Wet egg

[K0k0shka]

Could be a broken egg that was fully consumed, or an unusual amount of bloom. I might have had that last week... no indication of a broken egg (no yellow stain from a yolk, no shells) but a very sticky egg with dampness underneath. I wiped the egg off and still no sign of a yolk which I would expect from a broken egg.

Today I got an egg from the same layer that was "dry" but remained noticeably tacky even though it was cool from having sat in the nest for a while.

Sounds exactly like my case. The girls seem to be taking a break today, or at least this morning, because it's 11am already and I haven't gotten any eggs yet. I'll check back later and see how the eggs are looking today. The chickens themselves seem to be acting fine.

 

[K0k0shka]

Hmmmm.
Do you know which bird laid it...were her nethers soiled/wet??

It was the SL Orp. Her butt looked dry and gorgeously fluffy as always But since the egg was cold, it must have been laid some time before I went out so she probably had time to dry off... and I guess it must not have been really bad if she was looking normal. I'll go out later today and take a closer look at all of their butts - part the down, too. Yesterday I just looked at them without diving deeper.

 

[K0k0shka]

This may be way off topic, but one time my DH brought the eggs in and one was so dirty with matted hay and thick sticky stuff. I washed it off but some debris was still stuck. I asked about that one and he found it in the mouth of a large rat snake! The snake couldn't swallow the egg fast enough so he pulled the snake out of the box, tossed it into the trees and gathered the intact egg. I fed it to the dog.

Wow! Must have been quite the sight. I've never seen a snake in my yard, but of course that doesn't mean they're not there. I have fake snakes to (supposedly) keep the rabbits away from my flowers (doesn't work) and my kids decided to see if the chickens would be afraid of the fake snake. The chickens tried to eat it

 

[KelseyBoxer]

We seem to have alot of black rat snakes around the coop. I once reached into the nest box and was wondering what that thick black rope was. It was a snake! I believe that everything has the right to eat and do not want to kill the snakes. I made my husband promise he would not kill them. But he throws them into the woods/trees. Poor snake.

 

[K0k0shka]

We seem to have alot of black rat snakes around the coop. I once reached into the nest box and was wondering what that thick black rope was. It was a snake! I believe that everything has the right to eat and do not want to kill the snakes. I made my husband promise he would not kill them. But he throws them into the woods/trees. Poor snake.

I love your attitude. I agree that everything has a right to live, especially wild animals whose habitat we have so selfishly occupied. And rat snakes aren't dangerous to humans. They provide natural rodent control

 

[KelseyBoxer]

I agree. Not dangerous and they are "rat" snakes so I know they eat rodents (and eggs) I just dont want to touch them or step on them. My dogs are deadly to snakes. they have played tug-o-war with a few

 

[cmom]

I posted this on another thread about slimy egg. My best guess would be an egg eater. I have one bird who often lays a soft shell egg. They get plenty of oyster shells. I have seen other birds break it open and then run with it like they have a prize. Gooey is left in the nest box and on other eggs.