Is something wrong with my chickens?

[Terrebonnevalley]

My hens are 18 months old and the last few weeks we have been having issues with fresh boiled eggs, they wont peel! They peel in chunks and break apart. They are at room temp when we start. We have always had perfect boiled peeled eggs! We have used the same instant pot. and today we tried just on the stove boiled water same thing, So we even thought our Insta pot went bad so we bought another one and same thing! Now they are expensive boiled eggs..lol Is something wrong with my chickens? I feed them purina layer feed. and they get fresh fruits and vegs from our garden. They also get dried meal worms for treats. {Diet has not changed} Note they are not free range as we have bob cat, foxes, owls, and hawks and eagles here. But they do came out with us on a secured adventure daily . And before you go off on me about our chickens being coop up..lol.. they are in a secure run area 40 ft x 40ft and have a 40ft x 10ft chicken shed for roosting and nest boxes. Also heated in winter.. spoiled brats!

 

[Chickie friend]

That's normal for super fresh eggs!

 

[HappyDuckie]

Try boiling them with about a teaspoon of baking soda. Works like a charm!

 

[bobbi-j]

Vinegar in the water also works. Do you immediately put them in ice water? That also helps.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Yes fresh eggs never peel well. Aging them is the only way I can get them to peel without making a mess of the eggs. Welcome to our community!

 

[nuthatched]

The older the egg, the easier they peel. Since they lose moisture as they age, the pull away from the shell when boiled.
Has naught to do with the chickens

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey Welcome to Backyard chickens my friend speak the truth.
I use lemon in the water

 

[N F C]

The difference in the eggs at the store and your eggs is a matter of freshness. Fresh eggs have a smaller air cell, older eggs have a larger air cell. The smaller egg cells mean the shells are "fuller" with egg and that's what makes them harder to cleanly peel.

There are several methods members have had luck with hard boiling their fresh eggs. What works for me is to bring a pot of salted water to a boil, gently lower the eggs into the water and cook them for about 14 minutes. Then immediately put the eggs in ice water. Leave them until they are completely cool.

Good luck!

 

[Diana102]

No, no, no, nothing is wrong with your chickens. Fresh eggs are very hard to peel. There's all kinds of little tricks you can google to peeling fresh boiled eggs but they have never worked well for me. The easiest solution I've found is to set aside eggs to boil and peel for a minimum of 3 weeks. Store bought eggs peel easily because they are over 3 weeks old.

 

[Jeanw]

I boil the water first then add the eggs, then very cold bath when done. It seems to work.