Weird tiny balls on EE egg-- what is this?

[Atomic Ranch]

Greetings peeps! Can't wait for spring to arrive!

All smooth sailing with my new flock, which is now 10 months. But today, my EE laid THIS! They are fixed in place, part of the shell. Is it calcium? They are actually the shape of tiny eggs, so I feared a critter in her system, but I cut a few in half and they're all just very hard shell. No bad symptoms, just... this! Any ideas?



Close-up:

 

[tinalibnania]

Just extra calcium/shell. Sometimes their system has some wrinkles in it that get worked out, kinds like when using to much paint on a wall and it drips...

 

[Atomic Ranch]

Oh, whew! Thanks, I was wondering if she just up and laid a whole year's worth right then and there! Lol. Maybe I should cut back on their yoghurt? 10 hens, 3 scoops on top of a plate of greens for breakfast.

 

[tinalibnania]

Just keep feeding as usual, I get wrinkled eggs, extra shell eggs, egg inside of egg........you just need to keep in mind the unusual is sometimes normal because our eggs are not inspected and thrown away if not 100% perfect like store eggs. Always keep an eye on overall health of your flock anyways and keep the yogurt, besides being so healthy for the ladies it's hilarios to watch them gobble it up and also great for keep their digestive tract in tip top shape!

 

[Atomic Ranch]

Agreed!

And yes they do love it so. They get a mix of scratch + lay mash, and a plate of greens + yoghurt + oats + etc. every morning. All seems well. Funny that they are the shape of tiny eggs... really had me scratching my city-slicker head.

 

[azygous]

I think your egg is quite lovely. I've seen a lot of egg anomalies, but never one with perfect little beads like that.

Here's one of my more interesting eggs. This hen normally lays light brown eggs.

 

[Atomic Ranch]

Wow! That's really interesting! How unique. And thank you, I shall tell her

(I'm just suspicious now that she's trying to hatch a society of micro-chickens...)

 

[Beekissed]

I always cringe when I get an egg like this, with that rough "extra calcium deposits" texture....always makes me imagine having a sandpapered poop and how hard that would be!

 

[Minniechickmama]

I haven't seen them quite like that, they are kind of like calcified fish eggs stuck on there.
I have one that lays clusters of stuff like that at the end of the egg.
And they do look like they would hurt when they come out like that.

As for your diet for them, it sounds like a lot of treatish stuff to me. I stick with their regular feed and just give treats in small amounts and not every day. The yogurt is good, but the don't have to have it every day for its benefits.

 

[stilldeb]

Both of my D'Uccles lay eggs with calcium deposits on them - always have. That's how I know whose eggs are whose in that particular pen, Laverne and Shirley always lay eggs with "barnacles" on them, as my son calls them.