⠀ Egg troubles/too much calcium?

[chuckachucka]

I have one laying hen whose eggs have recently become more and more pimpled at the ends. I didn't think much of it until a few days ago she started laying eggs with fine vertical lines near the middle of the egg shell like almost creases. Now today she laid an egg with tiny white spots on the shell, which I've heard could be calcium deposits. She is nearly one year old and otherwise healthy and has been eating layer pellets with very few treats of bits of fruit or veg, plus she scratches about an the grass and mud of the garden for about an hour a day.
What could be the cause of these problems? I don't give anything with calcium except the layer pellets, so if she is getting too much calcium, how can I cut her down? I have a giant bag of the stuff to last til the spring so cant really try a different feed brand.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Not likely excess calcium. How many eggs is she laying each week? If 4 or more, that should use up the calcium in layer feed.

Check this chart to see what applies.

http://www.alltech.com/sites/default/files/alltech-egg-shell-quality-poster.pdf

How many chickens do you have?

I don't think feed is the problem but you can switch feeds if your hen's health is at risk.

 

[DrPatrickBiggs]

I have one laying hen whose eggs have recently become more and more pimpled at the ends. I didn't think much of it until a few days ago she started laying eggs with fine vertical lines near the middle of the egg shell like almost creases. Now today she laid an egg with tiny white spots on the shell, which I've heard could be calcium deposits. She is nearly one year old and otherwise healthy and has been eating layer pellets with very few treats of bits of fruit or veg, plus she scratches about an the grass and mud of the garden for about an hour a day.
What could be the cause of these problems? I don't give anything with calcium except the layer pellets, so if she is getting too much calcium, how can I cut her down? I have a giant bag of the stuff to last til the spring so cant really try a different feed brand.

Great question, thanks for asking!

As long as the shell isn’t broken, there is nothing wrong with the eggs other than their appearance. This is a normal occurrence even in commercial birds. The commercial eggs are inspected by a machine that detects imperfections in the egg’s appearance. Eggs that do not conform to the expected appearance are directed to another part of the commercial egg industry where shell appearance is not an issue.

In a backyard setting, you get to see all of the irregularities that occur when chickens lay eggs. These irregularities often occur as a hen approaches a molt. At 1-year old, your hen is probably ready to molt and her reproductive tract is getting tired and needs a break from making eggs.

 

[chuckachucka]

Thanks for the replies. It's good to know that some shell differences can be normal but I am still concerned as the amount of tiny bumps on the ends of the eggs seems to be increasing.
I'm afraid I cant post any pictures due to technical problems but today the egg she laid was about half covered in these tiny rough bumps and I'm worried that these might be causing her some pain or discomfort to lay?
the hen went through a partial moult in early winter last year and is not be moulting anymore. Also she had a long break from laying eggs when she hatched and raised some chicks last summer. So she only started laying in november and has now been laying a couple of months at the rate of 4-5 a week. She has not missed more than one day during this laying period. The first few eggs after the long break were normal and smooth, but have been getting progressively less smooth.
She seems healthy but I don't want it to get worse if there is some way to improve the shells through diet. Any ideas?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Go through the poster in Canoe’s link and check out shell defects in this link. They both have pictures so you can compare the eggs and they both give comments.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

It does not hurt the hen to lay an egg like that. A lot of hens lay eggs with irregularities. If you go through those links you will see that there can be several different causes, not just feed. It could be lighting, disturbance in the coop, or something to do with the individual hen.

The reason they are considered defects is people that open egg cartons from the store would not like to see something like that. The eggs are fine to use but they are offered to bakeries or other places that use the eggs at a discount because of the appearance.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks for the replies. It's good to know that some shell differences can be normal but I am still concerned as the amount of tiny bumps on the ends of the eggs seems to be increasing.
I'm afraid I cant post any pictures due to technical problems but today the egg she laid was about half covered in these tiny rough bumps and I'm worried that these might be causing her some pain or discomfort to lay?
the hen went through a partial moult in early winter last year and is not be moulting anymore. Also she had a long break from laying eggs when she hatched and raised some chicks last summer. So she only started laying in november and has now been laying a couple of months at the rate of 4-5 a week. She has not missed more than one day during this laying period. The first few eggs after the long break were normal and smooth, but have been getting progressively less smooth.
She seems healthy but I don't want it to get worse if there is some way to improve the shells through diet. Any ideas?

A sandpaper like appearance on the end of the eggs is a symptom of dehydration.