Soft shell eggs elderly hen

[Dowie]

We have a chook we THINK is elderly - we were given her by an animal shelter after they'd raided a chicken hoarder's house (the lady had 50 chooks in one small backyard).

So, we don't know her age exactly, but she seems old. At the start she laid us some eggs, but now they are either soft shelled, or totally deformed. It's the deformed ones (elongated and lumpy) that worry me. Is this normal for an elderly hen, or may she have an infection? She seems very healthy otherwise. Thanks!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Older birds are more likely to lay weird or misshapen eggs, but they can have various causes besides age. Is she the only bird you have? If she (and your other birds) seems otherwise normal & healthy I would tend to think it is something particular to her and could be a function of her age. The Poultry Site has a couple of pages on various kinds of misshapen eggs and possible causes.
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/20/bodychecked-eggs

 

[Dowie]

Wow, that is one impressive site! Thanks so much. We have quite a few hens, and they are all fine, so I'm hoping it's just because she is old.