Couple of interesting eggs

[Lookin4GoodLife]

Just thought this egg was cool and thought I'd share..... I see people talking about Easter eggs and them being different colors. A couple weeks ago, one of my hens laid a striped egg. It was already decorated for Easter. Then a couple weeks later, along comes a monster. My neighbor thought she heard one of my chickens yelling, must have been the one who laid this one. That's a picture of it in a carton along with my regular eggs and the 2nd picture, yes, I zero'd the scale after I put the bowl on there.

Forgot to add, my chickens are golden sex links.

 

[Pendragonz]

Quite interesting eggs. Thank you for sharing pictures of them.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

That is a monster egg! 4 yolker?

Love the striped egg!

to both of them.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

I don't know, we haven't eaten it yet.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

More interesting eggs...... I know some folks don't like sex links because they're "hybrids" and I understand. More interesting "laying behavior"..... I keep a spreadsheet of how many eggs my chickens lay. I don't "forget" how many they lay. Yesterday, my six chickens laid 6 eggs. Today, my 6 chickens laid 7 eggs. One of the eggs had no shell. One of the eggs was 100 grams. That's right, that's bigger than most duck eggs. In the picture, yeah, I have short stubby fingers, but that's a big *** egg.













I know they'll probably "burn out" young, but I can't complain about the laying power of these golden sex links. I've read where they get sick and die by two years old..... we will see. I'll report back with any problems I have. I bought these chickens on 3/25/16. I fed them a couple sacks of medicated feed and regular layer feed since then. I haven't done any ACV or anything else in their water and haven't given them any kind of medicine. I throw them some table scraps every once in a while and I let them out to scratch around in the yard a couple times a week to keep them happy. This is my first experience "chicken keeping" so I've been happy with their health.

 

[Beekissed]

Getting those super sized eggs is always kind of fun...got one myself yesterday about the size and shape of your bottom pic. But, in the back of my mind, I remind myself how hard those big ones are on the hen's reproductive system and what could result from it if it would continue~prolapse of the oviduct, which is pretty much a death sentence to a hen. There's a reason that most eggs are pretty standard in size and knowing what I know now, I love seeing those L-XL eggs of uniform shape, size and color rolling into the nests...those monster eggs are kind of cool, but I'd sooner not see them nowadays.

There's really no way to prevent it, especially in older hens that are going out of lay for good as that's when it seems to be most prevalent and it usually seems to happen more to good layers that are aging out, like my leghorns or BAs.

It's not that people don't like hybrids, who wouldn't like having those steady, XL eggs for a year? It's just that people who have had them realize that the poor things have been genetically predisposed for early burn out and the burn out is usually not pleasant....they suffer from reproductive cancer and issues more than any breed or type of hen I've ever owned. They seem to have a sell by date on the bottom of their feet, much like the CX meat birds, and that's usually around 1 1/2-2 yrs of age. A person is fortunate indeed to have them live to 3 yrs of age and I've heard of it happening but it doesn't happen as often as in other breeds/types of chickens.

Your top egg is beautiful! I had a little NH hen that laid a striped and speckled egg like that every day of her life. At first I was saving them, but then I realized it was going to continue, so I just thanked God for them....she laid very well into her 6th year and I miss that little red hen and her beautiful eggs.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They are beautiful!

I don't have sex links... but I probably get half as many eggs to.

Hard to argue with Bees' experience...

I would say... maybe just make sure you aren't supplementing light in winter so they can at least get their natural rest period.

The people I know who do have sex links aren't worried about burn out. They just love having the hens and loads of eggs. Those hens are at two years old now and still doing well, though this particular person NEVER has turned their light off since day one.... and not even to increase egg production but more out of not understanding the needs of the hens.

I hope the rest of their chicken keeping experience continues to be mostly pleasant.

My LFS is getting BA in their first shipment!

As well as the Welsumer I hope to try.

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

Yes, I've read about the health issues of the sex links, but being my first chickens, I just bought whatever the feed store had. My next ones I will order and get heritage breeds. I'll probably end up butchering my sex links, hopefully before they have health problems and just eating them. I don't want them to go through any grisly health problems. I tried supplemental light for a week or two when our days first got shorter, but it seemed to be confusing for them, so I just cut it off so they could get a rest. They're still laying pretty regular, though but the sex links are definitely not what I want for my place long term.