19 yolks found inside of her!!

[ScoobyRoo]

Well, we did the deed today.

Our BB tom weighed out at 40# and our hen was 30# decided they were getting too big. Our hen was acting funny the last several days and I told DH something was wrong with her, better have the axe ready. I also noticed 2 soft shelled eggs in the pen the other day and 2 more this morning when the kids and I went to say good bye to her and tom. It was puzzling. My DH informed me that when they gutted her out they found 19 yolks in her. Some real small and some bigger. I'm glad we went ahead and harvested her. What was wrong with her? Is that what they call internal laying?

 

[sparkles2307]

I'm most certainly NOT an expert, but I recall as a kis when we butchered chickens and turkeys, when it came to the gutting part, the eggs were always in there... in various stages of development. I mean, where else would the eggs be before they come out? Unless they were all goopy and smooshed and full sized like they were ready to lay but just go glopped up in there I would say no, not internal laying.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Quote:
I kind of expected the guys to find something in an egg form. But I also thought it takes the hens body 24 hours to develope the yolk and shell. But 19 at one time? That seems like too many at once. Not to mention that she layed 2 in one day (Tues) and 2 this morning. All soft shelled.

Yes, she is the only hen in the pen. No one else could have laid the eggs because the others are toms and the ducks eggs are white and green. These eggs were brown.

 

[horsejody]

I'm not an expert, but I would guess that she was laying internally.

 

[Mahonri]

No yolk? 19?

 

[ScoobyRoo]

Quote:
Yep, my DH counted (along with a neighbor) 19 yolks ranging from the size of a small grape and bigger.

The soft shells we found had yolks about the size of a quarter. The egg was not very big themselves. Golf ball size maybe.

 

[RAREROO]

I would think that they are just forming eggs waiting to be laid, we butchered some old broiler breeder hens on time and they were the same way. I think the 24 hour thing is just for the shell to form around the egg, but I also, am not an expert.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

I asked DH where were the yolks? He said all over inside of her. Weird!

 

[Birchwood]

We just butchered 7 cornish x today!!!! One of the hens had about 8 small eggs inside, all over. I was surprized to see them. I figured I culled 7 today so I went and got 12 more mixed breeds to fill the meaties coop for the winter. Come spring I'll have to be building more!!!

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

Hens always have clusters of eggs. Usually they look like small bunches of grapes, the fact that some were larger just shows she was getting ready to lay them.
When you butcher an old hen you'll notice less yolks or maybe none because she's at the end of her egg laying ability.