Help! - Eggs Smell Like Rotten Fish

[maeboese]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, as I'm new here, but need help. I have about 23 hens and 2 roos and they're about 1 year old. When they first started laying I was buying a feed store feed and found that their eggs smelt like Sulphur or stinky fish. Long story short, I changed the feed to a blend made by a local farmer and it seemed to help the smell. It's now months later, and we're noticing about 2-4 eggs a day have a raunchy smell to them. There is nothing in their appearance that would alert me to there being anything different.

I know that some of the hens are starting to get a bit broody, but not enough to lay on the eggs for more than 48 hours. I've never had roos before this, so I guess my question is, if they lay fertilized eggs and I let the hens sit on the eggs for the day it's laid, overnight, and the next day, would that egg stink? Otherwise I collect every day, but I was trying to see if some of my broody hens would hatch chicks. If this is the case then I won't let the hens sit on the eggs overnight and force them off the eggs to collect each day.

I sell my eggs, so I would hate for someone to be put-off by the smell of these eggs! Otherwise the other eggs are lovely and healthy.

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Check your feed label to see what the ingredients are.
https://www.mypetchicken.com/blogs/faqs/why-do-the-eggs-from-one-of-our-hens-always-smell-fishy

Generally an egg would not stink within 48 hours if a hen is sitting on it.

 

[MIchickenlady]

Boosting this- I am curious what the answer is

 

[FogHornLegHorn79]

I am encountering a similar issue. I have chickens and ducks laying in the same boxes. Usually heir eggs smell fine, no scent really. Recently they started smelling like pure filth. I have no idea why. No change in their diet. The only thing I can think of is that our heat here in Virginia may have something to do with it? This last 6 days have seen 90s to 108 temperature range. The eggs I pulled this morning did not smell at all. All eggs are collected everyday. I cant figure this out please help with any suggestions.

 

[coach723]

I would still check your feed labels for any possible changes. Even the same brand of feed can vary depending on supply chain, they just try to keep the base nutrients level, ie; protein, fat, etc. But the actual ingredients can vary sometimes. I know that canola or rapeseed, and flax seed have been linked to fishyness in eggs. It's also possible that they found a plant somewhere that they are eating that is causing it. I had a period of time where I would get a random egg (happened enough to look for a cause) that looked and smelled fine, but when cooked and eaten was spit out worthy. Just nasty. Never figured out the cause despite looking everywhere. I assume they (or the one) was eating something I never identified. It eventually stopped. Unsolved mystery.