I’ve run into an issue where about half of my eggs are of poor condition. They’re not aged out. This occurs even with 1-2 day old eggs.
When cracking them open the yolk will have zero structure, completely liquified. Sometimes the contents of the egg appear to be lumpy and often times there’s blood, sometimes a lot. I’ve noticed on some the yolk seems to be bound to the egg shell too, like it hangs on when cracking open.
I had three this morning and then remembered this forum. I’m posting a side by side pic of two eggs cracked into bowls for comparison. This one was not really bloody but liquified.
Those aren’t old eggs - they’re
reproductive failure signs. What you’re describing and showing - yolks disintegrating, clinging to the shell, blood streaks, lumpy whites - that’s classic
chronic vitamin A and E deficiency, possibly combined with poor
selenium and B2 (riboflavin) status. Over time, it causes damage to the lining of the oviduct and disrupts yolk membrane formation.
These aren't just dietary gaps - they're long tail deficiencies building quietly. Here’s what to do:
Immediate repair protocol (7–14 days):
**Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate, human form soft cap will do):
Dose: 1,000 IU per bird daily for 10 days
How: mixed into something soft (eggs, soaked feed).
**
Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol):
Dose: 50–100 iu per bird daily
How: Wheat germ oil or human E soft gel caps pierced and squeezed into feed. Natural E only - skip synthetic “dl-alpha”.
**
Riboflavin (B2):
Dose: 4–6 mg per bird daily
How: Plain crushed riboflavin tablet (or B2-rich food like a dab of liver or nutritional yeast). No full B-complexes - just B2.
** IF THINGS DON'T IMPROVE QUICK, think about adding
Selenium (organic if possible) IF it is NOT in their feed:
Dose: 10-25 mcg (micrograms) per bird daily
How: Brazil nut scrapings (just a tiny pinch will do), or dissolve a 200 mcg selenium yeast tablet in a waterer for the flock. Don’t go overboard - it’s very potent.
Support foods that help:
1. Boiled egg yolk (yes, feed it back)= phospholipids for yolk membrane integrity
2. Minced chicken liver (tiny bits, 2x a week)= A, B2, weird thought but selenium-rich (if using this, DROP selenium supplementation done above)
3. Black oil sunflower seeds: natural E and fatty acids
Do this consistently and you’ll start seeing firmer yolks, healthier whites, and more predictable shells in arround 7–10 days. You’re correcting the blueprint that makes the contents inside the shell.
Also worth checking: if one or more hens are laying these and are looking pale, thin, or have vent staining, they may need a deeper cleanout. But this is
not infection alone - it's nutrient-based repro collapse. Preventable, fixable.
You caught it in time. Well done.
