I'll get in touch with a vet. Thanks again everyone.

[motherhen]

Squizz, just take care with to many mealworms they are very high protein and can cause prolapse and I would forget the ham and cheese.
The weather can have an effect but unless they are old they should be able to cope on the correct diet.

[Mell]

It is worth bearing in mind that complete foods are just that complete, no need for anything else, with free range birds I tend to have extra grit around should they need it, as the grass etc will upset the completeness of the complete food

As a matter of interest how are people defining freerange ? very few animals are ever completly free range so by how much is the average flock confined here ?

Mine have the whole garden except the veg patch so a little under 1/3 acre

[Squizz]

Is Apple Cider Vinegar from a supermarket ok to use?

[Mell]

Is Apple Cider Vinegar from a supermarket ok to use?

yes but more expensive than the stuff you get at the livestock feed merchant I'd think

[Flummery]

Is Apple Cider Vinegar from a supermarket ok to use?

You really want the rough stuff that you'll get from a horsey or farming type store.

[Mell]

You really want the rough stuff that you'll get from a horsey or farming type store.

On what grounds other than price ? chemically it will be much the same & I don't actually find it any rougher ?

Intriged as to why you think it differs