- Jan 12, 2015
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Hey there,
This week we've suddenly gotten four eggs that have bumpy shells, which appears to be calcification. Here are a few ideas I'm considering might be the cause. I'd appreciate your feedback, and any other ideas and advice.
The temperatures are below freezing outside, so twice we've found frozen water in the morning, despite our heaters etc. as the coop is ranging between 0 and -10 celcius during our coldsnap. I know that could be the problem, but it's happening even outside those incidents, though within the same week.
Their feed is commercial organic, they have free access to grit, and we provide kitchen scraps, including the shells of eggs we use in our home (not everything they lay, as we sell eggs). So I don't believe they'd have a calcium overload in their feed unless the commercial feed is off balance. Has anyone seen that?
We extend daylight hours with a 60 watt bulb and a timer, which hasn't changed in several weeks, so that should be ok.
I suppose something could be scaring the hens, but I haven't seen any predators lately.
For what it's worth, our hens are all between 6 and 8 months old.
Does my assessment seem consistent with what you'd examine in this situation? Have I missed anything?
Also, does anyone know if these eggs are safe to eat?
Here are a few photos. The rough eggs are in a line, with normal eggs from the same flock in a line below them for comparison. The variation in colour and size is because of the variety of breeds in our flock.
Thanks for your thoughts!



This week we've suddenly gotten four eggs that have bumpy shells, which appears to be calcification. Here are a few ideas I'm considering might be the cause. I'd appreciate your feedback, and any other ideas and advice.
The temperatures are below freezing outside, so twice we've found frozen water in the morning, despite our heaters etc. as the coop is ranging between 0 and -10 celcius during our coldsnap. I know that could be the problem, but it's happening even outside those incidents, though within the same week.
Their feed is commercial organic, they have free access to grit, and we provide kitchen scraps, including the shells of eggs we use in our home (not everything they lay, as we sell eggs). So I don't believe they'd have a calcium overload in their feed unless the commercial feed is off balance. Has anyone seen that?
We extend daylight hours with a 60 watt bulb and a timer, which hasn't changed in several weeks, so that should be ok.
I suppose something could be scaring the hens, but I haven't seen any predators lately.
For what it's worth, our hens are all between 6 and 8 months old.
Does my assessment seem consistent with what you'd examine in this situation? Have I missed anything?
Also, does anyone know if these eggs are safe to eat?
Here are a few photos. The rough eggs are in a line, with normal eggs from the same flock in a line below them for comparison. The variation in colour and size is because of the variety of breeds in our flock.
Thanks for your thoughts!