[andy harris]

Eggs are still no good so i pulled her neck....I found out why our eggs have gone down its cos of the weather here its crap always cloudy so i think my hens think winters coming.

[sheardale]

End of story then.             

[DJ_Chook]

I have 12 exbatts left from one rescue. They got out the cages March 2009, laid through the winter, an egg a day till march this year. Then they all almost stopped laying. Perhaps only 1 egg every other day if I was lucky. I was so close to wringing their necks! But I sailed through it, figured I would run a retirement home for them.. Whats 12 non laying birds when I have another 60 who do lay. Anyway.. now those 12 exbatts have started to come back into lay. Ok so it's not an egg a day but it's getting better.

[sheardale]

Well Chook.  I have had no eggs again so far today.  I enjoy seeing them going around.  Mines may lay again, hopefully.  The geese arent laying either.  But all are happy.     
Cheers Helen

[knightquest]

We've had our first day in four without a soft shelled egg. Wooo Hooo! 

Ian

[sheardale]

Lucky you.  What are you feeding your hens on and I shall try that too.  At the stage , I shall try anything.
Cheers Helen

[knightquest]

Lucky you.  What are you feeding your hens on and I shall try that too.  At the stage , I shall try anything.
Cheers Helen

They have layers pellets and grit mixed together fed ad lib. I add vegetables (cabbage, lettuce) but I add a clump of grass including soil too. They also get mixed corn in the evenings with cooked eggshell.

I asked the chap that I got them from on Saturday what breed they were. I thought that they were ISA Warrens. He said that they were Warrens and that ISA was near enough...........intrigued, I asked what he meant and he said that they were like Warrens but had been bred specifically to lay all year round and be great for the first time keeper. I said that I thought that that described the ISA Warren. He just said "yeess" and left it there.
I don't know whether I've now got some freaky type bird or what?

Very strange  BUt totally engrossing 

Ian

[woodlandproductsfife]

I have a hen or two that lay eggs with no shells. I was sure that if we had heavy rain, then the following day I get 1 or 2. Rather weird when you try to pick them up. Suggestion on the calcium deficiency, If you feed mash then scrape a cuttle fish bone, with a knife into the mash mix. I feed pellets and just scrape it in to the feeder along with them. I use a serrated knife and its allmost like chalk dust. I have plenty of it as my Canaries and Australian finches have it available 24/7. You can get it from any pet shop and its not expensive at all, I'm no expert, but it is pure calcium, got to be worth a try. I know that in its whole state nailed in the feeding area, they don't look at it.



                             Craig

[sheila]

I've got four Isa Warrens and they used to lay every day. Now I'm lucky to get two a day from them unfortunately I don't know who is laying and who is not so I am reluctant to cull them Also my other hens, who are a mixture of alsorts, do lay but not as consistently as the Isa Warrens who are bred for the job.

[Fergie]

I've got four Isa Warrens and they used to lay every day. Now I'm lucky to get two a day from them unfortunately I don't know who is laying and who is not so I am reluctant to cull them Also my other hens, who are a mixture of alsorts, do lay but not as consistently as the Isa Warrens who are bred for the job.

What age are they?  Every hen will lay for a season, roughly 10 months, then go offlay & start moulting then growing new feathers.  After a rest of about 3 months they will start laying again for the next season.  If reared naturally, this will coincide with the seasons, but the first moult will depend on when they were hatched, so could be any time.  Over a few years, they will gradually synchronise with the seasons, tending to go offlay in winter then restarting in spring.

This is the stage at which ex-bat hens would be culled, since it would mean feeding them for no immediate output, but they will start again after a few months.  All you need is a bit of patience.

As they get older, they will lay larger eggs which are less frequent.

John

[terryh]

ive had this problem with canary's and finche's
i use this type of product from ebay if your using layer pellets put 2 cups in a bowel some warm water and a tea spoon of calcium in  for 4 or 5 days then once a week it should cure the problem 
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CALCIUM-CARBONATE-100g-GROUND-LIMESTONE-FLOUR-/300449718395?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Reptiles_Spiders_Insects&hash=item45f432e07b