Egg yokes breaking open

[Cycomiko]

I have 7 laying pullets, almost hens. All the same age, and get the same feed. 2 white Leghorns, 1 Easter Egger, and 4 Isa Browns. It seems, for the last couple of weeks, every Isa Brown egg I crack open, the yoke breaks open right away. Just the Isa Browns. The first 600 they laid were fine. They've never had the amazingly thick shells my Leghorns and EE does. Is this just to be expected by a hybrid of the machine gun egg laying type?

 

[SueT]

Are you somehow shaking the eggs? Do you have an egg skelter and are letting them roll down too fast?

 

[Cycomiko]

Are you somehow shaking the eggs? Do you have an egg skelter and are letting them roll down too fast?

No skelter, just 3 18-pk egg cartons that we deposit them into, straight from the nesting box.

 

[SueT]

hmmm.... once I was walking, carrying an egg in each hand, and fooling around swinging my arms really high, (Okay I confess i was trying to get my fitbit to record extra steps, lol) and noticed when opening them that the yolks had broken.

 

[Cycomiko]

hmmm.... once I was walking, carrying an egg in each hand, and fooling around swinging my arms really high, (Okay I confess i was trying to get my fitbit to record extra steps, lol) and noticed when opening them that the yolks had broken.

That’s a good thought, I’ll have to take extra care of them. Although, they are usually all carried up together, and the WL and EEs are fine.

 

[SueT]

Maybe some hens stand up and let them fall out harder than others.
I've seen a video where they shake an egg really hard, then boil it, and it comes out marbled yellow and white.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I have 7 laying pullets, almost hens. All the same age, and get the same feed. 2 white Leghorns, 1 Easter Egger, and 4 Isa Browns. It seems, for the last couple of weeks, every Isa Brown egg I crack open, the yoke breaks open right away. Just the Isa Browns. The first 600 they laid were fine. They've never had the amazingly thick shells my Leghorns and EE does. Is this just to be expected by a hybrid of the machine gun egg laying type?

I have experienced this as well with a couple of hens last fall. The yolk wasn't broken but when I cracked the egg and released the egg into the bowl, the yolk broke. Everyone here likes the yolk intact so I ate them...lol.

I haven't noticed weak membranes on the yolks so far this year.
The information I looked up didn't discuss weak yolks.

 

[aart]

almost hens.

So, they are approx. 10-11 months old?
What and how exactly are you feeding?
Any changes to their routine or the coop or....?

 

[lazy gardener]

Have your girls been laying all winter? How old are they? If they are in their first cycle, that does not speak well of Isa Browns from what ever hatchery they came from.

Interesting. I'm guessing it's related to the way these particular girls metabolize their feed. Try giving them some multi vits and see if that makes a difference. My girls are on fermented feed, with frequent addition of whole squash or sprouted barley. Occasionally a shell is a bit weaker in an older hen. But, I have to fight my way into the shells now, and it takes a lot of pressure of the spatula on the yolk to break it. (I like to flip my eggs, then break the yolk so it's not as runny when I serve it up.)

I am convinced that no matter what protein feed you are using, it is sub standard when it comes to the vitamins, especially if the bag of feed is more than a few weeks old. My flock always goes on supplements prior to collecting hatching eggs.

 

[Cycomiko]

So, they are approx. 10-11 months old?
What and how exactly are you feeding?
Any changes to their routine or the coop or....?

The only difference as of late is giving them grower instead of layer feed, although they get crushed egg shell and oyster shells all they want. The WL and EE have unbelievably hard shells and orange yokes. The Isa Browns not so much. The yoke seems to break after cracking open the shell. Not a big deal for me, as we scramble all eggs in my house. But I’m just worried something is amiss.