Is this a chicken egg??

[MyBlackHen]

I know that sounds like a strange question! I have 3 batches of chickens. The oldest batch are over a year old and lay normal sized eggs (standard sized chickens). The second batch, also standard-size, are about 5 months old and have just started to lay. I am getting smaller, pullet-sized eggs from them. My third batch is only 3 months old. There are 4 pullets and they are mixed breeds - I got the fertilized eggs from a friend because I had a broody hen. I don't think she has any bantams...

So this morning I found this tiny egg!

(That's a standard sized egg on the left, a pullet egg in the middle, and the tiny egg on the right)

It wasn't in the coop. It was in the fenced-in area that surrounds the coop. Some of my 2nd batch of chickens are being annoying and not laying in the nesting boxes, so it is not unusual to find eggs outside the coop. However, they lay in areas that are secluded. I found this egg in the grass, kind of out in the open. I found it as I was letting the chickens out this morning, so I guess it was there yesterday when I locked them up but I didn't notice it since it was dark.

So ... could this possibly be a chicken egg? It is so small, I would have thought that it was the egg of some wild bird. But the coloring is very much like a typical chicken egg. Is it possible that one of the 3-month olds laid this egg and it is small because they are still so young?

Any thoughts about this mystery egg would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Impress]

Looks like a little fart egg, it probably just fell right out of the girl without her noticing!

 

[AngelaClassAct]

Looks like a 'lil chicken egg to me!

 

[MyBlackHen]

The family cracked up when I showed it to them! I'll have to keep an eye out for more. I hope there aren't any ... I've heard that it's not generally a good thing if a pullet starts to lay to early?

Always something silly going on with those chickens!

 

[tyjaco]

I bet there's no yolk...

 

[MyBlackHen]

Quote:
You were right! There was a yellowish-center but definitely not a normal yolk. So what does that mean? The shell was nice and hard.

 

[WalkerH]

Yeah we got the same thing from our brown leghorn. It is probably about the size of you thumb top.

 

[tyjaco]

I have no idea what that means...I just got curious about it and started cracking them. I had 3 total when my girls were in their first year...

 

[MyBlackHen]

Neither of my two of batches produced any of these little eggs. Well, it was a nice surprise! Looking forward to getting the real ones pretty soon. My oldest batch (just over a year old) has really petered out on laying ... I don't know if it is a molt or if this is just "old age." If they don't get back into the swing of things soon, it's going to be freezer camp for them! It's annoying to me that there are 21 hens out there and I'm only getting between 4 and 6 eggs per day.

 

[DuckBoy323]

My 1 and half year old rhode island red chicken laid a very small egg just like yours and she was the only hen i had so i'm guessing they'll lay tiny eggs.