Hen going off lay

[William_Montgomery]

One of our ladies has been laying extremely thin shelled eggs for the last few months. She lays with much less frequency now, and when she does they rarely make it out of the coop in one piece.
As far as I can tell, it's not due to a calcium deficiency or anything else dietary. I also can't see any environmental causes.
She's around 2.5 years old and an ex commercial layer.
Could this be a sign that she is going off lay permanently?

Cheers

 

[British Red]

It may be worth offering coarse oyster shell to bolster calcium uptake but if the rest of your flock are not having problems it is unlikely to be dietary. Persistent soft shells & infrequent laying is symptomatic of oviduct issues. She may not go off lay permanently but will probably not return to regular laying. The lay rate of commercial egg breeds takes an enormous toll on hens which is why they are generally replaced at 30 months.

 

[William_Montgomery]

It may be worth offering coarse oyster shell to bolster calcium uptake but if the rest of your flock are not having problems it is unlikely to be dietary. Persistent soft shells & infrequent laying is symptomatic of oviduct issues. She may not go off lay permanently but will probably not return to regular laying. The lay rate of commercial egg breeds takes an enormous toll on hens which is why they are generally replaced at 30 months.

Cheers Red, always appreciate your input with the flock.
They have access to oyster shell and we occassionally put the baked and crushed egg shells into the mash for a calcium boost.
She's laid pretty much every day for the last year, including winter, so I expect she is exhausted with it.
I was hoping it would be a sign she was going to stop laying for good, though it's been going on for a while now.
In your experience, when a hen comes to the end of her laying days, would it be a fairly quick change, or do you see a gradual deterioration in egg quality first?

 

[British Red]

Cheers Red, always appreciate your input with the flock.
They have access to oyster shell and we occassionally put the baked and crushed egg shells into the mash for a calcium boost.
She's laid pretty much every day for the last year, including winter, so I expect she is exhausted with it.
I was hoping it would be a sign she was going to stop laying for good, though it's been going on for a while now.
In your experience, when a hen comes to the end of her laying days, would it be a fairly quick change, or do you see a gradual deterioration in egg quality first?

Generally a decrease in egg frequency rather than quality. Heritage breeds will lay for 6 or more years, but by year 6 it can be 1 a fortnight. Layer breeds like Warrens & Shavers rarely live that long tbh. Moulting can cause egg issues too