Very thick egg membrane. Sign of deficiency?

[MammaHen]

My RIR's started laying about 6 weeks ago and the eggs sizes are really improving but when we boil the eggs, its almost impossible to peel them. The membrane seems very thick and sticks to the egg white so we end up with a very tatty and broken egg. I've tried boiling from cold and warm, cooling before peeling, peeling them hot etc etc etc, but it makes no difference. My hens are completely free to range the whole farm with layers pellets available to them at all times. Could they be deficient of something?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Home grown eggs usually have a thicker membrane than store bought eggs, my opinion. I save up my eggs that I'm going to use on the kitchen counter for acouple weeks before I use them fo deviled or boiled eggs. Sometimes adding vinegar or alot of salt to the pan helps them peel easier.

I don't think its a health issue. My thoughts

 

[Katy]

It's because their fresh eggs...nothing's wrong with the hens. It helps if you let them set out on the counter for a week or so before you boil them. This issue is about the only downside of fresh eggs that I can think of. If you do a search on here, there's lots of tips for helping with this problem.

 

[speckledhen]

No deficiency, just the opposite. A fresh egg will not peel. You can age eggs in the fridge for a week or two, then they'll peel easier.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

If you don't want to age the eggs, I saw on here somewhere a tip by Paula Dean where you put a lot of salt in the water and that makes them peel easier.

 

[Chicabee19]

I use salt in the water, and it does not affect the flavor of the eggs.

It also helps to plunge the eggs into an ice-bath once they are done cooking.

There was a really neat-o method for peeling boiled eggs - make a hole in each end and blow into one of the holes. I haven't tried that yet.

 

[onthespot]

I lightly tap the wide end of the egg with the back of a butter knife and just barely crack the shell before I put them in the water to boil and they peel great.

 

[portlandpeeps]

If you tap the entire shell on your counter several times to break it on all sides this will make it easier to peel too.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Quote:
I tap the big end on the counter to crack the shell, then turn it on its side and roll the egg to break the shell all around. They usually peel pretty good, but sometimes they still tear all to pieces.

 

[Leah-yes I know I'm crazy]

It's because of the relative size of the air pocket inside the egg. Fresh eggs have little to no air, at two to three weeks eggs are ideal for peeling as the air pocket size has increased.