Tiny eggs, Large yolks.

[redhen689]

I have 4 young hens, one is about 10-11 months old, the other three are 8-9 months old, hybrid White Rock/Rhode Island Red (these 3 were bought as started pullets).
All started laying last fall, the oldest one had started laying before I got the others. Every day I go out and find 3 large eggs, and one tiny pullet sized egg. The tiny egg, when cracked is virtually ALL yolk. This has been going on for about 4 months.


Has anyone ever seen this before?

 

[aart]

Never seen, or heard, of it.
Got pics of tiny egg, with something for scale?
Do you know which bird it is laying the tiny egg?
She may just have a glitchy system.

 

[ketojenn]

I cracked an almost all yolk egg yesterday. I thought it was weird, but went on with frying it. More yolk to dip my toast in. lol It was a smaller egg, but not real small.

 

[redhen689]

Never seen, or heard, of it.
Got pics of tiny egg, with something for scale?
Do you know which bird it is laying the tiny egg?
She may just have a glitchy system.

I tried posting a photo yesterday, but had some technical issues. I'll try again.

 

[redhen689]

Here's what they look like in the fry pan. One normal egg, and the tiny egg with the large yolk.

 

[aart]

She's not making enough albumen, accounts for the small size.
Yolk doesn't seem overly large tho.
Wonder if she's getting enough water?(long shot but only off top of head)

 

[redhen689]

She's not making enough albumen, accounts for the small size.
Yolk doesn't seem overly large tho.
Wonder if she's getting enough water?(long shot but only off top of head)

She always has access to water. But yes that is it. she is not producing much albumen, and the albumen that is there is thin and runny.

 

[redhen689]

Well, I think I partially figured out what happened here. Last summer was a very tough year for my chickens. I had purchased a few chicks (supposedly vaccinated) that I gave to a broody hen to raise. I lost a few hens to predators, and unfortunately the chicks died off one by one of some type of disease, maybe Marek's, I don't know for sure. By September last year I was down to one surviving chick. I ordered 3 adult birds locally. By the time I got them they were all about the same age as that pullet. For the most part that one surviving chick grew into what appeared to be a healthy hen, although sometimes she had a limp. About a month ago she started to deteriorate, and then she succumbed to her illness. I think that the chicks I purchased last summer were given a faulty vaccine, or maybe not vaccinated at all.