Vein Encased Yolk?!

[loreligillett]

While shutting the chickens up for the night I noticed a broken egg on one of the roosting shelves. It must have been laid recently, as I was out a couple hours earlier and hadn’t noticed it. (This was odd because it was around 9pm and my hens never lay that late.) The shell of the egg was so thin that it was held together due to the tougher eggshell membrane. Upon closer observation I realized the yolk was replaced with a dark, vein covered mass!! I brought it inside for further investigation. As I slit open the mass, normal colored yolk poured out. There was NO strange odor. Everything about the egg was normal, other than it was laid at night, had a super thin shell, and the yolk was encased in blood-filled veins. I looked the yolk all over and there was NO chick growth. I know for a fact that the egg was laid today, so there’s NO way it was incubated. Has anybody seen this before?! If you have any information on what may have caused this please respond!! Thanks!

 

[em_dawson]

I have no idea but that's absolutely bizarre!!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh! Very weird, but it's so... pretty. Like a ruby.

 

[aart]

It's an ova(yolk) with the follicle still attached.
Usually the ova is released from the follicle.
Hopefully it's one off and you'll never see it again.
Any idea how old the bird that laid it is?

@Wyorp Rock (I think)has some links to others.

 

[loreligillett]

It's an ova(yolk) with the follicle still attached.
Usually the ova is released from the follicle.
Hopefully it's one off and you'll never see it again.
Any idea how old the bird that laid it is?

@Wyorp Rock (I think)has some links to others.

I’m thinking the egg is from my older Americana hen, who is just over 5 yrs old. It was near her when I found it and the shell was slightly green (the color of egg she lays).