Duck eggs with greenish spots on shell....

[zanelee]

I have 2 ducks that are laying at the moment. 1 is a 3 year old pekin, and the other is a small muscovy, probaby about the same age as my pekin.
Normally, they both lay 1 egg a day, the pekin's being larger than the muscovy. Otherwise, they are the same shape and color.
Today, I found what I think is the pekin's egg, but it has greenish spots on the shell. I washed it to see if they would wash off. It seems I might could scrape some of the thicker ones off, but the others seem to stain the shell. Nothing in the area that would have gotten onto the egg and caused this...so I'm assuming it is something inside my duck.
I just want to make sure she's ok, and I'm not missing something.
She is acting fine and normal, as are everyone else in the flock.
Any ideas?
Thanks ya'll!
Jennifer

 

[zanelee]

Here is a picture of the egg. And now that I'm looking at it closer, it is smaller than my pekin's egg size. So it could be the muscovy.

 

[zanelee]

Really? No one has any ideas?

 

[Nyssa03]

I have occasionally seen something that is similar - usually it has a "grainy" feel to it (like sand) but will wash off. - I use a little ruff scrubber with a sponge back and pretty warm water to wash my eggs. It may happen a few times per month, but I have several ducks laying and I don't think it's always the same duck. They all seem to be fine so maybe someone that has more experience can educate both of us. Welcom to BYC

 

[GloryGirl]

I have one hypothesis, but I have no way of testing it:

Since I have seen diet affect the colors of so many things in animals, especially body fluids and feces, maybe it was something she ate. For example infant humans sometimes develop orange skin when they eat a lot of carrots, certain foods and beverages stain teeth. I remember I bought some sort of green pasta for my son when he was little and it turned out to have so much green food coloring in it that everything that came out the other end was bright green for a couple of days.

Perhaps even the timing of egg laying in conjunction with passing waste, since both come out through the vent?

 

[zanelee]

Interesting hypothesis. I had thought of that too, and it's quite possibly the answer. Everyone still seems fine, and no other eggs have been lain that look like that.
Thanks for your posts, guys! I'm relieved that no one posted it was some horrid disease.