My chicken laid a soft egg. Does she need oyster shells for calcium?

Thanks for reaching out about Sheephony. Grit is for the grinding of food in the stomach and does not provide any nutrients. Oyster shell or cuttlebone can supply some calcium, generally lost in the forming and laying of the egg. Green vegetables will also help with calcium. If she is weak, a veterinary visit is recommended for caloric, nutrient and fluid administration. Give heat support in the 80-85 F range for aid. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Chelsea. Soft shelled eggs and difficulty laying is often an indication of calcium deficiencies or uterine disease. A veterinary visit is needed for diagnostic purposes and assistance for egg removal. A veterinarian can also help review and correct the diet. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out. No, it sounds as if your are headed into the correct direction. Check and improve diet, needs to include vegetables, especially greens for calcium. Birds loose lots of calcium when they lay eggs, and needs to be replaced in the diet. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Peaches. Does the diet normally include any calcium sources, such as green vegetables? Calcium supplements do need to be kept within reason, as oversupplementation can lead to calcification of kidneys. Are the eggs soft? Photoperiod manipulation, removing nests, separating from mates, can all help to reduce egg laying. A veterinary visit is recommended as some hormones might help. Good luck.

Thanks for your question, and it sounds like you have quite the situation going on. With that severe of a drop in egg production, I would be concerned about severe stress, nutritional deficiency, or some kind of an environmental issue. I would recommend evaluating the husbandry to see if everything is ideal. If you have had any changes in diet, with a focus on a lack of calcium, that can cause a drop in egg production for many birds. Also, if you have had any stressful events, that also can cause a short term drop in egg production. From what I can find, the stress pack should not be harmful to your chickens, but ensure that adding it to their routine doesn't cause them to not want to ingest the food/water that it is added to. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that the egg production starts to turn around very soon.

Thanks for your question about Blue. From what I can gather, you are concerned about her watery droppings, but you don’t have any other concerns about her. If this isn’t correct, please repost your question. Watery droppings can be loose poop, but it can also be increased urine. Since Blue just laid eggs, she may be stressed, which can result in an increase in waterin the droppings. This should improve within a few days of her laying the eggs. If things don’t improve, there may be something else going on. This can include problems with her kidneys or infectious diseases (such as bacteria). If the droppings don’t improve, I would recommend that Blue is taken to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can take a close look at her and the droppings and can look at a sample under the microscope. From there, they can make treatment recommendations. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Watery/runny droppings is indicative of diarrhea. Birds can get diarrhea from a number of causes, including stress, a poor diet, intestinal parasites or an infection. My guess is this may be stress related due to the egg laying. Have you changed her diet lately or given any new foods? A change in diet can also cause diarrhea. So can fruits or vegetables that haven’t been washed well to remove pesticides. Diarrhea can also be a sign of something more serious like kidney, liver or pancreatic diseases. Birds with diarrhea that doesn’t clear up within 24 hours need to be seen by the veterinarian so the problem can be diagnosed. Take Zelda in right away if you see blood in the droppings or she seems to be straining or having abdominal pain. If you do need to take Zelda to the vet, be sure to take a fecal sample with you so your veterinarian can analyze it. Bring the paper lining her cage so the veterinarian can check several samples. Any bird that is laying eggs need to have additional nutrition. This mostly means increased levels of calcium, protein and the fat-soluble vitamins-vitamin A, E, D3 and K from a maintenance diet. I suggest you speak to your vet about a vitamin supplement you can feed her. Hope this helps. Best wishes.