weird egg

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

Matilda, one of our Cuckoo Maran pullets, laid this egg today. This is her second egg; the first one, two weeks ago, was small and perfectly shaped, with a nice hard shell. This one is much larger, misshapen (there is a bump that you can't quite see in the photos), cracked all over, and the shell is really thin.

Do you all think this egg is OK to eat? Also, what can we do to prevent this in the future? In retrospect, I am wondering if Matilda was egg-bound because of this egg's size and shape and that is why it took so long between the first and second eggs. She was acting normal this entire time though so I wasn't too worried, until we saw this egg today and realized that she must have had a lot of trouble getting it out of her body. I looked up information about egg-bound hens today and it seems like we are doing everything right - they are on layer feed, have easy access to supplemental calcium (ground egg shells in a separate feeder), etc. Not sure what else we can do.

 

[sawilliams]

Cracked are to many and to big the membrane might be broken inside. No I wouldn't eat it just too be safe. If the membrane is intact I would but you really just can't know for sure. I can't say by the picures but it is normal for first eggs to take a while even the first to the second eggs. Not all chickens start off laying even day. As for thin shelled the could be a few things. If its as big as you suggest out might be a double yoke which is very common if first eggs. Double yoked are bigger and require more shell so often times they don't get as thick of a layer before they are laided. As for the looks of the egg she could have stepped on it which is also common with new layers.

Either way 1 thin shelled large egg isn't something to worry about, it can be a fluke for new layers and old too. Give her time to regulate first.

 

[NewFlockOnTheBlock]

Just cracked the egg open and it's just a single yolk. Looks perfectly formed inside but just to be safe we won't eat it. Will probably cook it and feed it back to the chickens.

 

[sawilliams]

Just cracked the egg open and it's just a single yolk. Looks perfectly formed inside but just to be safe we won't eat it. Will probably cook it and feed it back to the chickens.

That should be more then fine. With how messy chickens can be especially new layers I always give the cracked one to the chickens or dogs

 

[aart]

That is a weird one! Don't think I've ever seen that before.
Hope it's one off glitch.

 

[driver]

The cracking is strange, but my cuckoo marans has laid very large eggs from day 1. Yours might be working up to a larger egg than her first.