Elongated egg...Is this normal?

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RobinZech

RobinZech

Chirping
Jul 8, 2010
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I have been finding an elongated egg in the nesting box, I believe it's from my little RIR. The shell is very thin & fragile. I have even found the remains of a broken egg in the box too. The other girls are laying large, strong shelled eggs. After picking her up, I did notice that she is very light weighted. She eats well and seems to be the leader of the group. Is there something I should be concerned about?
 
Yes, there could be a couple of things that might be going on. The thin shells means she is not consuming enough calcium. You can take oyster shells and mix a little in with some can cat food and just give her a little everyday until you see improvement in her shells. Elongated eggs usually mean the hen is older and she is no longer producing the quality round eggs you normally see. Not a concern it is normal. I would take a fecal sample to your vet and determine what your worm load is in your chickens. Worms can suck the life out of chickens. If you don't take a sample in you can worm them yourself.
 
Thanks, I'll look into the worming thing. I do give her oyster shell in her pellets. I allow her to "free range" in my garden for a few hrs a day. She does scratch and peck at the base of my rhubarb plant. Could this be poisonous? (Yipes)
 
My old RIR and Easter Egger hens lay elongated eggs sometimes. They barely fit in the carton.
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I have a Wyandotte who lays elongated eggs now and then--she's only 8 months old.
In fact, her eggs are always longer than some of my other breeds'--my Marans' eggs are almost perfectly round.
Egg shape in itself is not a cause for concern.

How old is your RIR? When they first began laying, some of my girls laid thin-shelled eggs. That's fairly normal, until they get things worked out.

Are her comb and wattles bright red? If they're pale, it might be an indication of worms or parasites as well.

As long as she's pecking at the base of the rhubarb, and not the leaves (which are poisonous), no need to worry, I think. Ranging chickens mostly ignore plants that are poisonous--they're much more attracted to insects and grubs, and more palatable greens. Plus, it takes a large amount of some "poisonous" plants before there is even any effect.
 
I have 5 black Java hens, almost 1 yr old now - one has laid an elongated egg since she started laying at 25wks. We call her eggs, "torpedo" eggs, because that's their shape! The other four lay normal egg shaped eggs. Go figure? Just her 'style'. Her eggshells have never been thin. But they are the palest lightest brown I've ever seen. Not quite white - but nearly so.
 
My RIR (Ruby) is 20 months old. The other girls will be 3 yrs in May. Is this considered "old"? They all eat the same food & snacks, but Ruby is more adventurous in her search for goodies.
I measured the elongated egg, it was 3 inches long compared to the other typical eggs which are 2 inches. The egg varies in color too, one end will be dark and it fades to a pale brown on the tip.
I can even see what looks like layers or rings of the shell. I'm not worried but I do find it odd. Her comb & wattle appear to be fine. I really appreciate the feedback on what to look for. She is lighter in weight than the rest, so I started to add a bit of cat food to the diet, more like a snack.
Has anyone tried a herbal worming product? I would hate to not be able to use the eggs for such a long time due to the chemicals in the other products.
Thanks!
 
Interesting thread.

Two months ago I lost one of my three 2-year-old RIR hens. Shortly before dying she was laying elongated eggs (until then her eggs were normal), sometimes with a soft shell, or with the rings and color gradations others have noted. Sometimes the eggs came out as large wet blobs, no shells, bits of yolk, etc. My vet did a necropsy and discovered her to be dehydrated and overly thin, even though her weight was normal--her uterus was enlarged and filled with fluid/pus. Just recently one of the two remaining RIRs is laying elongated eggs and has also had a soft-shelled egg or two and some deposits that had no shell at all. I've been worrying that the same fate would befall her. These hens are only two years old! I expected them to be healthy and hearty for 8 to 10 years.
 
@CountrybumpkinsNYS

I'm sorry to hear this about your RIPs. I learned about adding DE to their feed and sprinkling it around the coop to scratch around in. I didn't want to use a chemical
dewormer, cuz I wanted to still use the eggs. I also feed them yogurt mixed with their table scraps. Ruby seems to be adding a little bit of weight (not alot compared to the others) and is trying
to lay again, but her eggs are still very fragile and thin. I usually find them smashed in the nesting box. She used to look like she was panting but that has stopped too. But she still seems
to be hungry all the time, so I'll keep up with what I was doing unless someone has another suggestion.
 

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