"Fishy" odor in eggs. Is this normal?

[Diamanda]

We have 4 young hens in our city back yard. Two are old enough to lay eggs, the other two are getting close (so exciting!).

A couple of eggs have smelled a bit "fishy" when cooked lately and we can't figure out why. We don't feed the girls anything but fresh veggies and hen mix grains. No dairy or meat or fish products.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks for your help!

BackYard Chicken Owner
Seattle, WA

 

[Annabella]

Depends on the vegie scraps you are feeding them.
Onion family are supposed to be a no no to feed.
Would a lot of cabbage/broccoli be enough to bring through their flavour??

Edited to add:
I did a search on fishy eggs and it looks as though I wasn't far off the mark.

See below link for some interesting facts.
BYC is a wonderful site for information!!

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/36/off-odours-and-flavours

Best of luck.

 

[centrarchid]

Check to make certain feed not going rancid. Rancidity of feed may not be enough stop feeding yet affect eggs.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Thanks Annabella for that link...very interesting.

 

[Ohhhdear]

Quote:
I remember not being able to eat certain foods when I was nursing my sons. There's chemicals in the cruxiform family (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi), some teas, spices and sodas that change the taste of breast milk and/or can give your baby colic or gas. I couldn't eat pizza because of the grease and pepperoni.
So I guess it's understandable that a hen's eggs will be affected similarly.

 

[Flipcat]

Does anyone remember in short what did the article say? I can't open it anymore...
Thanks!