Strange egg whites

[Trixie27FL]

I have a barred rock hen that has been laying for a couple of months now. Her eggs are a beige to cream color and are more oblong than oval in shape. We haven't eaten any of her eggs yet because the insides are a strange consistency. The egg yolk looks normal but the egg white is almost like jelly. In fact I tried to seperate the yolk and the white this morning and couldn't. The viscosity of the white is very very thick. What could be causing this or is it completely normal for this type of hen? Her eggs have been like this since the very first egg. Is there something nutrition-wise she needs to make them edible? Thank you for all the help!

 

[Tracydr]

Do you mean that the yolk sits up on top of the white? Is the white still clear but just more jelly like than store bought? It's because it's so fresh.
Can you post a picture, just to be sure?

 

[TinyChickenLady]

I was just reading about this.
It is pretty much what Tracydr said. The fresher they are, the thicker the whites and the firmer the yolks.
I think it's normal but I'd also have to see a pic to be sure.

 

[Trixie27FL]

Well I also have another hen, a RIR, and her whites are completely normal, like store bought whites. We use her eggs all of the time. The whites I'm concerned about are clear, but they look like jello. In fact, if you hold the entire yolk/white combo by the yolk, the whites are so thick around the yolk that they will stay together until the yolk breaks. You literally cannot seperate them. Sitting in a bowl, the egg looks like I've put a yolk next to clear jelly. I'm just wondering if this could be normal for that breed (barred rock) or if it is my hen in particular that has an issue. Like I said, the RIR's eggs are absolutely normal, normal being store bought in my mind

 

[TinyChickenLady]

I think it's normal.
She might just be getting more greens than the other ladies.
I read that consuming greens (or free ranging) is what causes or helps cause the "fresh egg" texture.

 

[Pharm Girl]

Eh, eggs are eggs. You know they are fresh. Eat away!!!

 

[aoxa]

I've noticed this with my BR hen too

All my egg whites are thicker than normal, but her's are thicker than the others. Nothing wrong with the taste. I only have three girls laying right now, so I wouldn't be able to compare them to many of my younger (yet to lay) pullets.

 

[rancher hicks]

commercial egg layers are bred to lay a consistently same shape and sized egg. Not only that but also "designed" to lay a the same consistency in Yolk size and white. Now non commercial chickens are affected by the amount of water and what they eat. Hence you will find differences in your eggs. Size yolk, color etc . etc.

I noticed that the commercial egg yolks in the purchased eggs that the school uses are smaller than my own hens eggs.

So what to do. Either give her away if it's to much for you or use her eggs in baking or cooking. You might want to check her eggs from time to time but I'm sure they are just fine to eat.


I wish you peace,

Rancher

 

[Yay Chicks!]

If you want to be able to separate her eggs for baking, just keep them around a few weeks and see if that make the white thinner. But, for pete's sake, don't waste the eggs. Even if you don't want them, you can boil them up and feed them back to the chickens.

Edited to say: Please excuse me for being so directorial. Mine aren't laying at present and I miss their eggs!

 

[Trixie27FL]

Thanks for all of the great advice. You can feed the boiled eggs to the chickens??? Isn't that wrong on so many levels????