Not quite hard shell

[Katz5617]

I did see which hen was laying - it is my Buff. As of today I have collected a total of 11 eggs in 12 days. Two of the earlier eggs were soft shell and one was ripped so I actually have 9 on hand and with the one this morning - 10. This morning early I got another that was soft - almost to the point of being a regular shell but it had to have been laid sometime during the night - so she is not going the 24-25 hours between when I get the soft ones. My question is - with the shell not being completely hard but otherwise undamaged - is it okay to eat. I know this may sound silly, but our family eats Christmas breakfast together and I really was hoping to have enough of our yard eggs to scramble for everyone. I am anticipating another egg tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday since she has been so regular - but hope to have at least a dozen. I hate to waste the semi hard shelled egg, but don't want to cook it, if they are not okay to eat. I can always add my store bought eggs to the mix, but the grandchildren are looking forward to having the eggs from our chicks. They each have their own chicken and the grandson who claims Precious is especially pleased that his hen is contributing to breakfast.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That egg is fine to eat. Enjoy. If it is dirty at all, just wash it and refrigerate.

With the shell being soft and it being laid during the night, don’t be too shocked to find out another pullet has started laying. Those are both signs of a pullet just starting to lay, especially with the first pullet regularly laying hard shelled eggs in the nest. Hopefully you’ll have more eggs than you expect.

 

[aart]

If I can pick it up without getting glop on my hands, I'll eat it.....if it's softer than that, it gets chucked in the compost.

 

[Katz5617]

I can pick it up - in fact it was pretty close to having a hard shell - not nearly as soft as the first two soft shells I found in the nest. In fact the first soft shell ripped - this one I can sort of indent it with my fingers - but not mushy soft. It wouldn't have been many more hours and the shell would have been hard. I went out about 5 this morning and it was still dark and the egg wasn't warm as if it had just been laid so I assume it was sometime during the night. The other morning around 10 when I got the really huge egg it was still warm so I knew it had just been laid. The first few eggs I got were in the afternoon after 3:30 - then suddenly I got the two soft shells around 7 the next morning. I figured they were soft because Precious had not gone 24 hours before laying and the two I firmly believed were laid by the same girl at the same time because they were in the same nest, both were soft and one was half the size of the other. I figured in the strain of laying she released the one that should have been laid that day and the one in the shoot for the next day. In fact the following day we did not get an egg and it has been the only day since she began laying that we didn't have an egg. All of the eggs have been small with the exception of the one egg that came the day after she didn't lay and it was a humdinger. It would definitely be a jumbo. It was easily twice the size of the others and in fact was so big it didn't fit into the little slot in the egg carton and when I wedged it in it was so big that the top wouldn't close. After that 7 or 8 each morning one small egg until this morning and there was the one in the nest I think was laid during the night. The only one I have actually seen on the nest has been Precious. She is the Buff, but I also have a BR that has gotten pretty big and her comb and waddle have really gotten a bright red and have grown. They are all the same age so I do expect the others should begin laying soon. Lady - the RIR was sick or injured - but she is doing well now - so I really don't expect anything from her anytime soon. She is the same age but is the smallest of all the girls. She was one of the biggest to begin with - but the others outgrew her fairly quickly. The BO appears to be the largest but I think she has more fluff. The BR is definitely the heaviest when you lift her and she is the bossiest.

 

[Katz5617]

Ridgerunner, I believe you are right. I went out to check on Lady - trying to reintroduce her into the flock and I looked inside the coop. Precious is sitting on the nest laying and egg. It's the same spot she has been laying her eggs. This morning the soft egg was on the opposite side in a different nesting box. While I was there, Molly, the largest of the BR's came in and began checking that nest and scratching around - pretty sure she was looking for her egg. I believe the egg that I got so early this morning was probably Molly. I am doubly excited to have two layers.