Cracks in eggs

[Dolivo]

Hi, I have two questions. The first is, we have been getting an egg, probably from the same hen, that appears to have hairline cracks in it. It's a also a very large egg. See pic below. What causes this? I give them grower and oyster shells.

Second question. Half my hens are 18 months and molting. The other half are about 9 months. The A LOT of the nine month old ones have gone on strike this fall, their Combs have gone pale. This didn't happen to my older hens last year when they were heading into their first fall as pullets. They kept right on a-laying. I don't get this. Is it a cause and effect type of thing? They see the older hens stop laying so they follow? Everyone appears perfectly healthy and happy.
Thanks!

 

[chickens really]

What breeds?....Do you toss out snacks daily?...Are you sure that hen is consuming the oyster shell?.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Don't know about the weird egg. Sometimes stress causes weird eggs, which can come from the act of molting or parasites, or any number of things. Sometimes, it just happens while a hen gets her internal reproduction system sorted out.

As for your hens that have stopped laying--that's fairly common, first year as you go into winter, but have you checked for parasites (internal and external) or nutritional problems?

Chickens can look perfectly happy and healthy while they're dying (not saying that your hens are dying). I've been told that that's a defense mechanism because weak chickens get picked on by the rest of the flock.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

One pullet/hen isn't affected by observing another. If they get good nutrition and day length is right, they can't help but to ovulate.
That looks more like a wrinkled egg rather than a cracked egg.
Wrinkled eggs could be disease, stress, crowding or defective shell gland.
https://www.alltech.com/sites/default/files/alltech-egg-shell-quality-poster.pdf

 

[Dolivo]

Older hens are Rhode island reds, black austrolopes, silver laced wynadottes. I throw them some corn scratch. I have no way of knowing if the hen who layed the egg is eating the oyster shells, I set it out in a dish for all to pick at. I haven't checked for parasites or worms. How do I do that and what do I give them? Only stress I can think of in environment is the molting hens. We have two roosters but they seem to be gentle boys, never seen any real nastiness between anybody.

 

[chickens really]

Older hens are Rhode island reds, black austrolopes, silver laced wynadottes. I throw them some corn scratch. I have no way of knowing if the hen who layed the egg is eating the oyster shells, I set it out in a dish for all to pick at. I haven't checked for parasites or worms. How do I do that and what do I give them? Only stress I can think of in environment is the molting hens. We have two roosters but they seem to be gentle boys, never seen any real nastiness between anybody.

Molting and not enough balance in diet...Water at all times..

 

[Dolivo]

Molting and not enough balance in diet...Water at all times..

They have 24 hour access to clean water and to store bought grower food, which I feed because it's higher in protein which I understand is helpful to the ones molting. They get the scratch a few times a week thrown in the ground as a treat.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They have 24 hour access to clean water and to store bought grower food, which I feed because it's higher in protein which I understand is helpful to the ones molting. They get the scratch a few times a week thrown in the ground as a treat.

That's about right.

 

[aart]

Looks like both cracks and wrinkles.
Could be one of the olders ramping down production to molt,
can get some funky eggs as they go into and come out of the molt,
or could be stress, disease, etc.
If only one bird is producing these, it's the bird not the diet.