Hi. I am a relatively new backyard chicken owner. At least one of our hens has lately begun laying eggs with egg WHITES that have tiny white particulate. By "particulate", I don't mean dusty or hazy, nor like grains of powder. These are 5-10 tiny bits of white matter which are very thin--like a thread--and 1-3 mm in length. They don't wiggle or have a black dot or eyes on one end. They are uniform white and symmetric. I thought, "please don't tell me we are eating 'egg white parasites'..." Background: the hens are backyard hens in a 1 ac lot, clean fresh water and green grass and a garden to peck around in, a varied, all natural diet, etc. Overall, suffice it to say that from what I've read on this website, a pretty good living environment overall. The hens look well. I don't see anything that indicates they are ill. They are clucking, exploring, and eating well. There is a rooster, one, a Buff Orpington. The hens are: --another (2) Buff Orpingtons, --A sliver-laced Wyandotte, --A Rhode Island Red, --An Ameraucauna, We've noted the particulate in the whites a few times in the last week or so, so we haven't yet connected which eggs they are coming from. Also note: These are not blood spots. Blood spots are what I keep encountering when I search on the web. This is not a yolk finding. Nor is it a singular punctate brown dot in the yolk. Any ideas? Thanks!
It is probably. Chalazae (kuh-LAY-zee) - Ropey strands of egg white which anchor the yolk in place in the center of the thick white. There are two chalazae anchoring each yolk, on opposite ends of the egg. They are neither imperfections nor beginning embryos. The more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg. Chalazae does not interfere with the cooking or beating of the white and need not be removed, although some cooks like to strain them from stirred custard.
