Why do some of my eggs look like this after a few days?

[Flixflaxnoob]

Unwashed eggs. Some of them start developing these gray splotches. What are they and would it compromise the egg? Are they already compromised?

 

[Themellowyellows]

No, it wont. Eggs can be left out for a long time and still be ok to eat. Thats all I know.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know what those are but there is a tremendous difference in appearances of eggs. I personally do not worry about that.

Sniff your eggs. If they smell like rotten eggs through the porous shell don't use them. When you open them always open them into a separate bowl before you mix them with anything else. If they don't look right, don't use them. I suggest this for all of our eggs, not just the ones you are concerned about. Commercial operations candle their eggs before packaging them to sell and remove any with internal defects. A surprising percentage of eggs have something inside, ours as well as the commercial ones. Blood spots or meat spots won't hurt you if you eat them but they can be unappetizing.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

That’s normal to see with thinner shelled eggs. As they sit you can see where they are more porous. If you were to take a flashlight and hold it up to it you will see the spots that are gray are thinner with the light shining through brighter. I always pre-candle eggs before I use them for hatching. When they look like this I don’t use them because they don’t usually develop, but for eating they are fine.

 

[Muser]

Unwashed eggs. Some of them start developing these gray splotches. What are they and would it compromise the egg? Are they already compromised?

My girls sometimes lay one with splotches like this. They tend to be thinner egg shells too. They should be ok to eat but as Ridgerunner and HollowOfWisps has stated, always crack them into another bowl before adding them to a pan It's a good habit to get into anyway in case one is bad, you won't have ruined all the other eggies in the process. and the sniff test is good too, your body will tell you if it's bad or not!

I will say, if your girls are producing thin shelled eggs, maybe increase their calcium, or remove any stressors. My girls only tend to lay eggs like this when something disrupts their routine (new chickens are added to the flock, new layers, broodiness, flock dynamic changes, illness/parasites or predator attacks). Give them the once over to check they are all ok. <3