Gelatinous Egg Whites

[SCRaveness]

I have seen people ask about this before, so far no answers! I have one isbar hen that I have been trying to get chicks from. She is in with just one rooster as a pair, I bought them a couple months ago. Every egg I have tried to incubate has been a dud. I figured it was probably the 3yo rooster she is with that is the problem, but now I’m not sure. I put an unexposed Marans hen in with the isbar rooster to see if he’d fertilizer her egg, the Marans hen has now been on a laying strike for almost 2 weeks so I can’t check his fertility. I put the isbar hen in with another rooster and checked her egg for fertility and it was fertile but the egg whites are VERY GELATINOUS! Much of the white stays attached to the shell and I have to dig it out. So I have 2 questions that I hope someone can answer:
1) What is causing this? No other hens produce eggs like this.
2) Can this cause fertility issues/inhibit embryo development?
I’ve attached a picture. Please help! I really hope this hen is not a lost cause. Every egg I open is like this

 

[LoveDatChickenLife]

I don’t think having an old rooster would have anything to do with this, but I’m not sure I never tried hatching eggs.

Are you trying to hatch your own eggs or do you have a broody hen?

 

[LoveDatChickenLife]

“No other hens produce like this” this caught my eye. The hen may have some sort of disease or damage where the eggs passes through. I’m not sure though.

Maybe try buying fertile eggs? And see if they hatch?
Are you taking eggs from all of your hens to hatch?

 

[SCRaveness]

I’ve hatched my own eggs and those of others. I’ve hatched close to 200 chicks this year (in my Brinsea incubators). There are no Isbar eggs locally to buy and that’s what I need. I’m also about to become NPIP so I have limited local sources to buy from anyway. Also, rooster fertility does drop with age, but 3 years seems a little young for that.

 

[LoveDatChickenLife]

I’ve hatched my own eggs and those of others. I’ve hatched close to 200 chicks this year (in my Brinsea incubators). There are no Isbar eggs locally to buy and that’s what I need. I’m also about to become NPIP so I have limited local sources to buy from anyway. Also, rooster fertility does drop with age, but 3 years seems a little young for that.

Is your isbar the only isbar you have? You have no others? I’m not really sure how to help, I’ve always wanted to hatch eggs... but I don’t have enough money for an incubator and the eggs I get never are fertile.

 

[lazy gardener]

Have you candled your Isbar eggs to be sure there are no hairline cracks? How is the shell quality? Shells nice and thick without a lot of pores?

 

[SCRaveness]

Have you candled your Isbar eggs to be sure there are no hairline cracks? How is the shell quality? Shells nice and thick without a lot of pores?

Yes. I candle everything before it goes in the incubator. Shell quality is great! Even a hairline crack or porous shell shouldn’t produce this gelatinous muck in under 24 hours from being laid. The egg pictured was at most 18 hours old!

 

[NanaKat]

I’ve hatched my own eggs and those of others. I’ve hatched close to 200 chicks this year (in my Brinsea incubators). There are no Isbar eggs locally to buy and that’s what I need. I’m also about to become NPIP so I have limited local sources to buy from anyway. Also, rooster fertility does drop with age, but 3 years seems a little young for that.

I've had roosters fertilize eggs at 8 years of age. If he is fertile, the embryo on the yolk will look like a tiny bullseye.

It is possible her eggs won't incubate because the gelatinous white is not allowing the egg to breathe during the incubation/development process.
Viscosity is as important as fertility.

 

[lazy gardener]

Because of her egg quality, that should preclude her from playing in the gene pool, even if her eggs were viable.

 

[SCRaveness]

Because of her egg quality, that should preclude her from playing in the gene pool, even if her eggs were viable.

She’s my only isbar hen
I do have chicks from someone else but they are only a month old. Hopefully the rooster isn’t a lost cause. If this stupid Marans hen would end her laying strike I can find out!