# Stress in the coop



## Mjwaker86 (May 30, 2021)

Hi 

Ive had a small flock of cream legbars for about a year. Recently after long intros and quarantine I've added a further three hens into the mix. 

The introduction went well. Very little bullying or pecking. A little but of food blocking but easily sorted with an additional feeder. All in all the run and coop is peaceful and groups mixing well.

However one of the original cream legbars has been laying brittle shells for over two weeks now. I've added additional calcium and they have access to grit and osyter shells all the time and are on layers feed. 
Everyone else is laying fine now. The past few days she not even laying them in the coop and just seems to pop them out where she is standing which inevitably they break. 

The coop is plenty big, I only actually have 6 girls and 3 nest box and one external to the coop in the main run. So plenty of space and options to lay. 
She is otherwise we'll, eating, drinking, pooping fine. Goes into the coop at night to sleep. Has been wormed. Doing normal chicken things. Prior to all this she never had problem with soft or brittle eggs. 

She was the lower rank of the original girls so I'm assuming rightly or wrongly that she feeling additional stress as she doesn't want to be bottom of the new girls also? 

Is this still stress? Is there anything additional I can do to help her with this? 

Thankyou 

Emma


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Hey, kiddo. Are you saying her shells are thin? 

It could be the addition of the new girls which this would be a stress reaction. Or she might be going into a molt. Give her a little bit of time to see if this resolves.

Do you have things like calcium booster for goats in liquid form in GB? If she doesn't straighten out over time it might be worth trying giving her that to boost her calcium intake.


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## Mjwaker86 (May 30, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Hey, kiddo. Are you saying her shells are thin?
> 
> It could be the addition of the new girls which this would be a stress reaction. Or she might be going into a molt. Give her a little bit of time to see if this resolves.
> 
> Do you have things like calcium booster for goats in liquid form in GB? If she doesn't straighten out over time it might be worth trying giving her that to boost her calcium intake.


Thankyou for your reply 

Yes her shells are really thin. And normally crack upon laying/landing. But now she's not even bothering to go into the nest box and lay, or even make a temp nest she literally just lays where she is stood. 

She has never had a molt, apparent from a brief juvenile molt, I would have expected it to be more autumn time but will definitely keep an eye for this. 

I have tried calcium supplements for poultry. Which didn't seem to do anything at all which made be lead more towards stress being main factor rather then deficiency ?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Stress will absolutely cause some of them to have issues. 

Here in the states we have a product called Calciboost for goats. It's a flavored liquid. Often if we have one that is laying poor shell quality eggs we can dose a hen with it for a few days and have things return to normal.


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## Mjwaker86 (May 30, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Stress will absolutely cause some of them to have issues.
> 
> Here in the states we have a product called Calciboost for goats. It's a flavored liquid. Often if we have one that is laying poor shell quality eggs we can dose a hen with it for a few days and have things return to normal.


Ill try again with the calcium supplement I've got. I searched calciboost and the UK equivalent seems to be pointing in the direct of what I have got. 

Thankyou for advice. Just something's need a bit a reasurrance not missing anything with them


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You probably aren't. You seem to have good instincts with them and can read what might be the cause. Remember the greatest tool you have with them is observation. At this point you're laser focused.


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