Topic of the Week - When eggs go wrong

[Nyhillbillies]

I have had a shell-less egg, a half shelled egg, and a few very rough "sand paper" shell egg. My neighbor also had a egg inside of a egg from the store.

It seems, so far, only our oldest hen lays the sandpaper eggs! Interesting!

 

[Show Sebright]

Well I keep thing my hen is I’ll because I find her egg covered in poop every day! But nope it is my other hen who has to poop after her clean egg comes out. I’ve gotten 2 double yolker and I didn’t realize it till my sunny side up egg was 2 in one.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

It seems, so far, only our oldest hen lays the sandpaper eggs! Interesting!

This hen has layed 2 sandpaper eggs, on different occasions. I guess it's just her nature her eggs are normally porous.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

All kinds of odd eggs. Grossly misshapen, double yolkers, fairy eggs, several lay speckled eggs consistently, pure white eggs from my brown egg layers, Pink and purple eggs, shelless eggs and sandpaper eggs, one that laid a lash egg sadly. I think the only one I’ve yet to get is a full egg inside another one.

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

New layers give me the occasional rubber egg or soft shelled egg. Several nights ago, there was an intact egg yolk laying on the floor under the roost.

My most memorable goofy egg layer was a home bred BSL (RIR x PBR) She had a difficult time regulating her conveyor belt. Any readers remember the Lucille Ball show where Lucy and Ethel got hired to work in a chocolate factory, wrapping those little chocolates as they came down the conveyor belt? The belt kept speeding up until poor Lucy was stuffing them in her pockets, in her bra, then she started eating them.

Well, that was my little black hen, Hola! In one 24 hour period, I watched her lay 2 rubber eggs at 5 minute intervals, followed by a normal egg the following morning.

The most common nest box glitch I find is when a hen plops a big ol' turd in the nest box along with an egg. Or the inevitable skid marks that accompany sloppy muddy days.

After the pullets get up to full production, I average less than 2 eggs/week that do not make it into egg cartons. Any dirty eggs get set aside for my own use. Any soft shelled eggs go to my egg sucking, thieving dog. Egg shells get dried and go back to the flock.

Any time I ever notice a decline in egg shell quality, I give the birds some multi vitamins. That has an almost instant beneficial effect on the structural quality of the entire egg. IMO, calcium and protein are but a very small part of egg quality and bird health.

When you say vitamins do you mean vitamins specifically meant for chickens or do you mean human vitamins? I feel I’m getting a variety of abnormalities. Is there something else I should be doing? How do I know which illness my chickens have?

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

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With approximately 2% of eggs laid by hens not quite making "egg box quality", chances are most of us at some point put our hands in a nest box and went "What the ?!?!?!!" Or worse, cracked an egg into the frying pan...

This week I would like to see and hear about when your hens got egg-laying very wrong. Be it multiple yolkers, soft-shelled eggs, or unidentifiable offerings. What did you get, what is "normal" and when do you start worrying?

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Pic by @wildpeas​

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


For some of the most common egg problems and causes see this article on Common egg quality problems

Which egg issues that are unhealthy for the human consumers?

 

[Callender Girl]

I have a Buckeye who often lays "sandpaper" eggs.

My most unusual egg was from my original runner duck female. Quinn, who laid light green shells, once produced a complete egg within an egg. I saved the shells, blew out the insides and display them in a sealed jar.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have been having eggs that recently have had these things inside of them is this just a meat spot? Then every few weeks i get a egg thats big it weighed 2.3 oz.

 

[gimmie birdies]

got a purple egg once, but only one...

and one triple yolker.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I got this egg this morning first wierd shaped one i have gotten since theses chickens started laying.