Really small eggs

[Fluffy_Feathers]

I have 6 hens and a while back I was only getting about 4 eggs when I should've been getting 5 (One was broody). Now I'm getting 5 eggs (The same broody hen is molting now) but in the past 3 weeks to a month I've gotten 3 tiny eggs. One of them was ridiculously small. I think the one that wasn't laying is possibly the one laying these small eggs... although I'm not sure, I don't know which one it is, and I don't know if it's even the same chicken laying them. I'm just assuming everything. I also got a normal sized wrinkly egg lately, but again I don't know if it's the same chicken.

Is this normal? I know one is fine, but 3?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Hi there! What are you feeding your flock? Are you providing oyster shell? What are the breed of your hens? Some breeds lay smaller eggs...for example Silkies and bantams.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

I'm feeding them layer feed, and they have access to oyster shells. I have road island reds and buff Orpingtons.

 

[aart]

How old are they, in months?
Did the tiny eggs have yolks in them?

Where in this world are you located?
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Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
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[Below frigid]

I have some young pullets (16 weeks) that are just laying their first eggs. Not quail small but not much bigger. We call them fairy eggs. I know they will get bigger.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

How old are they, in months?
Did the tiny eggs have yolks in them?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!
View attachment 1531232

They are 18 months. I live in the Midwest. I haven't opened them yet, I'll open them when I get home. I didn't want to open them until we actually cook eggs since I don't want them to go to waste. I'll open them when I get home.

Thanks for the instructions by the way!

 

[Evelyn's Mom]

It sounds like maybe your new layers and responsible for the little ones... when I was uncertain about who was laying what, I staked out the coop! I got a comfy chair, my phone, a big cup of coffee and just waited... after an hour or two most had laid their daily egg and I was able to check every so often and see who left what. It was fun and now I know exactly who lays each day and to hear their egg songs! My easter egger has the coolest "honkiest" voice! You know they don't lay every day, it takes a long time to make an egg. But this way I know if something is up with each hen

 

[aart]

I have some young pullets (16 weeks) that are just laying their first eggs. Not quail small but not much bigger. We call them fairy eggs. I know they will get bigger.

The proper name is 'pullet eggs'. It can take days, or weeks, or months for them to get up to a 'large' size.

Fairy, fart, wind, rooster eggs are usually from a tiny piece of tissue breaking loose from the reproductive tract, or an immature ova(yolk) and the body forms an egg around it. Color can be darker than 'normal' as the pigment coating released has to cover a much smaller area so is thicker. Can happen with any age layer, but more common with new or older layers.

They are 18 months. I live in the Midwest. I haven't opened them yet, I'll open them when I get home. I didn't want to open them until we actually cook eggs since I don't want them to go to waste. I'll open them when I get home.

At 18 months, they are probably slowing down production to get ready to molt,
if you live in the northern hemisphere,
you can get some funky eggs around molting time.

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

I forgot about this thread, sorry! I got kind of busy.

Did the tiny eggs have yolks in them?

I got another small egg the other day, so just now I cracked all 4 of them open. The biggest of them had a decent sized yolk, and the other three had very small yolks.

At 18 months, they are probably slowing down production to get ready to molt,
if you live in the northern hemisphere,
you can get some funky eggs around molting time.

Ah yep, that makes sense. Thanks!