Weird eggs sing of worms????????

[crash0330]

Ok so I know my chickens are a little sick since their egg laying has dropped from and average of 15 to now just 10 a day, also their eggs have been loosing their color some of them are almost white now, even tho they are brown egg layer, first I thought it was lice but they have been treated and no improvement. Also almost half of the eggs that I get have a regular shape but in the middle of the egg shell feels like a bump that goes around the egg like a ring, I wanna know if anybody has seen this before, could this be a sing of worms, help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

 

[Bec]

I wish I could help but I have no idea about your eggs...I just have to say....that chick in your avatar is the cutest little thing EVER!!

 

[KellyHM]

Are your chickens acting sick? They could just be molting or taking a break. It's normal for color to fade as the laying cycle progresses...they use up a ton of pigment, but once they take a break it builds back up and the eggs will be darker again. The ring is probably just a "bump" in the production cycle. Do you have a picture of it? You could deworm them just to be safe, but if they're not otherwise acting ill it's probably nothing.

 

[crash0330]

Quote:
There not even a year old yet, and yes they are sneezing a little bit.

 

[KellyHM]

If they're sneezing a lot I would give them a course of antibiotics (I like the aeuromycin crumbles). Chickens are very prone to respiratory diseases and they can lower egg production. If they're just sneezing a little you could just wait and let it run its course.

 

[dawg53]

Worms wont cause mishapen eggs as far as I know and they are too young to molt. The sneezing could possibly be caused by their feed (dust particles) or pollen in the air, maybe from their coop...just might need cleaning out. Put your ear up to their breast, do you hear any gurgliing, wheezing, rattling? If you do, it possibly could be a respiratory issue. If it causes mishapen eggs in conjunction with a respiratory issue...I'd suspect Infectious Bronchitis (IBV) which is a viral disease and contageous. Since it's a virus, antibiotics are useless. If this is what they have, this would be why there's a slow down in egg production, eggs will become wrinkled and the whites will be watery-like. In time, the effects of the virus will go away but they will remain carriers and egg production will pick up but at a slower rate, the eggs will look normal again, maybe an occasional wrinkled egg. The eggs are safe to eat wrinkled or not. Your flock will have to become a closed flock...none in,none out. If it was only one hen giving you a mishapen egg, it would probably be nothing at all, an anomaly or maybe an issue with the reproductive system...but with half your eggs turning up with the 'bump' in the middle can be an issue.
Another possibility is if you added or deleted something in/from their diet? Try giving them some scrambled eggs in their feed and see if there's an improvement in egg quality. Good luck.

 

[crash0330]

Quote:
Thanks to all, I think it was lice that caused all those problems, egg production is slowily picking up and they are getting their color back, plus I weighted them yesterday and they are sure gaining waieght, big difference from 2 weeks ago since I first dusted them for lice, thanks alot. As far as the sneezing goes, I did notice it was just when they were eating.

 

[dawg53]

Glad you found out what it was...lice/mites can take a chicken down quickly.

 

[Farmergreen]

In the morning when they leave the roost Dust the henhouse with sulphur. Give it a really good dusting. This seems to work for me. I do it in the early spring and again in the fall. I always give new grown Chickens a Light Dusting with Seven Dust befre I put them with the flock. Safest Insecticide (my opionion) Use it on my dogs for ticks and fleas.


Wierd eggs are either Calcium or changes in the cycle. Hens produce so many eggs per cycle and lays them all out. The first and last 1 or 2 can be misshappened or in some cases very small compared to usual size.