Do hens do this as they get Older?

[TheTwoRoos]

I have several hens between different ages,some a little over 3 years,some a a year,some two years,some unknown,some a little over 4,some 6 or 7 months old.

I have "Favorites".And one of my favorites is a 3 year old Red Sex Link.Has always been a good layer.Recently she had stopped because of Daylight savings time I guess,or just a change in weather,which not too much changed,it's suppose to get 60 today.But,now that she has started laying her eggs have weird mark sometimes,the color went from a nice brown,to a light brown,and she lays some "LARGE" eggs.

Not sure if it's her old age or what?

 

[N F C]

My guess is that it's primarily due to her age...sex links seem to 'burn out' earlier than others.

 

[PeepersMama]

It's most likely old age, or she's about to molt if she hasn't already. When a hen is nearing the end of her cycle, her eggs will get lighter and lighter, and right after she molts, they'll be a ince darker brown in color.

 

[Gray Farms]

Age and breed are the main factors. Sexlinks are bred to lay like crazy for a short time. So at 3 year plus. She's just about done laying with any consistency.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

And the shade can vary if the egg speeds up or slows down for any # of reason including stress or reproductive changes. I find this to be true when starting and shutting down for the season as well.

So it may be age related, but I think it's still normal.

Could also have been from the cockerels you had causing stress, which has now resolved I think. Interesting that she stopped around daylight savings and started back up already. Maybe startin back up soon is a sex link thing. Did she molt already this year? 3 years seems like a pretty good run for a sex link.

 

[PeepersMama]

Just had to say that one of the three chickens we have that are actually laying is an almost three year old cinnamon queen. When she started up again after her molt, her eggs were almost white, and they were so bumpy it was like sandpaper. Now she's back in the swing of things layin' nice brown eggs.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

And the shade can vary if the egg speeds up or slows down for any # of reason including stress or reproductive changes. I find this to be true when starting and shutting down for the season as well.

So it may be age related, but I think it's still normal.

Could also have been from the cockerels you had causing stress, which has now resolved I think. Interesting that she stopped around daylight savings and started back up already. Maybe startin back up soon is a sex link thing. Did she molt already this year? 3 years seems like a pretty good run for a sex link.

Actually she hasn't molted for about i'd say two winters,so she looks very "Raggedy" right now,anyone know why she doesn't molt?I am still not noticing her molting this year.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Actually she hasn't molted for about i'd say two winters,so she looks very "Raggedy" right now,anyone know why she doesn't molt?I am still not noticing her molting this year.

Do you supplement light? Does your weather vary widely from season to season?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

No i do not,accept we do usually provide a heat lamp around i'd say end of November if necessary and through out Dec,Jan and Feb.

We live in Missouri so it's kinda been every right now,it's supposedly gonna be 60 today,the past few days it's been in the forty's.So it jumps around.Last year it pretty much went as it usually does.By the end of September it was probably in the 40's and fifty's last year.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Also,we have not put our heat lamp in at all this year because of the warm weather.