Surprise in the morning egg gathering!

[NevadaEmma]

What a surprise the other morning finding this little gem!

No idea which hen. As far as I know all 9 of my hens have been steadily laying since late summer.

The other egg is about the size from most of the hens, but some are considerably larger. Not double yolks either.

 

[629864]

We got one of those a few months ago. I think they're called fairy eggs.

 

[NevadaEmma]

We got one of those a few months ago. I think they're called fairy eggs.

Did you eat it or crack it open to see what it looked like inside?

 

[629864]

We cracked it open to see. What I'd read is that fairy eggs often don't have a yolk. Ours did have a yolk, but was just a tiny egg. Also, the shell was thicker and harder than the other eggs. Do a web search for fairy eggs. There are some informative sites that explain all about them.

 

[aart]

As far as I know all 9 of my hens have been steadily laying since late summer.

Could be a new pullet laying.
Could just be a fluke.

Fairy, fart, wind, rooster eggs are usually from a tiny piece of tissue breaking loose from the reproductive tract, or an immature ova(yolk) and the body forms an egg around it. Color can be darker than 'normal' as the pigment coating released has to cover a much smaller area so is thicker. Can happen with any age layer, but more common with older layers.

 

[NevadaEmma]

Thank you for your reply.
I finally decided to crack it open today. I noticed that it was heavier than expected for such a small egg. The shell was quite thick; there was a yolk that was not cohesive, just a mass of yellow surrounded by the albumen.

Cara

 

[6BeachChicks]

I had one of those! My hen is very healthy though.

 

[6BeachChicks]

Thank you for your reply.
I finally decided to crack it open today. I noticed that it was heavier than expected for such a small egg. The shell was quite thick; there was a yolk that was not cohesive, just a mass of yellow surrounded by the albumen.

Cara

Not sure what could cause that yolk.

 

[6BeachChicks]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

 

[NevadaEmma]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

Thank you for the link. Eggcelent!