Very bizarre blood-red, shell-less egg!

[MIChickandGuinea]

We found this oddity on the roost this morning. We have 10 pullets who are 16-1/2 weeks old, and we haven’t seen anyone’s first egg yet. It’s time. Could this just be a start-up glitch? The coop is spacious, clean, and dry with vastly ample roost space, clean water daily, and we have just (a week ago) finished a routine course of Strike III to reduce the likelihood of parasites as advised by our avian vet. The birds all look pretty and healthy and content. But this egg!!! Ignore the fact that someone put that egg on the roost they had been sleeping and pooping on - poops in the coop and run are all normal. The egg had no shell, contained a little nugget of some kind of waxy or fatty material, and had a blood-red membrane around a normal yellow yolk. Anyone have insight?

 

[The Phantom]

@casportpony @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Trux]

Following, never have seen that before. What breed are your chickens?

 

[The Phantom]

Following, never have seen that before

X2

 

[Trux]

@azygous @Texas Kiki

 

[azygous]

Do you happen to have a honeysuckle bush? Is it producing berries? Chickens that eat the berries can produce blood red yolks.

It was reported to me some years back by one of my egg customers that they found a blood red yolk when they cracked open the egg. Sometimes a broken blood vessel can color a yolk as it journeys down the reproductive track. It's an isolated event. I've never had any further reports of red yolks since.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The cheesy, waxy chunk is concerning. It looks like a "lash egg" or basically caseous pus. Normally you see that with hens with infected laying tracks (from either virus or bacterial infection), otherwise known as salpingitis.

The blood red membrane is not normal, and I suspicion one of the new pullets coming into lay has come internal issues and needs attending to quickly.

Check each one. Palpitate their abdomens. Take note of any abdomen that feels and looks squishy. Check the vents. Note anything that smells really off (yes, it's a chicken's butt so it won't smell great). Yeast infections can cause "lash eggs" too.

If you can figure out which hen, she will need some quick TLC and a visit to the vet for antibiotics. Sadly many hens who have infected laying tracks have a very poor prognosis.

My thoughts.
LofMc

https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Do you happen to have a honeysuckle bush? Is it producing berries? Chickens that eat the berries can produce blood red yolks.

It was reported to me some years back by one of my egg customers that they found a blood red yolk when they cracked open the egg. Sometimes a broken blood vessel can color a yolk as it journeys down the reproductive track. It's an isolated event. I've never had any further reports of red yolks since.

That is a good thought and definitely much less ominous than where I am going...but my experience when the yolk is affected by diet is that the whole yolk is colored that way. This appears to me to be frank blood covering the yolk, like really bad blood vessel rupture during egg laying, far more than what would create a small blood spot.

That with what appears to be a caseous exudate (lash egg) gives me pause to think something is amiss.

My thoughts.
LofMc

 

[Sequel]

X2

X3

 

[Eggcessive]

Very strange. I have seen pics of red lash egg material online and here on BYC, but not one that bright red and full of liquid yolk. The waxy material is definitely lash material, usually from an inflammation of the oviduct (salpingitis.) Here is a link with a red lash egg with dried material inside:
https://thefrugalchicken.com/abnormal-chicken-eggs/lash-egg/

Here is an article about salpingitis:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/