Really wrinkled egg

[LoveHuevos]

I found this funky looking egg today. She's an RIR and about 3 or 4 years old. I have about 2 dozen chickens, so I'm not exactly sure which hen it came from. I've never seen one like this, although there have been some thin shells. I put oyster shell out for them, but it doesn't seem to help. Any ideas??

 

[Kelsie2290]

Looks like what they call a corrugated shell or body checked egg
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/18/misshapen-eggs
http://www.alltech.com/sites/default/files/alltech-egg-shell-quality-poster.pdf
Poster from Alltech (Corrugated Eggs on the left middle row) and The Poultry Sites page for those.
It says they are from damage to the egg while in the shell gland from various causes, or an inability to control plumping, the step in making an egg, when it goes into the shell gland, the egg spends a couple of hours absorbing water and salt through the membranes, before the shell starts to form.
This is old and I have had it book marked forever, but it is a nice article.
www.skylinecollege.edu/case/biol215/docs/eggshell.pdf

 

[LoveHuevos]

Thanks! Lots of info. Seems like from the poster, that I might have a chick/chicks with a defective shell gland. Is that okay? There's nothing I can do about that? Now I'm kinda paranoid - Seems like I have eggs with almost half of those symptoms that are pictured in the photos. How can I tell which hen is laying which egg?

 

[SkyWorld]

I had a couple of eggs that came out that way now and then. It could be a maturing process the hens go though or a nutrition deficiency. I started making sure they get some fresh greens, like kale, broccoli or cabbage almost every day. It is easier to do with only 6 hens.

 

[Kelsie2290]

I get them fairly often from some of my older layers, especially the old commercial White Leghorns, it does seem to be age related in their case. Shell gland problems (age related?) and stress seem to be mentioned for all of them (corrugated, wrinkled, body checked etc).. stress in a chicken can be things we don't really think about also, waking up at night for whatever reason, running around more than usual, some of the articles mention things like if a pen of chickens is upset it will affect the eggs of hens in adjoining pens etc for birds of any age. These commercial type birds also were not bred to be kept for as long as most of us keep them (commercial flocks will cull them at 2.5 years or earlier usually). Don't really know of a good way to tell which hen is laying what unless you trap nest or separate them, some people do put dye etc on the vents which may work with a small flock.

 

[aart]

HoooEEE that's a doozy!!

Was the shell thick or thin?

I'd say age, egg machine wearing out.

 

[LoveHuevos]

It was thick and I got one the next day too, but I haven't had one since.