Cracked eggs (on the side)

[pigcoon]

I did a search to see if this was covered already and couldn't find anything similar. Lately my hens (I have 5, Golden comets) have been laying eggs that have a crack along the side. There is usually one each day. It is not on the tip as some others post and it is a lateral crack-- almost the way they crack when they freeze in the winter but it's not that cold yet.

They're eating a good pellet food, leftovers and greens twice a day, they have sand and gravel in their run. I mix some oyster shell in with their pellets.

I haven't changed anything about their diet, but suddenly the cracks are appearing. They've been good, hard shells for more than a year since they started laying (they're about 18 mos old)

Any thoughts?

 

[Kschut669]

They might be pecking at the eggs or possibly when they lay them they hit hard enough for them to get a small crack? I've had cracked eggs with a little slit in them when it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I would think its the cold.