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Eggs in soft shells, small eggs without yolk, eggs with a deformed shell or speckled. I often get asked questions( and send all kinds of creepy photos to my email address) about the causes of unusual eggs in chickens - with cones, bumps, with small specks, speckled, in a soft shell. In most cases, this is not a cause for concern.
Although it is often customary to judge the health status of chickens by the appearance of eggs - healthy birds feed on a healthy, balanced food and carry the same regular-shaped eggs, sometimes abnormal eggs that appear can be considered quite normal. It is worth worrying only when this happens all the time, since the reason may lie in serious health problems.
So I decided to describe some of the most typical and non-dangerous types of abnormal chicken eggs.
Small eggs without yolk
These are eggs the size of a small ball, which can often be found in young layers. The reason for their appearance is that the shell is formed around the egg without the yolk and surrounds only the squirrel, so the size of the eggs is so small. This is quite common among young laying hens until their bodies reach sexual maturity. It is better to eat such eggs as food, rather than trying to hatch chicks out of them - even if they have yolk inside, the space inside the shell is too small for the normal development of the embryo.
Eggs with double yolk
When two yolks are in the oviduct too close to each other, sometimes they are simultaneously covered with one protein( and shell), as a result they formpretty big egg. In general, a double yolk in an egg is not a cause for concern, so if your chicken constantly carries such eggs, I would simply close your eyes to your place. It does not carry any potential health risks for chickens, besides, eggs with a double yolk are an excellent food product.
Spotted Eggs
As the egg moves through the oviduct, it turns. If the rotation is too fast, the egg may have a “smeared” pattern. If the egg moves slowly, then small patches of pigment appear on it. Many breeds of chickens( especially Welzumer) regularly lay eggs in specks. This is one of the most beautiful types of eggs, and they look great on the dining table.
Eggs with white deposits on the shell
Small white particles on eggs - this is nothing more than calcium deposition. If various kinds of particles are present in the oviduct, from which the shell is formed, then calcium begins to be released to bind them. This leads to the formation of white deposits on the shell. They are well cleaned with a fingernail, after which the eggs can be eaten.
Eggs with wrinkled or ribbed shells
The appearance of such eggs is quite common for more experienced layers. This can be caused by stress during egg laying due to the loud barking of a dog, a lurking predator, a thunderstorm and other irritants. Although from an aesthetic point of view, such eggs can not be called beautiful, but they can be successfully eaten.
Eggs in a soft shell
As a rule, such eggs appear due to a lack of calcium in the diet, although there may be other causes, such as an excess of spinach in feed. I would not risk eating such eggs with a soft shell, as they are deprived of the first line of defense against bacteria that enter the eggshell.
Eggs without shells
The only exception to the list of safe unusual types of eggs may be eggs without shell. You may have heard of them. For seven years I have been breeding chickens, and have never encountered such a problem. But I know for sure that this is not a death sentence for a chicken, as you may have heard or read somewhere.
However, it is dangerous to eat such eggs as food.
As a matter of fact, they are not real eggs - this is a soft, rubber-like mass that the hen sometimes puts aside towards the end of the cycle. According to many experts in the field of poultry, these as-called eggs are actually part of the reproductive system in which something is disturbed. As a result, they are eliminated from the body through the oviduct.
As a rule, after the appearance of such eggs, chickens no longer rush.
Unusual eggs are usually an accidental phenomenon, in which there is nothing to worry about. However, it is better to get acquainted with useful information. .. just to be on the safe side.
