Eggs coated with yoke

[Crazie Eddie]

I've perused the threads discussing dirty eggs, but I haven't seen any reference to my problem - I keep getting eggs with yoke coating the outside of the shell. I know I have at least one hen who lays eggs with rather fragile shells, and I get a few eggs every week with cracked "dents" in one end, but don't find any other evidence of broken eggs. The yoke pretty much evenly coating the eggs and I don't see evidence of yoke in the nest box.

The girls are free range, have layer pellets and scratch, and I do give them oyster shell as a supplement and feed them the shells of eggs I've used. I try to keep sufficient straw in the nest boxes, but find most of it gone after they've been in the box. Apart from some feather picking they all seem healthy and I get a good number of eggs.

Many thanks for any advice...


Pat

 

[IceAngel]

I have an egg eater among my hens. This leaves eggs in exactly the description you gave. It started when one chicken didn't make it all the way to the laying box and I watched her egg fall to the floor and break. By the time I got back with my shovel, the whole egg had been eaten, shell and all. Somebody must have really liked raw eggs and ever since then when I go to pick up my eggs there will be a nest where eggs are coated in yolk.

So far the thief has eluded me but I am determined to find her. Perhaps this is happening in your coop as well.

 

[Crazie Eddie]

Egg eating was one of my theories too, as I've seen one of the hens bolt out of the coop with a bit of shell in her mouth. I assumed it was already broken because I do have the problem with thin shells and cracking in a very few of the eggs. However, I will start collecting eggs throughout the day and see if that changes the situation. Thanks!

 

[IceAngel]

Make sure your chickens have a good source of calcium to thicken the shells. If you live near a beach pick up shells and hammer them up if you don't want to buy a supplement. I always save all our egg shells from the eggs we eat but I crunch them up so that they don't look like eggs anymore and mix them into the feed. I think it's really important to have good food and water handy for them. If they get hungry or thirsty they seem to peck at anything to get what they need.

 

[Crazie Eddie]

Update - It's been a while and after several weeks of success, I think I've solved the problem.

My friend had these plastic mats (her hens wouldn't use them), kind of like the door mats that resemble stiff artificial turf. I put them in the bottom of the nest boxes and since then I've had NO yoke covered eggs and NO cracked/broken eggs and I'm getting more eggs per day! Not sure where she got them, but they are made to replace other bedding in the next box. I did add some straw too to start, but the girls have since moved that to their liking.

I did add calcium and eggshells to their regular food - that was my first step along with collecting eggs several times a day, but it didn't seem to be enough. I still get the occasional egg with a very thin shell but no cracks or breaks.

Many thanks for the help and advice...