Incubating rough sandpaper eggs

[chantels1]

I purchased four 2 year old hens last week. They were with a rooster and should be laying fertile eggs. I've been collecting the eggs to put in the incubator tomorrow but their eggs are really rough like sandpaper. I know they're fine to eat, but will they be okay to incubate?

 

[AustralorpsAU]

I purchased four 2 year old hens last week. They were with a rooster and should be laying fertile eggs. I've been collecting the eggs to put in the incubator tomorrow but their eggs are really rough like sandpaper. I know they're fine to eat, but will they be okay to incubate?

Do you mean they have calcium deposits on them. Posting a pic would help. If it is just calcium deposits they should be fine to incubate!

 

[chantels1]

@AustralorpsAU
Yes, I think they are calcium spots. But the whole egg is rough. Out of 7 eggs from these 4 hens, only one has been normal texture. They are laying 1-3 eggs per day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

By OK to incubate you mean will they hatch, yes they should do as well as “regular” eggs. The roughness of the shell should not cause any hatching problems. But it is an indication that something may not be right. If you look at the Egg Quality Handbook you can see that there are several potential causes. With 7 out of 8 I don’t think you can totally rule out disease. You might want to look up the symptoms of the diseases listed. Hopefully you can eliminate those. Most of the time it is not a disease but it’s something to consider. If they are behaving normally it’s likely not a disease.

If it is caused by a defective shell gland the pullets from those eggs could easily have the same issues. Personally I don’t hatch eggs with defects because I don’t want to perpetuate that in my flock, but that’s your choice. An occasional rough one is not a big deal, we all can have a hick-up every now and then. It’s when it becomes a regular occurrence that it becomes a problem.

Then there are the lights and water. That’s within your control. Since you just moved them last week, this could be having an effect. It’s not that unusual for a move to upset them a bit.

From those photos it really doesn’t look that bad to me. You are feeling them and I’m not, but I’d probably just call that normal variation in eggs and not worry about it. We all want perfection but if you raise your own vegetables or fruit or have hens lay eggs you realize you don’t always get it. I’m probably not helping a lot and I sure don’t mean to insult you, but I think you may be worried about something that’s not all that important. It’s a good question but I think you will be fine. Good luck.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/17/sandpaper-or-rough-shells/

 

[chantels1]

By OK to incubate you mean will they hatch, yes they should do as well as “regular” eggs. The roughness of the shell should not cause any hatching problems. But it is an indication that something may not be right. If you look at the Egg Quality Handbook you can see that there are several potential causes. With 7 out of 8 I don’t think you can totally rule out disease. You might want to look up the symptoms of the diseases listed. Hopefully you can eliminate those. Most of the time it is not a disease but it’s something to consider. If they are behaving normally it’s likely not a disease.

If it is caused by a defective shell gland the pullets from those eggs could easily have the same issues. Personally I don’t hatch eggs with defects because I don’t want to perpetuate that in my flock, but that’s your choice. An occasional rough one is not a big deal, we all can have a hick-up every now and then. It’s when it becomes a regular occurrence that it becomes a problem.

Then there are the lights and water. That’s within your control. Since you just moved them last week, this could be having an effect. It’s not that unusual for a move to upset them a bit.

From those photos it really doesn’t look that bad to me. You are feeling them and I’m not, but I’d probably just call that normal variation in eggs and not worry about it. We all want perfection but if you raise your own vegetables or fruit or have hens lay eggs you realize you don’t always get it. I’m probably not helping a lot and I sure don’t mean to insult you, but I think you may be worried about something that’s not all that important. It’s a good question but I think you will be fine. Good luck.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/17/sandpaper-or-rough-shells/

Thank you for a great informative reply. I can rule out the illnesses above. I will chalk it up to the stress of the move. They have been pretty stressed over it. But are starting to come around in the past day or two, so maybe the egg condition will improve. If it does not over the next spring, I can always cull the ones (if any) that hatch. Thanks again for your reply. Eggs going in the incubator today.