what does this mean??

[mr darcy]

Today I don't think she laid, she did spend time in the nest but no egg (but now I'm wondering if she ate it, as I saw a tiny bit of yolk on the wire bottom of the roosting area (the nest boxes are behind roosting area and she's been known to sit on the roosting bar and lay her egg) maybe the yolk was a bit i missed when I hosed out the other day???). when I was a kid and we had hens I'm sure they didn't always lay everyday, so how do i know if she's just skipped a day or has a problem? I'm feeling REALLY paranoid because of Indie, if she hadn't died I probably would be more laid back. And this soft egg business, do you think the chicken man is selling chickens that don't get everything they should as chicks and she's defficient, her layers pellets have all the added calcium and vitamins, I looked today. But I will worm her and give her a tonic, should I wait for the new hens before I worm and worm everyone together? I've decided to get the new girls from a different person, I found some Marans black and copper variety, they lay really dark brown eggs, i might try some of those, and some others that he has. Anyway, my hen keeping is stressing me at the moment, I also feel that Scarlet is definitely lacking the sociability she needs from other hens in her life, they are such companiable creatures aren't they

[Eco-Chic]

Mr. Darcy,

I wonder if Scarlet is doing a 'caecal' poo, which is quite normal. It is much bigger than the usual poo and I thought it was 'yolky' but it is the orange colour of caecum deposit plus the shavings that made it look like a squashed yolk to me. Check out this link for Q&A on a recent thread I started:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ngs_41065.html

[Suechooks]

MR D
This time of year she may not be laying daily. I have 4 Warrens who were POL in August and they do 3 between them most days, occasionally 4 and occasionally 2. They do become a bit erratic with the shorter days. The pure breeds are more likely to go off lay than the hybrids bred specifically for laying qualities.
Re the worming - if you're getting the new ones soon maybe it'd be better to do them all together but if its a few weeks away then do her now.

[mr darcy]

Ok thanks!!

[bluemoon]

One of ours laid eggs like this in summer, the shells felt like a thin layer of cracked ice on a pond (but not as cold, obviously) She grew out of it, eventually. I give mine cod liver oil with their corn, I put the corn in a pot, pop the lid on and give it a good shake until it coats the corn, then put a spoonful of limestone flour in and shake it again so that it sticks to the oil. The hens are more than happy to eat it as they just go mad for the corn, I tried it on pellets, but they tended to discard the doctored ones.