Calcium deposits on eggs

[happyhencamper]

Following an article on egg quality. does anyone else see the calcium powder and deposits inside the egg when they break them check it out?

In the article, it says one of the causes is excess calcium in the diet. A few of the egg quality posts in this article state it could be from excess calcium. Not sure how they would be getting it. I am feeding Oystershell and sometimes occasionally I grind up their eggs after I bake them, and feed them back. I am not mixing any of this with their feed. I am keeping it separate. I have always read I am supposed to feed oyster shell. It only seems to be one hen. Not really sure have not seen which one, but based on the amount of time. Between the laying it seems to only be one. I have never gotten two on the same day.

Sorry, didn’t know how to attach the link to the article so I did a screenshot of one part

 

[Sally PB]

Is she new to laying? It can take awhile for them to work out the glitches. Or it might be something that she will always do.

Calcium in the form of oyster shell or eggshell on the side is the best way to offer it. Layers will usually just take what they need.

 

[happyhencamper]

Is she new to laying? It can take awhile for them to work out the glitches. Or it might be something that she will always do.

Calcium in the form of oyster shell or eggshell on the side is the best way to offer it. Layers will usually just take what they need.

She is three your comment makes me feel better. I worry too much about them. I can’t eat those eggs because as you saw by the pictures, it would kind of be crunchy.

 

[RitzvilleHen]

She is three your comment makes me feel better. I worry too much about them. I can’t eat those eggs because as you saw by the pictures, it would kind of be crunchy.

I didn't realize the calcium deposit was INSIDE the egg until looking at the photos. I've never seen that before. I worry too much too! So much to learn!

 

[Layniep3]

My Easter Egger has this problem as well. Her eggs are also unusually large for her body size. Have you found anything that helps?

 

[FunClucks]

I have at least one hen that does this. I keep the eggs for personal use and don't sell them. However, she doesn't often have Ca inside her eggs, just shell deposits. I've found Ca inside the eggs a time or two. She didn't used to have this problem, it just developed recently - she's just over a year old. Standard commercial diet 20% protein pellets/crumble all flock with oystershell on the side.

Commercially, this bird would be culled as soon as external deposits started showing up. Definitely culled for having internal calcium deposits.

If you plan to keep the hen, I'd earmark her eggs for feeding back to the flock, shell and all. Yummy treat for mixing into wet crumble. I crumble up the eggshell as well as the egg and mix it into applesauce consistency all-flock fines or crumble. For personal use or egg sales, I'd get another hen to keep your eggs/week consistent.

Note - we've eaten the eggs from our hen a time or two - usually there's only a few bits of calcium in there, not as much as you are showing. When you make scrambled eggs with bacon, etc., you don't notice a few small balls of calcium.

Nothing I've read or found can fix this problem - it is a malfunction of the shell glad that can happen occasionally, or all the time, or start as hens get older. POL pullets may take a bit to work this issue out, and may be successful, or not, depending on the genetics of the hen.