Wash-off spots on eggs?

[GottaHatchAPlan]

We just got a new hen the other day and yesterday she laid us an egg with dark spots on the shell. We assumed nothing out of the ordinary but when mum washed the egg the spots washed off!
What were these spots? Were they blood spots? Should we be worried?

 

[rebrascora]

How small were they? If they were tiny they could have been mites. They will stay on a warm newly laid egg so if you collected whilst it was still warm that may have been it. Otherwise, if they were speckles, some brown coating will wash off usuallu you have to give it a scrub though. If they were mites, if you see them again, squish one and you will get a smear of blood. Then you need to invest in some permethrin spray and get to work on your coop and chickens.

 

[GottaHatchAPlan]

How small were they? If they were tiny they could have been mites. They will stay on a warm newly laid egg so if you collected whilst it was still warm that may have been it. Otherwise, if they were speckles, some brown coating will wash off usuallu you have to give it a scrub though. If they were mites, if you see them again, squish one and you will get a smear of blood. Then you need to invest in some permethrin spray and get to work on your coop and chickens.

They were flat and in varying sizes, and the egg was lukewarm at best so I don't think they were mites. I'll have to wait until she lays her next egg and make more observations.

 

[rebrascora]

A photo would be good, but some birds do lay speckled eggs just like wild birds. What breed is she?

 

[chickens really]

Spots can be poop, blood, mites.. etc...

 

[AgentJeffy]

That could also be due to the age of the hen (at least in my experience). My young hen laid about 2 eggs that had darker brown spots and the rest of the egg was just, not as brown as it should be. But those were her FIRST two eggs. Afterwards they normalized and no more brown spots or discoloration.

The spots on the first 2 eggs were all under the size of a dime in varying sizes.