Old hen laying soft shell eggs while roosting at night

[eikome]

How common is it for an older hen (6 y/o) to occasionally start laying soft shelled eggs on the roost at night?

I mistakingly thought the few soft shells I've been finding up on the poop boards were from my 21-week old pullets just beginning to lay. But I caught it on camera last night and it's one of my old hens. The worst part is that now she's started eating the soft eggs. Not a habit I want the other hens to learn.

Could the soft eggs be a sign of illness? Or just a hen getting older. None of my hens have ever had a recurring issue with soft eggs in the past, so this is new territory for me.

The flock all get layer feed and also have free choice oyster shell available.

 

[Anon112]

There are quite a few threads about soft shelled eggs, and many recommend a short course of calcium tablets. It could also that with her age she's beginning to have a reproductive tract issue.

Is she otherwise healthy?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Older birds are more likely to have laying and egg quality issues, so her system may not be processing calcium as well as it used to. You can try supplementing calcium citrate tablets directly to see if that helps with the shells (which should also help her not drop them at night). If she still lays frequently I'd do a daily dose, if less frequently (like 3x a week) then maybe every other day, and try that for a week and see if it makes a difference.