Delicate yolk membrane

[AdkFoothill]

Hi. My intro...we have had a half-dozen chickens for less than a year. They are Rhode Island Reds with one Barred Plymouth Rock. We have one RIR rooster. I learned about Backyard Chickens through the magazine and by a Google search with the following question. I am a retired RN, a NYS Licensed Outdoor Guide, and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator (among other things). We also have dogs, cats and a bunny. We feed Dumor layer crumbles, household vegetable scraps, oatmeal, and natural scratch and vegetation in the summer - and re-feed their dried crushed eggshells. The eggs are fairly large with good shells. But the yolks (a deep golden color) have very delicate membranes that - often as not - rupture when the egg drops into a bowl or pan. This happened at the height of the summer as well as now in the winter. We live in the very cold NY northern Adirondacks, so the hens have an infrared lamp in the coop. What can we do, if anything, to promote more robust yolk membranes?

 

[JerryR708]

WELCOME to BYC the only forum that makes math fun++

 

[PlymouthRockBBredSebright]

hmm it could be that they are not getting enough greens. and the eggs might be fertilized

 

[Kiki]

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[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. I'd advise cutting out all foods apart from the layers feed and seeing if that has any effect after a week or so.

If that doesn't work, then feel free to post here -

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/chicken-behaviors-and-egglaying.18/

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Fertilization has no impact on yolk strength, but I have no clue as to what is causing the problem.

 

[N F C]

Don't know what could be causing the week membrane issue but do want to say hello and it's nice to have you here!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Happy to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
Here's a link that might help you understand or find out why your eggs have weak membranes.
https://timbercreekfarmer.com/what-causes-weak-egg-yolk-membranes/

 

[Plip]

Welcome! So glad you're here!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us
Interesting article sean. I would, however, go with Ken's suggestion. Dumor is 16% protein, scratch and oats will dilute that protein content. Green stuff contributes to the rich dark color in the yolk and may or may not dilute protein content. Probably best to get a baseline, then you can experiment more.