Fresh eggs that float!

[emeraldgreen]

I have a chicken who lays eggs that float....these are not old eggs, they vary between a couple of days to a couple of weeks old. Any thoughts on this? Are they still ok to eat?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Crack one open into a small dish - look at it, smell it, etc. Is the white and yolk normal in color, thickness and size/volume in comparison to the shell size?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Also examine the inside of the egg shell to note any oddities in color, appearance etc.

 

[emeraldgreen]

Yokes are fairly small but not unusual looking, the air pocket is very large, but that's the only thing that looks different. The outer shell is rough in texture and a little thin

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

The large air cells are causing them to float (obviously ). Thats typically caused by old eggs -or- eggs with porous shells (which allows more moisture to escape). I'm guessing porous shells are the cause. You can check them by shining a flashlight into the fat end of the eggs, where the air cell is located.

 

[emeraldgreen]

Yes they do look porous. Would this mean they have a shorter shelf life? I've googled and everything says they are 'off', so even if they are less than a week old are they?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The large air cells are causing them to float (obviously

). Thats typically caused by old eggs -or- eggs with porous shells (which allows more moisture to escape). I'm guessing porous shells are the cause. You can check them by shining a flashlight into the fat end of the eggs, where the air cell is located.

X 2 - I have one bird that lays very porous shelled eggs so I always make a point to use hers quickly. The more porous the shell the more quickly moisture will escape and be replaced with air.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Yes they do look porous. Would this mean they have a shorter shelf life? I've googled and everything says they are 'off', so even if they are less than a week old are they?

They might not be off. I try to use ours up quick as well. On the off chance that I don't get to them, I notice they have a weird, "sticky" texture. I always crack into a separate bowl, so I just feed them to the dogs. They look and smell fine though, other then being sticky.

 

[emeraldgreen]

That would be our luck....we have 5 chickens, one lays beautiful brown eggs daily, one lays these porous eggs a few times a week, one lays an egg with a soft top that collapses on itself within an hour, one is an internal layer and the other doesn't lay....and that's only if I get to the eggs before the non layer eats them!
Agh the joys of keeping chickens

 

[donrae]

What are you feeding your birds?

An egg that floats isn't "bad', it's just not as fresh. As per above, older eggs lose more moisture and the air cell increases, that's what causes them to float. Nothing to do with bacterial growth, which is what causes eggs to go bad. Floaters are totally edible and in my experience boil better than non-floaters.

I asked about feed as porous shells are usually a calcium deficiency.