Big Eggs and Little(ish) Eggs with Blood -Two questions

[HenMcGhie]

Hi there!

Here are two eggs that were laid this morning by my two Rhode Island Reds and now I have two questions.

1. Will the hen that laid this monstrous egg lay normal eggs again? Her eggs have been getting progressively larger over the past week. This one I know she struggled to lay because I could hear her "whimper" as she tried to lay it. She seems fine now except for maybe moving around a little slow.

2. This small egg was laid by my other hen and her eggs have been consistent in size since she started laying. Even my ameraucana hens who started laying a month after my reds are laying bigger eggs then her now. I don't mind the small size at all except that I noticed this one had blood on it. Should I be concerned about finding the blood?

Ok, that's it for now.

Thanks for your help!

 

[bird-brain]

I have hens of the same breed that lay different sized eggs though that egg is smallish for an RI hen. Eggs do generally increase in size as the hen matures.

1. Blood is not uncommon in a young hen until her vent stretches out enough to make it easier to pass the eggs. They will sometimes lay an abnormally large one even when older and you will see blood. Can't say for sure this is the cause but it's the most likely culprit.

2. The RI eggs I have seen have been very large. I'm sure there is an average weight for their eggs posted somewhere. You can check on that and see how far off your larger egg is. I had a young hen that laid double Yolked eggs every time she laid for a month. After she matured her eggs remained quite large. I cracked more than a few of them expected two yolks but only had one. Her body will regulate itself in time I'm sure. Just keep a watch for her getting bound.

 

[HenMcGhie]

amazingly enough, the giant egg isn't the one that was bloody, it was the small one. Thanks for the info though. I'll keep an eye on them.

 

[bird-brain]

Oops, I actually understood the small egg was the bloody one. Sorry if I confused you. Each hen, like each person has different anatomy so with some hens, any sized egg tears the vent a little until in time they stretch out and the muscles develop the right memory.

It always amazes me how my itty bitty polish hen lays larger eggs than most of my other hens. My birds do something that either surprises me, worries me, fascinates me or makes me laugh everyday. But those big eggs coming out of that tiny hen always freaks me out a little. :/