Eggs are bad/ruined/spoiled at laying

[Wyorp Rock]

I’ll try to take pictures when I get a new batch. I feed them organic layer blend from scratch&peck feeds. Give them oitmeal at times. They have 2 coops (one with 8 boxes, the other with 4) - kinda bad about cleaning it (maybe once a month, but they poop in certain areas and not laying in it). And they are free range.

They are free range. Andvtheir coop doesn’t have any greenery in it. Sometimes I forget to collect eggs for a couple days and I have to shoo the hens away to get them. I usually leave them on the counter, but not for weeks at a time.

Start collecting your eggs every day, you may also want to write the dates on them too.
See if that makes a difference.

 

[Verawren]

How old is your flock? How old is the bag of food? Could they be picking out the "best"
grain and leaving what they don't want?

Half are about 1.5 years old, the other about 1 years old. I get two bags delivered every month. They usually tend to eat it all - they’re pigs!!!!!

 

[aart]

Half are about 1.5 years old, the other about 1 years old. I get two bags delivered every month. They usually tend to eat it all - they’re pigs!!!!!

50 pound bags?
Look at the mill date printed on nutrition tag or closure band sewed into bottom of bag.
How many birds do you have?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[dalasgalas]

Following

 

[MissChick@dee]

Photo’s would help greatly. It sounds like you’re describing lash eggs.

 

[Verawren]

50 pound bags?
Look at the mill date printed on nutrition tag or closure band sewed into bottom of bag.
How many birds do you have?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!
View attachment 1577809

Yes, 50lb bags. I never thought to check the expiration date!! It’s 100% organic layer blend from Scratch & Peck feeds. They’re also free range. I live at the Delaware beach areas. Past month it’s been in the 60’s - high 70’s. Have never had this problem until recently. I have 13 hens. Lost 3 to predators.

 

[aart]

I never thought to check the expiration date!!

Feed doesn't have an 'expiration date'...but should have the date it was milled/packaged.
Some can be quite old and thus the nutrients could be degraded.
There's no hard length of time when things start to 'go bad', too many variables,
but I'd say anything over 3 months old may be suspect.

Seeing these 'bad eggs' may give us the best clues as to what might be wrong.
Are all the eggs bad...or just from one bird?
Could be something they are eating out in the range area.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Oh my gosh...that’s a lot of food for 10 birds. 100 lbs a month for 10 birds isn’t that like 3.3 per day? Or am I loosing it?

 

[aart]

Oh my gosh...that’s a lot of food for 10 birds. 100 lbs a month for 10 birds isn’t that like 3.3 per day? Or am I loosing it?

Well...13 birds.....but yeah, that's a lot of feed, especially for free rangers.
Maybe some spillage-depending on feeder type, or rodents, or lower protein.

 

[PirateGirl]

hmm... 100 lbs for 10 birds for 30 days works out to .3 lbs per bird per day, recommended feeding is average .25 lbs per bird per day, so since size/age/weather all vary that's not far off

BUT Scratch and Peck comes in 40 lb bags, so 2 bags a month is 80 lbs and 13 birds was mentioned so it works out to .2 lbs per bird per day, still in the average feed range