How long in years will a hen lay eggs.

Hello Charlie

I used to live on a farm where the chickens were bred and sold. I can remember having hens as old as 10 years and older. They continued laying their eggs until they passed on. However, I remember that some of the egg shells seemed to be not as hard as they were when the hens were young. also, these chickens were very well taken care of. Sometimes they ate better than us..........smiles, just a little humor there.

Hope this helps you.

Hi Charlie, I'm no expert on chickens but I did have a beloved little hen for twelve years, and she laid up until the day she died. The eggs did get smaller though. This little hen was treated like a queen and acted like one. Hope this helps.                                                                                                         

I loved your answer! Chickens can become just as spoiled as house pets do. They are wonderful and lay long if they are properly fed and taken care of as you have done. On the eggshells being soft and sometimes transparent...Go to your local farm/feed/gardening store or wherever you buy your chicken feed. Tell them you want a bag of crushed oyster shells. The calcium in the oyster shells is the key to keeping the egg shells hard and not soft. Just make sure they are small tiny pieces like no bigger than a kernel of corn; hopefully smaller. Mix in with their food for a couple to three days. You don't have to give this to them every day. Just only when you notice the shells are softening, feed them again for the 2-3 days. I  always kept a 3 lb. bag around. And...they are cheap!

Good luck and hope this helps,

Angie