Ask Lafeber

She already laid an egg

Thanks Brenda for your previous answer. The hen has already laid her first egg. It’s been two months since I brought her home. So I’m too late to stop this cycle. If she lays more than 4-6 eggs I will replace some with plastic eggs. Also once they are finished with this clutch I will definitely mimic winter along with removing any nesting like material, along with your other suggestions . She will most likely lay another egg today and she is being attentive to her egg. The male is feeding her and she comes out to drink, poop and eat greens etc. I will be paying very close attention to them. Once chicks hatch as they reach 3 weeks old I will take them to a budgie breeder for hand feeding.
I very much appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.

Hi Marie,

OK, she definitely needs some protein and calcium now. You can give her cooked eggs with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the egg. She should also have a cuttle bone. Each egg takes 48 hours to form, and each egg depletes her body of calcium and protein, so she needs to be replacing it each day.

If they raise chicks, it sounds like you have a good plan. The weaned chicks can’t be caged with the parents, and they should be separated by sex as soon as you can tell. You had mentioned her foot, and a deformity is a sign of poor genes. The other breeder may be allowing related birds to breed. If any of the chicks have deformities, then do not let her breed again. She is possibly very inbred and should not be producing chicks, since they will also be genetically inferior. I hope all goes well!

Thanks for the update,

Brenda