Help! Super STINKY Eggs!!

[RIredlady]

Hi everyone,

I've had chickens for about a year now. I still consider myself a newbie.

Recently my eggs have began putting off a strong sulfuric odor especially when they are boiled. If you cook them otherwise, there isn't really any smell and they taste just fine.

These eggs are fresh too. Like just dropped fresh with this awful stank to them.

Some info on food/water:

- I have been feeding them Dumor layer feed with 16% protein.
- The coop is cleaned weekly.
- They have a large run area for the most of the day and are allowed free roam for an hour or so in the late afternoon (I've got dogs, theres only so much i can do to keep their prey drive at bay :/)
- I do have well water. It is a deep well and the water seems fine to me, but maybe they know something I don't....


I am not sure what could be causing this. I have searched the google and other forums but nothing has really given me a good idea/answer. Some say food, some say water, coop cleanliness, Etc.

I'm hoping some of you may have more insight than google was able to give me on this...

As of right now, I intend on slowly switching one thing at a time and waiting to see results.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[Ravynscroft]

When you boil them, is there a green coloration to the outside of the yolk? If so, they are overcooked and that's what causes the sulfuric smell...

 

[RIredlady]

No, they are not overboiled. Funny you say that though, I had a friend try to tell me that eggs from the store turn green when boiled

...they didnt understand the overboiling effect period.lol

 

[Ravynscroft]

Neither did my fiance...

Everyone else now appreciates that he knows the difference... especially me...

 

[lazy gardener]

Hi everyone,

I've had chickens for about a year now. I still consider myself a newbie.

Recently my eggs have began putting off a strong sulfuric odor especially when they are boiled. If you cook them otherwise, there isn't really any smell and they taste just fine.

These eggs are fresh too. Like just dropped fresh with this awful stank to them.

Some info on food/water:

- I have been feeding them Dumor layer feed with 16% protein.
- The coop is cleaned weekly.
- They have a large run area for the most of the day and are allowed free roam for an hour or so in the late afternoon (I've got dogs, theres only so much i can do to keep their prey drive at bay :/)
- I do have well water. It is a deep well and the water seems fine to me, but maybe they know something I don't....


I am not sure what could be causing this. I have searched the google and other forums but nothing has really given me a good idea/answer. Some say food, some say water, coop cleanliness, Etc.

I'm hoping some of you may have more insight than google was able to give me on this...

As of right now, I intend on slowly switching one thing at a time and waiting to see results.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

I can give you 3 suggestions:

If their run is now bare soil, convert that to a deep litter run by adding grass clippings, dried leaves, hay, straw, garden debris, coop litter, wood chips... basically anything that would be compostable. The goal is to get a 6" layer of composting litter in the run.

Check your nest boxes. It's possible that an egg broke, and is stinking up the box, while the bedding at the top of the box is still very dry.

Convert them to fermented feed. The taste difference between an egg from a bird on FF compared to an egg from a bird on dry feed is noticeable. So much so, that my egg customers will drive by egg farm stands near their house to get eggs from my hens. You can read the how and why of FF by reading the article written by Tikki Jane in my signature. Your current bag of feed may have an increase of flax seed or animal protein, perhaps fish meal in it.

 

[aart]

Recently my eggs have began putting off a strong sulfuric odor especially when they are boiled.
If you cook them otherwise, there isn't really any smell and they taste just fine.

If only when boiled, it could be a reaction with something in the well water.

 

[6sablehens]

I find that a lot of eggs have a Sulfur smell when boiled. Since they don't smell bad when cooked another way, I don't think it's anything to worry about

 

[aart]

I find that a lot of eggs have a Sulfur smell when boiled. Since they don't smell bad when cooked another way, I don't think it's anything to worry about

Was thinking after my last post....this is true, hard boiled eggs are kinda stinky.

 

[RIredlady]

Great tips! I will defiantly try those! thank you

 

[RIredlady]

as for the well water, i did try it with non well water and still had the same stinky reaction.

Its not a normal stink so idt its caused by normal boiling lol. thank you all for your ideas