Strange looking eggs!

[Koutnik]

Can someone tell me why my Rhode Island Reds are laying rumpled and ridged eggs?

 

[eggbert420]

Could be a lot of reasons. Can you tell us their age and what you feed them?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi @Koutnik!

Looks like a corrugated shell. This happens when the egg membrane is thinner than it should be, often as a result of double ovulation (two yolks) and having to stretch thinner to cover the extra egg contents. This results in insufficient plumping of the egg, leaving a corrugated membrane onto which the shell gets deposited, so the shell takes on a corrugated appearance as well.

 

[Koutnik]

They are just now a year old Rhode Island Reds. We feed them 16% Layers Crumbles. They also get grit and calcium.

 

[miranda HR]

I also feed my girls chicken turkey beef and anything else we have left over at dinner. Mine did that once I read somewhere that they need a lot of protein to make the eggs. I also give my girls cracked corn mixed with wild bird seed to scratch around with.

 

[Koutnik]

Ours also get scratch grains and sunflower seeds as snacks.We call it "Chicken Crack" cause they come running for it! I have never fed them meats, wasnt sure it was okay. They get to free-range a little every day.
Does the condition of these eggs mean they are not getting enough protein?

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have found that I get 1 or 2 malformed out of 5 eggs, when I feed extra scratch grains. I got 1 today

as it's been cold and windy and they have not been foraging much and staying under coop. So I have been giving them double and triple helpings of scratch, which lacks nutrients they need. My bad. My Golden Comets are 11 months old. GC

 

[Koutnik]

Thanks so much. That may be our issue too. Too much scratch and not as much foraging through the winter. We have just recently added sunflower seeds to their diet so that may help.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Be careful feeding too many sunflower seeds as they can cause internal fat which can lead to problems like prolapse.

 

[aart]

Looks like a corrugated shell. This happens when the egg membrane is thinner than it should be, often as a result of double ovulation (two yolks) and having to stretch thinner to cover the extra egg contents. This results in insufficient plumping of the egg, leaving a corrugated membrane onto which the shell gets deposited, so the shell takes on a corrugated appearance as well.

Huh....never heard that one before.