[Mel]

 I have had a few soft shelled eggs in my time,but a hard walnut like egg is very odd,I guess it must have come from Gemima bless her,she is now 6 years of age!(is that an age for an ex batt?!!!)

[Sylvia]

Ouch! Makes you cross your legs to think of that passing through It probably has something to do with the calcium take-up in her body. I've never had ex- battery hens so don't know whether six is old. Though it has just come to mind that my brother had one that reached fourteen!

[Mel]

Yes I think so,I think she is not absorbing it very well somehow! my girls have oyster shell,limestone flour,I always have the Nettex mineral powder in-and they all free range! You would not think there was a calcium problem though prior to her getting her feathers back she always laid soft shelled eggs or odd shapes,I do not think I have even had a normal egg from her!

[doganjo]

Sounds like she just has an abnormal egg production gland.  Ex-batts have laid consistently for18 months before they are re-homed, that's a lot of eggs, so for one to live to 6 is quite unusual I'd say.  Mine usually start going down at about 3.

[Dizzycow]

Wow! Makes my occasionally mildly wrinkly eggs look rather dull! Very walnutty.

[northfifeduckling]

worth to be kept in the galery - it's art! Well done, Gemima - others could not do that if you asked them to

[NormandyMary]

I used to get the odd egg like that, it was perfect inside! Also, the girlie that laid it went on to lay normal eggs afterwards, so I think it was just a glitch in the system!!

[doganjo]

Perhaps we should have a 'What is it' thread on the new forum?