Odd egg

[JAR26]

Hi! I have 4 Plymouth rocks and 1 commercial brown bird in my main coop. The Plymouth havent layed in weeks (winter break) and my commercial who normally lays in winter only has an egg every other week or so. I am assuming this may be her egg and this is how it looks when a hen is at the end of her egg supply? The egg was extremely small, brittle and that's why I assume it was cracked. Anyone see this before? Thanks

 

[azygous]

No telling for sure why that egg is that way. But it is a fact that as a hen encounters very short days, her hormones decrease, and the low winter sunlight also affects her ability to absorb calcium, so poor egg quality is often the result. Added to that, as a hen begins to molt, her protein requirements increase to build new feathers, so dietary protein gets diverted from egg making to feather growth.

 

[aart]

this is how it looks when a hen is at the end of her egg supply?

Not like the end never lay again end,
but funky eggs can happen just before and just after molting.
How old are your birds, in months?
Did the molt this year?
Are you using supplemental lighting?

The egg was extremely small, brittle and that's why I assume it was cracked.

It's a funky one alright. Shell looks thick and porous and poorly formed.
Can't quite see the contents, wonders if there was even a mature yolk in there.
Great pic BTW, I zoomed and lightened in PS.

 

[JAR26]

Not like the end never lay again end,
but funky eggs can happen just before and just after molting.
How old are your birds, in months?
Did the molt this year?
Are you using supplemental lighting?

It's a funky one alright. Shell looks thick and porous and poorly formed.
Can't quite see the contents, wonders if there was even a mature yolk in there.
Great pic BTW, I zoomed and lightened in PS.
View attachment 2471075

Thanks for reply. The egg was very thin and no yolk. The hen I suspect layed it either hasnt had a molt or a soft molt and I never noticed. I got her as a pullet in May 2019. No supplement lighting and same feed as usual (layer pellets from the coop store).

 

[aart]

The egg was very thin

The shell looks fairly thick but not strong....probably crumbly.
Strange that they haven't molted.
Sometimes high production hybrids don't.....and her laying life may be near the end.