White eggs from my brown egg layer!

[machinfarm]

I have 4 Red Ranger pullets who just started laying light brown eggs about a month ago. The one who started laying first, and who lays extra large eggs, has now started laying pure white eggs that seem slightly rough, like they aren't getting finished properly before laying. The shells seem to be of normal thickness, however when I hard boiled 9 eggs yesterday, the white one split open during cooking while the others did not so maybe it's not as thick. The last three she's laid were like this: slightly rough, and pure white.

Her earlobes are light pink while her sisters have red earlobes so that might mean something, but I know for a fact she was laying brown eggs consistently for awhile, she was the first and only one laying for almost two weeks before the others. Is this some sort of funky fluke while she's still regulating her laying, or a sign of illness, or stress, or just one of those things?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I know that egg color gets lighter the longer they are in lay, but to change to white and brittle does indicate something is going on, as long as she's on a decent ration and has access to oyster shells there's not much you can do. Color lightening up on her face indicates something not quite right either.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

While birds do lighten somewhat from their first color, that normally only happens with dark layers like Welsummer or Marans. Medium brown layers to lighter tint layers generally keep pretty steady color.

If you are seeing a really white egg all of a sudden with rough texture, it can be caused by an anatomical defect or nutritional deficiency, but that is typically a sign of illness when it comes on suddenly.

Usually it is a sign of Newcastle or Infectious Bronchitis.

Is anybody nicking, coughing, sneezing. Does anybody have eye discharge, or sit around a bit ruffled?

IB and Newcastle can have very mild strains that do not give much by way of symptoms other than the classic rough, suddenly pale, often wrinkled egg.

Be forewarned if it is viral disease, it will generally spread through the flock fairly quickly and hang for about a week. Laying may go off for a number of weeks, but eventually come back on again.

If it is viral, I recommend putting fresh garlic and yogurt in their mash and putting Elderberry tincture in their water...I've nursed a flock through IB and that really seemed to help them rally.

Antibiotics won't help with viral infections, although you may decide to add some after the initial phase if you've had a lot of coughing as secondary infections often follow.

I'll link egg issues and their causes below.

Hopefully it is just this one bird, but do keep a careful eye out as this can be the signs of a viral illness for the whole flock.

LofMc

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/17/sandpaper-or-rough-shells/

http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/li...s-bronchitis-and-small-laying-hen-flocks.html

http://www.poultrydisease.ir/Atlases/avian-atlas/search/examfinding/246.html

 

[machinfarm]

Thank you for your responses. We actually butchered them this morning before I read the replies. They were hold overs from out straight run of red ranger meat birds, I pardoned them at the last minute then because they were only a few weeks from laying. We have 7 -14 week old Buff Orpingtons pullets and three roosters that we got because we decided we wanted a breeding flock of dual purpose birds so we didn't have to keep buying chicks for meat, and my thought was to keep these girls for eggs until the BO's started laying.

Well since they are hybrids bred for size and definitely not much thought is put into their egg laying traits, they were all over the map. There was the smallest one who laid the enormous eggs that turned white, a huge one who laid these perfectly formed but tiny eggs about an inch and half tall, one who laid regular sized, decent eggs, and one who consistently laid soft shelled eggs right off the roost daily (I couldn't figure out who was who of those two or I would have gotten rid of the soft-sheller sooner). I decided it wasn't worth the feed to keep them around for such mixed results since the four of them ate as much as the other 10!

I was feeding them fermented grower/finisher, they had free feeders of the dry grower/finisher and oyster shells, and they got fruits and vegetable scraps from the kitchen often. So I don't *think* they had any nutritional issues. No one seemed lethargic or anything and the one with the white eggs has light earlobes but still a bright red comb and wattles, they all did. I did however notice some sneezing. I hadn't put much thought into it, I figured they were getting the wet fermented feed up their nose or something. I hope they weren't sick... if they had something would they not be safe to eat now? I would absolutely HATE to throw them out but I understand if they are ill I don't want anyone to get sick.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Neither Newcastle virus or Infectious Bronchitis (Coronovirus) is transferable to humans from the chickens.

However, birds infected with either virus are typically poor performers and developers....more importantly the virus weakens the bird's immune system and often encourages bacterial overgrowth such as eColi...a number one condemnation in processed birds....so those infected frequently have bacterial overgrowth causing condemnation at the processing plant.

This means that if the secondary infections were present, the meat may be suspect.

LofMc

http://www.infectious-bronchitis.com/economic-consequences-ib.asp
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm097

 

[machinfarm]

Quote:
Lady of McCamely, You're a wealth of information, thank you for the links, I really appreciate your responses. Now I'm going to go cry in a corner. Argh!!!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm so sorry. I've shed tears of frustration with chickens too.

Without lab tests you have no way of knowing what or if any infection or overgrowth is present. And you could have some meat tested.

But most of us small timers try to avoid that kind of expense.

With sneezing and egg production all over the map and most importantly the sudden white sandy egg, it is suspicious.

Many of us cook the meat to death and feed it to the dogs. Some still eat the meat, but I personally do not feed meat from a suspected sick bird for concern of eColi and Salmonella, common overgrowth in sick animals.

So sorry....that is frustrating.

LofMc