Bleeding Chicken

[rollo4]

This is a two part question:
1) What causes a "little" specks of blood in an egg and is it save to eat?
2) I found about 10 (+/-) drops of blood just outside the roosting area about a week after the specks of blood in the egg. Since I have 3 hens I do not know which one bled. There were no noticeable signs on any of the hens to give me a clue. Anyone have a prognosis?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

No idea on number 2.
Number 1 is from small bits of the oviduct sloughing off. It is perfectly safe to eat. Extra protein.

 

[Judy]

Blood spots in eggs are one of those things that happen occasionally. They are usually actually tiny pieces of tissue. Yes, they are safe to eat. I've eaten many an egg with a tiny red dot. Once I opened an egg and found it was about half full of blood. That was too much, I tossed it. I never knew which hen layed it, and I never saw any indication that any of them were sick, not did it ever happen again. Store bought eggs are screened for the common defects, so when we start "growing our own," some of those odd things tend to appear. I'll give you a link to a good article about most all of them.

The blood near the roost could be from any number of things. It could be the remains of a mouse that a chicken ate, for example. One of the hens may have had a minor injury, maybe from pecking, maybe from getting cut somehow. They are very good at hiding injuries and illness, so it's quite likely you will never know.

Also, if your bunch has recently started laying, you are more likely to see some of the odd things for the first month or two. It's as if they have to get used to laying eggs.

Hopefully, all will be well. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/common-egg-quality-problems