weird egg shells - check out picture

[FlagChick]

Every few days I get an egg that has indented lines on it. I think it's coming from the same chicken, and I'm wondering if something could be wrong - health or nutritionally related. Anybody familiar with this? Should I be concerned or do something?

The dark picture showed a better contrast of the lines. What I couldn't get a good picture of is the tip of the egg - it's not smooth, but rough, like a bad drywall job.

 

[dmdhart]

A while back I posted a question about gritty feeling eggs. chuckzoo replied that I should check out the following website. It was very helpful.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publicati

 

[WilczenskiFarm]

Quote:
That link expired

 

[dmdhart]

Go to: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

and then scroll down and click on the internal/external quality of eggs. That should get you there.

 

[FlagChick]

Thanks for the website dmdhart. That's a very good explanation of egg formation (I even printed off a copy!), but I'm still not sure if something isn't right with one of my hens. I'll keep looking and let you know if I find anything.

 

[dmdhart]

I went back to the site and found this - don't know if you saw this or not:
Shell Defects

Misshapen eggs
Description
Misshapen eggs are those whose shells differ obviously from the smooth, ‘normal’ shape. They include eggs with shells marred by flat sides or body checks (ribs or grooves), and eggs that are too large or too round. Flat sided eggs are discussed on page 37, and bodychecked eggs on page 38.

Incidence
The incidence of misshapen eggs varies considerably depending on how severely the eggs are judged. Normally, up to 2% of production is downgraded due to these faults. The incidence of misshapen eggs can vary with the strain of bird, but they are most often produced by pullets coming into lay, or hens late in lay. often as a result of double ovulation.

Cause Control
Immature shell gland Delay onset of sexual maturity 1 to 2 weeks by controlled feeding during rearing.
Defective shell gland Cull birds which persistently produce such eggs.
Diseases, e.g. infections bronchitis Follow an effective vaccination programme.
Stress, e.g. frights and disturbances To avoid frightening birds, minimise human activity in and around the shed. Increase shed security to stop other birds and animals entering the shed.
Crowding Avoid overstocking.

 

[FlagChick]

Great info - thank you! I'm not sure what to think though... all of my hens are just over 1 year old, they have plenty of free ranging space. I'm not totally sure which bird it is, I've narrowed it down to two based on the size of the egg. I'd hate to cull one thinking she might be sick, but hate thinking that she's sick... I'll wait on this one and see what happens for a while. My kids "hang out" with them often, but have since the chickens were tiny. I guess we'll give them a break from the kids for a while. Again, thanks for the response.

 

[dmdhart]

My guess is, if she was sick you would see other signs of it. It said the same thing about having grainy, rough eggs and I don't think that any of my hens are sick. I've added some vitamins to their water and making sure that they're getting enough oyster shell. Not sure if it's really helping, but it makes me feel better. It seems that I'm not getting them as often.