Rotten Eggs & Bullying

[southgeorgiachickenlady]

2 issues - 1 hen

For the past month we have been receiving random, rotten eggs. Until today, we did not know who they were coming from. Preface - we do live in a hot area but check eggs daily so we do not believe this play any contributing factor to the rotten eggs. For the past 2-3 weeks, one hen has been bullied by almost the entire flock. There is not one particular instigator that we could cull, and did not want to cull the bullied hen and risk worse behavior from the flock when reintroduced.

The bullied hen is who we are receiving rotten eggs from. She is a RIR around 3 years old. The only physical attributes that are different from months ago is her comb. It look smore jagged and more of a dull red in color. Is the reason for her being bullied because she is sick? Any ideas on how to treat her? She is the first laying hen we raised so aging chickens are a bit new around here. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

Are the eggs coming from a nest box? Are you collecting the eggs daily? Are they looking normal with hard shells and no cracks? Do you have any pictures of the hen to share? Is she walking differently or low in the pecking order? Has she molted recently? That can be a stressful time for them and they usually stop laying.

 

[southgeorgiachickenlady]

Are the eggs coming from a nest box? Are you collecting the eggs daily? Are they looking normal with hard shells and no cracks? Do you have any pictures of the hen to share? Is she walking differently or low in the pecking order? Has she molted recently? That can be a stressful time for them and they usually stop laying.

Eggs are in a nesting box and checked daily. No visible signs of them being rotten - no cracks, discoloring, etc on the shell. The looks completely normal - she hasn't molted recently, but seems to be on the bottom of the pecking order. However, this has not always been the case.

 

[Eggcessive]

The next time you crack her egg open, if you can get a picture that would be great. Are the insides a different color or do they just smell bad?

 

[southgeorgiachickenlady]

I will! The yolk seems mixed with the whites but both are discolored, almost brown. The smell is also terrible. One was boiled without knowing and it exploded.