Watery egg whites

[mrtee92]

Hey y'all, just joined, first post!

Our egg whites are very watery. The yokes are normal; they hold their structure, are firm but jiggle, etc. The whites cook up and taste "fine", they're just incredibly...watery. I crack an egg, somewhere around ¾ of the whites just come splashing out into the bowl/pan, with a little ring of set whites around the yoke.

Whether they're fresh from today, a week old, or a month old, doesn't matter. We store them in the fridge, and go thru a dozen a week or so. They're not old.

We feed organic layer feed, give layer grit/scratch, oyster shells w/ baked eggshells, cat food, chili flakes, BSF, and just about every table scrap other than moldy food and citrus.

Their coop is enclosed, but plenty of light gets in. We line with fresh straw, turning and working it if it gets too wet (rain). House gets pine shavings, has roosting bars, and (was) heated during cold temps.

Where else can I look, for a fix?

- Are they not getting enough protein?
-Are they filling up on scraps, not getting what they need from feed?

Where can I look to next for a fix?

Thank y'all!

 

[Mrs. K]

How old are the hens? I think egg quality declines with age. I use those for baking.

So - younger hens.

 

[mrtee92]

How old are the hens? I think egg quality declines with age. I use those for baking.

So - younger hens.

They've only been laying since ~July

 

[Mrs. K]

ohhhh? I was expecting them to be older than that.

Well egg quality does vary with each bird. I am picky about it too. I want thick egg whites that hold the yolk inside. I don't think a diet is going to cause or fix this.

What kind of chickens?

 

[mrtee92]

ohhhh? I was expecting them to be older than that.

Well egg quality does vary with each bird. I am picky about it too. I want thick egg whites that hold the yolk inside. I don't think a diet is going to cause or fix this.

What kind of chickens?

1 Barred Rock, 1 Amberlink, 2 Americana EE.

 

[Toothpick]

TBH...doesn't sound like you have a problem. You said yourself the egg whites cook up and taste fine.

So what problem are you trying to fix? Do you just want thick heavy egg whites?? Why?

Post a video of the watery egg whites. I'd be interested in seeing them.

But if they cook fine and taste fine....you don't have a problem.

 

[Altairsky]

Watery whites is mostly caused by low protein in the chicken diet. White is entirely made of protein. If the chicken can't use enough protein, the white will be more watery.
Add more protein to the chickens diet, like fish or minced meat or cottage cheese 2, or 3 times a week.
It will take a minimum of 2 months to see improvement, so don't give up and keep feeding protein to your chickens.
Source: I had your same problem after I switched my chickens to layer crumble that was really junk. It took them 2 months to recover.

 

[Mrs. K]

But if they cook fine and taste fine....you don't have a problem.

I like basted eggs, where they are steamed a bit, and get a little pink, I don't like it when the yolks pop out of the whites. Once I identify eggs that are prone to watery egg whites - I just use them for baking.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Once I identify eggs that are prone to watery egg whites - I just use them for baking.

Same - they're fine for anything where they're mixed or beaten in with other ingredients, but awful for frying since the white cooks too fast (and takes up space) from spreading out so thin. But in my case it's the usual cause - the hens with thin whites are older and the overall quality of their eggs has declined.

 

[Mrs. K]

mine too - that is why I was surprised at the age of the op's hens.