I have 2 for sure, maybe 3 hens laying. 1 might have just started, but I'm not 100% yet...anyway both of the hens I know are laying their eggs have started getting lighter colored all of a sudden, and today they both had white spots on them...One of the hens lays an almost white egg, while the other lays a pretty brown egg. Anyway they both had white spots, small on the cream egg, but speckles on the brown egg. Anyway the cream egg also had a few small wrinkles on it's pointy end. The brown egg is shaped fine, but getting lighter in color, and today speckled. They have all been getting antsy, they are used to being outside everyday, but today is the first they left the coop in 5 days. They acted like they were terrified to walk on the snow...until the first few got brave enough to try it. One of the younger pullets actually just flew from the ramp over to where the other chickens already were...They just didn't trust the snow at all. Pretty funny, but could being cooped up make them have weird eggs?
I think your hens are stressed, possibly by the snow and the change in routine, being cooped up and then finding snow outside. Chickens don't like snow as much as we do! Stress is a huge factor in egg production, causing things like the pale eggs you've been finding. The speckles you are describing are caused by either a defective shell gland, disturbance during calcification or poor nutrition.
