Poor Amber

Just when I thought Amber was finally past her egg laying problems she had a set back. Yesterday she looked really poorly just like she always does when she is about to lay a soft shelled egg. I have been giving the girls crushed egg shells in their mash every day and limestone flour a couple of days a week. All the other girls lay hard shelled eggs and I just don’t know why Amber has such a problem.

Amber looked really wobbly and took herself into the coop about an hour before bedtime. Even the bedtime corn just got a half hearted peck then she returned to the nest box.

This morning Amber looked a little brighter but still not her usual self. I made sure she was eating by giving mash in the morning with both crushed egg shells and limestone flour mixed in then later some grapes which she loves and did eat.

The big girls were queueing up for the little coop to lay their eggs and doing a bit of shouting about it. Bluebell laid first followed by Pepper then Dotty. I am seriously thinking of getting another nest box as now that the big girls are grown up they will no longer share and there is always a lot of fussing when they all want the coop at once.

By the afternoon Honey had settled into the nest box and she often takes quite a long time so I just check on her every half hour.

I then heard a banty shout so went to see if Honey had laid and was surprised to find both her’s and Amber’s egg in the nest box.

Amber’s egg was soft at one end, the pointed end. This must have been why she had struggled with it.

Amber’s latest egg on the right and Honey’s egg on the left

Last summer when she started laying it followed this same pattern of a few soft shelled eggs then normal for a while then one like this, soft at one end. After that she went on to lay normal eggs so I am still hopeful that she may now lay normally.

The drama wasn’t over yet though. I had just removed the eggs when Honey and Amber started to spar again. They both had their hackles raised and were flying at each other. I scooped Amber up and held her while Honey calmed down. I felt that after being poorly Amber didn’t need any more aggravation.

I put Amber down and the next minute they were at it again. I picked Amber up again and waited a few minutes before setting her down again.

I don’t know why they do this. The big girls have never done this. I said to my husband that I wondered if Honey sensed Amber wasn’t feeling great and thought she had a chance of moving up from bottom hen while Amber was out of sorts. My husband said if that was the case I should probably not interfere but let them sort it out. I said that I couldn’t just stand by and watch them fight, especially when poor Amber has just had a rough time.

After this everything returned back to normal and this was our second five egg day this year.