Any idea what this is on the egg?

[Justicedog]

Hi. My chicken laid this egg. On it we’re a bunch of little loose balls - they seem to be the same material as the egg shell. Though I could be wrong.

 

[sourland]

You are correct. It is excess calcium deposits.

 

[LaFleche]

Did you try to crush them?

Might be eggs of some kind of fly or other parasite, or excessive calcium deposits.

 

[LaFleche]

You are correct. It is excess calcium deposits.

Again you beat me to it.

 

[Justicedog]

Did you try to crush them?

Might be eggs of some kind of fly or other parasite, or excessive calcium deposits.

My first thought was some sort of egg, as I've been battling mites. Yesterday I started my second round of permithrin treatment for the coop and the birds. So I guess anything would be possible. But the egg was only in the nesting box about an hour, so I don't think the egg was sitting around enough to have had that many fly or parasite eggs on it. Unless it came out with the egg.

I think the excessive calcium deposits seems more reasonable, and perhaps my preferred thing.

I have just combined my old hens with 12 week old chicks and took away the layer feed and put out oyster shell, though I've not seen the laying hen eat it, maybe a piece here or there. I've offered the layer feed outside of the coop/run where the older birds hang out. Only 1 of the 3 older hens is still laying.

Would excessive calcium deposits be a bad thing?