Newly laid Floating eggs

[lillychick]

Hi, My 2 Isa Browns have been laying and some of the eggs only a few days old float. Any ideas. I always do the egg test and discard any old ones that float but lately they all float. Also I get smashed eggs in the nesting box even though they free range all day and eat a good quantity laying mix.

 

[lillychick]

 

[rosemarythyme]

All floating does is give you an idea of the age of the egg. You already know how old the eggs are, so no need to float them.

Do you offer oyster shells somewhere for them to eat if needed?

 

[lillychick]

I give them crushed egg shells. My concern with the floating eggs was I wouldn't expect 2 day old to float so when it did I did all the new eggs and found that they all floated so are they still okay to eat? I will try oyster shells.

 

[nuthatched]

I give them crushed egg shells. My concern with the floating eggs was I wouldn't expect 2 day old to float so when it did I did all the new eggs and found that they all floated so are they still okay to eat? I will try oyster shells.

Floating simply tells you how much moisture the egg has lost, which can help guess the age but it's not accurate. Not whether it's edible or not. Your eggs are fine to eat. A egg kept in the fridge will age less in 3 weeks then an egg on kept on the counter does in a week.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I give them crushed egg shells. My concern with the floating eggs was I wouldn't expect 2 day old to float so when it did I did all the new eggs and found that they all floated so are they still okay to eat? I will try oyster shells.

Yes they're safe to eat. Crushed egg shells are probably ok in your situation since you said you feed layer feed, but oyster shell does provide more calcium so that may help with smashed eggs, provided the damage is due to thin shells.