Suddenly, small eggs

[hensdeliverthegoods]

One of my GL Wyandottes, 8 1/2 months old, has started laying very small eggs this week. She's been laying for about 10 weeks now. Her (and her sister's) eggs have always been just barely in the large category, but these are noticeable smaller. Nothing has changed in her life that I know of, other than my not being around as much lately. I've had to work 16 out of the last 18 days in a row.

I thought maybe she's getting ready to molt, but isn't it a bit soon yet? And I haven't noticed any feather loss. She seems just as fat and happy and bossy as she's always been.

Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[estpr13]

Eggs are made up of mostly water. How is her water supply? Are there other hens? Have their eggs been affected as well? Has this hen gotten into something like fruit? Some people say fruit doesn't affect them but others say it can. I don't know.

 

[mpennell]

I've noticed something similar with one of my hens (of 6). I'm not sure which one it is yet, but one has started laying very small eggs. The other hens' eggs are staying consistent in size and frequency.

 

[opihiman911]

Quote:
I don't think its fruit. My hens have always gotten a daily treat of whatever is bearing in our garden mango, banana, papaya, apple, orange, pineapple, avacado, grapefruit....they eat it all and I still get my x-large eggs.
Not sure what it is but I don't think it is fresh fruits.
Water is high on my suspion list. The only time I had a real decrease in egg production going from 6-8 a day to one was when my water supply got dispupted.
Good luck.

Aloha,
Cory

 

[hensdeliverthegoods]

Well, the mystery of the small eggs is solved. I isolated the hen to see what might be up. It turns out that my hen (Hyacinth) is - for some unknown reason - laying two eggs a day now...one normal and one tiny. Guess it's just a glitch in her system. Always something new with these loveable critters....

 

[estpr13]

Wow! that was unexpected. I have a hen which laid one egg which was larger than a goose egg at 93 grams, a large starts at 53 grams. It was actually two eggs fused into one. I have not heard of laying two eggs a day.

 

[smoothmule]

Okay, I have the same weird thing here and I'm not talking small, I'm talking tiny and a lot darker than usual. No water deficiency, they aren't molting and no change in diet.
This is a tiny egg.

Can it possibly be fertile and hatch?
Here's a pic of the tiny egg.

 

[Betsy57]

I'm having the same problem. My hens have been laying for 2 months. They've been nice sized eggs since day one. Two hens have been getting too much attention from Mr. Rooster so I have two of them quarantined to try to give their back a break and a chance to re-grow some feathers. The skin is tough and bare...about a 2" circle where he has been mounting them. The one hen is fine with her egg laying, no change with her. But the other one is laying an egg the size of an olive twice this week, no other normal sized eggs! Could it be the stress from being away from her 'man'?