Egg shell has yolk smeared on the outside...what's wrong?

[ErnieBerley]

Hi
I hope everyone is safe during these strange times.... question, one of my hens laid a perfectly good, hard shell egg, but it was smeared with yolk, like she had trouble with another egg. There were 6 eggs from different hens in the nest, but only this 1 was smeared with yellow yolk. Does anyone know if this is an issue I should worry about?

thanks

 

[tn_artist]

It sounds like you have an egg eater. They will either peck an egg until they make a hole, or sometimes they get broken when multiple hens use the same box. They peck to investigate, realize it's yummy and usually all that's left is a mess on another egg.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sometimes a thin shelled egg will crack when it is laid. It gets on every other egg as the hens find it is yummy.
Even hard eggs when laid can break hitting another egg in the nest.

 

[ErnieBerley]

so all the eggs were whole, no cracks , no signs of tampering.... there's no shell fragments either unless someone ate "the whole thing" ... is that what ya'll are saying?

 

[Perris]

I have the same issue with one of mine at the moment, and it's been going on since she started laying a couple of months ago. At first I too thought it was an egg eater but now I am convinced it's not. It's as if she is laying a yolk immediately after and onto a regular hard shelled egg. So I make sure to check first thing in the morning and repeatedly during the day to collect any such asap (it doesn't happen every time she lays, but sporadically) and take it away before anyone does find it and realize it's yummy. Working so far...

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes they will eat the whole thing.

 

[GC-Raptor]

there's no shell fragments either unless someone ate "the whole thing" ...

There will be wet shavings or straw in the nest.
Next time check for wetness. GC

 

[tn_artist]

so all the eggs were whole, no cracks , no signs of tampering.... there's no shell fragments either unless someone ate "the whole thing" ... is that what ya'll are saying?

They will absolutely eat the whole thing.

 

[ErnieBerley]

There will be wet shavings or straw in the nest.
Next time check for wetness. GC

yes there was straw matted onto another egg with the yolk - with 6-7 eggs in one small nest so i'm sure one could have gotten broken and the hen gobbled it up - shell and all. they do love eggs as I feed them boiled eggs quite often! I I have standard hens (Ameraucana and polish) along with 3 CUTE d'uccles hens that all like to lay in same nest.

 

[aart]

so all the eggs were whole, no cracks , no signs of tampering.... there's no shell fragments either unless someone ate "the whole thing" ... is that what ya'll are saying?

Ha, this gave me a chuckle...alka-seltzer commercial?