chicken laid a scrambled egg

[tjm1]

I cracked open an egg today and it was already scrambled inside. I have 5 chickens - 3 have been laying for 8 month and the other 2 for about a year and a half - don't know which one laid it. Could one of them be ill or does this happen occasionally?

 

[drumstick diva]

I have never heard of a "scrambled egg," before you could post in "Chicken behaviors and egg laying."

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! That is usually due to the rupture of the vitelline membrane around the egg's yolk, most of the articles seem to say it is caused by age of the egg, storage temps, or the hen herself, older hens tend to have thinner membranes. Nice article on egg problems https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps020 Some hens just seem to lay eggs with weak membranes, have seen several threads on here where people have had hens with the problem, never seemed to really come up with any reasons beyond it was something going on with that hen.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Kelsie X2 Sometimes older chickens can't put a thick membrane on the yolk and so the yolk has nothing to be suspended in. As hens age, their reproductive tract can start to fail. I would keep an eye on the two older birds as I would suspect one of them laid this egg.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!

 

[gander007]

 

[tjm1]

Thanks for all the "Welcomes" - I've been checking out this site ever since I got my first chickens a few of years ago. It has been so helpful for a newbie like me. Glad I finally got around to joining. And thanks for all the input; puts my mind to ease and gives me some things to look out for. I took Drumstick Diva's suggestion and posted it to the "Chicken behaviors and egg laying" forum (adding a little more info as well) - I didn't even realize that there were different forums to post to.