Weirdness inside eggs

[OrpingtonHopeful]

Ok, over the last few months I have found some eggs with a grit-like chunk of stuff inside them (near the yolk when you crack open the egg)- the eggs are well formed and lovely, just looks like someone took some of that red-granite chick grit and made a small ball (smaller than a garden pea) in the egg. If you mash it it is very gritty..

Then I had a hen die with no symptoms- and 2 of my 3 remaining went full out broody, and all three are molting, so only one has been laying.

Decided it was a good time to worm them- Never had done so before and with 1 death and few eggs anyway..

One of my broody gals finished her brooding and just returned to laying. I am still discarding the eggs post worming so I have been cracking them open and composting the shells- Inside her first egg was a rather sizable bright red blood spot.

Can anyone give me more information on either situtation- weird grit containing eggs and new onset blood in eggs?

Thanks again everyone!

 

[smith2]

I have those spots occasionally and they are called meat spots. They are tissue that sloughs off from the inside of the egg tract usually at the end or beginning of a laying cycle or after worming. Meat spots can get pretty big because they are just a wad of tissue that is coming off into the albumin when the egg is formed. They are harmless, just look bad in the egg.

The red spot is essentially the same thing or due to early incubation of a fertile egg when the hens sits on it too long. If you don't have a rooster, it is just a glitch in the egg tract from hormonal adjustments unless the hen is actually "sick." Otherwise, she is just going through normal egg laying stuff. At the end of a laying cycle, weak and tired vessels in the egg track frequently break and create those red spots. Again, they are harmless. Sometimes you see them when an egg cycle is also starting up.

 

[OrpingtonHopeful]

Quote:
Thanks for this! I thought it might be a meat spot, but I didn't realize they could be so gritty- I am learning, slowly but surely!

We don't have a rooster and I will assume its just normal weird chicken stuff- but, out of curiosity, what kind of sickness can cause this?

 

[smith2]

Any of the respiratory illnesses can decrease laying and the stress on the system can increase the meat spots you see in the eggs they do lay. Egg production can drop for many reasons, like respiratory illnesses, parasites, dehydration, too much salt, etc.

 

[neeps]

Hi, I just cracked open an egg that had a large amount of red -- very bright & blood like. A bit looked tissue-y, but most was liquid. I didn't think to take a photo, but wish I did. Is our hen OK?