Re: paper like egg shells

"Frank Thompson" <gno52@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1146394244.850240.241250@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
my flock = 1 rooster & 2 hens ... rose combed silver laced wyandottes
both hens about 2 yo & have been year around layers
shell on one's eggs have always been a little lighter
past month or show light shells have become lighter and lighter until
now they are white
and so thin that they are are broken when I visit the hen house to
collect them..whether her weight breaks them as she leaves nest, or if
they are broken in laying process I don't know
have been feeding complete Manna Pro laying pellets for years and have
always made crushed oyster shell available... must admit I have not
always been deligent on that & sometimes supply available was exhausted
(my lack of deligence due to the "complete" label causing me to believe
it really wasn't necessary). Two or three weeks ago I read the label
and it said that hens do need addtional oyster shell so I have made
sure since then that it is always available. The problem continues
(one day I did get an unbroken white one from her). How long should
it take to cure the problem if the lack of oyster shell was the
problem? If that was not the problem what are other possibilities?
Other hen has never had the problem nor was it prob with 3rd hen of
same type
which was lost to a hawk last winter.

It may be that they are now past their best laying years and are simply not
including adequate ingredients in their recipe
It may also be that they have picked up a bug that has affected their
ability to make better eggs - the pale eggs is possibly a marker of this too
Something like Infectious Bronchitis can show up this way

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/flkman3.htm
The commercial egg-laying chicken has a level of productivity second to
none. However, an outbreak of IB in a developing pullet flock may have
devastating effects on future productivity. The reproductive tract and
kidneys can be permanently damaged. In adult hens, depending on the strain
of virus, an outbreak of IB will cause varying effects on egg production. If
hens have low antibody titers, production drops can be severe. In birds with
high titers, the only manifestation of the disease will be mild to severe
effects on both egg shell and internal quality without affecting overall egg
production. If production drops occur from IB, a decline in shell as well as
internal quality should be expected. The negative influence IB has on egg
quality may persist for many weeks or months after production has recovered.
The IB virus infects many tissues in the body. Every portion of the
reproductive tract can be affected. A decline in egg shell quality occurs
when the uterus is directly affected. This decline is reflected as poor egg
specific gravity caused by a decline in shell thickness, and misshapen eggs
caused by degeneration and distortion of the shell gland cells. Pullets
infected with IB virus early in life may suffer permanent damage to the
oviduct, resulting in misshapen eggs being produced throughout their life.
Also, impacted oviducts, ruptured ova, internal layers, and cystic right
oviducts are often a result of early IB virus infection.
Infectious bronchitis is also known to affect shell pigmentation. Uniformity
of pigmentation in brown eggs is poor. Pale eggs can appear 2 to 5 days
after exposure to the virus. The occurrences of pale eggs can persist for
several weeks. There are other causes of pale eggs, but IB should be
considered when pale eggs occur.
One of the major effects that the IB virus has on internal egg quality is
its influence on the albumin. It is common for "watery whites," a serous
thinning of the thick albumin, to occur in IB outbreaks. Thus, Haugh Unit
values are greatly reduced. The watery albumin is a result of the IB virus
destroying the endometrial mucin secreting cells in the magnum of the
oviduct. The keeping quality of eggs from IB virus-infected hens is
lessened. The decline in shell quality that accompanies IB out- breaks also
promotes an accelerated decline in albumin quality



--

regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk




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