Yolks that won't whisk together for scramble and are firmer than the normal yolk

[HeatherKellyB]

I just cracked 11 eggs to make a breakfast casserole and even cracked them one at a time in a small bowl to inspect before adding into the main bowl. They all looked fine. As I whisked them together, I noticed some yolk pieces that wouldn't mix well. I figured it was because my bowl wasn't quite large enough and proceeded to scramble them. The firmer pieces never did incorporate and I've found them throughout the scramble. I've searched Google and haven't found anything except for meat spots, which is not what I'm finding. One post from BYC came up and said it's from a good diet, but since there are no pictures, I'm unsure if this is the same thing. I don't know if maybe an egg froze and I didn't realize it or what's going on. I've got to get this casserole in the oven so I guess I will just save these and try again, just in case. I don't want to toss this many eggs. They taste wonderful.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

@NancyNurseCxMama thank you for your time. What is considered old for backyard chicken eggs? I don't have any that were laid before January

That's not old. My girls started laying again a couple of weeks ago and before that I was using eggs from November with no issues. But I had a few older ones where the yolks had thickened---no indication of spoilage, only noticeable thicker yolks and thinner whites.

 

[aart]

I have had some eggs where the yolk and/or white didn't homogenize smoothly/easily.
As long as your birds are eating/drinking/pooping/moving around OK,
I'd not be too concerned.

Might tell us what all and how exactly you are feeding, in case anyone else wants to venture a guess.

 

[NatJ]

Egg yolks do go funny if they've been frozen. Maybe one or more eggs froze partway--enough to mess with the yolk, but without breaking the shell.

If you feel like experimenting, you could freeze one egg in your freezer, let it thaw, and try to scramble it--if the yolk is the same as the puzzling ones, then you'll know what happened.

I'd be fairly sure the eggs you're talking about are safe to eat, but I can see they might not be appetizing that way.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You may have said this already and I missed it, but were these eggs kept refrigerated? Is it possible they froze in the fridge? Sometimes if my cartons touch the walls of the fridge, the eggs closest to those walls have been known to freeze. This does look like freezer damage to me. Nothing too serious, but unsightly. Nothing wrong with your hens though if that's the problem.

 

[Molpet]

In the winter I get some eggs like that when I don't pick up every few hours. I think it's from getting too cold. Eggs start to freeze at 28f

 

[aart]

If you feel like experimenting, you could freeze one egg in your freezer, let it thaw, and try to scramble it--if the yolk is the same as the puzzling ones, then you'll know what happened.

Excellent Idea!!

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

How old were the eggs? Sometimes the yolks in older eggs get very thick and congealed.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

You didn't happen to cut these 'chunks' in half for further inspection did you?
View attachment 2022854

They broke up as I was whisking and I also broke up some after they were cooked and it was just yolk. The texture was just a bit more firm than the rest of the scramble.

The reason I asked about the possibility of being frozen is that one of my pullets was laying in the middle of the night, every night, in the nest box. I didn't notice any broken, cracked or busted eggs though. I put the scrambled eggs in a zipper bag and stored them in the refrigerator if there is anything I can do to help figure this out. Thank you for your time

 

[HeatherKellyB]

You may have said this already and I missed it, but were these eggs kept refrigerated? Is it possible they froze in the fridge? Sometimes if my cartons touch the walls of the fridge, the eggs closest to those walls have been known to freeze. This does look like freezer damage to me. Nothing too serious, but unsightly. Nothing wrong with your hens though if that's the problem.

Yes I do keep my eggs in the fridge and there is a possibility that they froze partially in the nesting box as I had one pullet that would come down off the roost to lay in the middle of the night. I am really happy to hear that you've experienced this! Any thoughts on how to recognize this before adding to a recipe or large amount of eggs, other than whisking each egg individually? I already crack open each egg in a tiny bowl individually to inspect them before adding to anything