My hens (RIR and Light Sussex hybrids) about 12 months old now - have started laying eggs that are very bumpy (like large bits of grit)on the rounded end only. The shells are not as hard as they used to be either. I feed them a propritary layers pellet adding no additional oyster shell. They also get any kitchen scraps going. Mostly this is just a cosmetic issue, but does anyone know why they might have started doing it? A previous lot of hens started doing this and several month later started laying eggs that didn't harden - They were leathery. I was told an incurable virus caused this. But I'm wondering if the one is a precursor to the other.

-- Kathryn (k.jordan3@ntlworld.com), January 23, 2002

Answers

Hello Kathryn.

When I was getting a few shelless eggs, my hens were young and this seemed to happen after they were frightened by something. I haven't had any for a few years.

I sometimes get the gritty flecked and spotted eggs, but I never related it to the ones without the shell. I've never heard of this being caused by a virus, either.

I will look around at a few poultry sites and post back with any links I find.

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), January 23, 2002.

Kathryn, my mother raised chickens for eggs when I was small and sold the eggs at a local grocery (those days are gone, aren't they!?).

We sometimes had this happen with our eggs, the bumps or lack of true "shell", and both my parents always said that meant they needed some oyster shells to help harden the eggshell. I have also heard that in place of oyster shells you can feed the eggshells back to the chickens (I crunch mine up somewhat after they have dried) and this will suffice. I wondered if they would eat them, but they seem to prefer the eggshells to the oyster shells, given the choice.

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), January 23, 2002.

All of the info I have ever read about chickens says that unless they are free-ranging, they require a calcium addition to their diet to make up for what they lose in the egg laying process....either oyster shells or their own egg shells (sterilized and crushed first) are the supplements of choice...

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), January 23, 2002.

I sometimes get the bumpy / speckled eggs, but have never found any rhyme or reason to it. My RIR's have a feder of 21% layer pellet and a 2nd one of oyster shell. I've also noticed that my Silkies, who don't have a feeder of oyster shell, but do get the 21% layer, have never laid any eggs like this. I also give them any greens or stale bread I can toss their way too, plus cracked corn once a day.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), January 24, 2002.

Okay, here is one site with lots of info on poultry virus.

http://www.poultry-health.com/ ....and another.....

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Health/health.html

I cannot get into my vast stores of bookmarks right now. I will have to post my favorite chicken sites later.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), January 25, 2002.

With my birds, it means not enough calcium except for a couple of hens that have ALWAYS had bumpy shells.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), January 25, 2002.

Ah! Here is my absolute favorite chicken site! http://www.poultryscotland.co.uk/

-- Laura (Ladybugwrangler@hotmail.com), January 26, 2002.

Hey, I ma 14 and I have had this problem with my birds too. What it is is the process by which your chickens' eggs are formed in the oviduct. What happens is the yolk is first created, then the white is added, then the membrane that protects the white from harmful pathogens. Then the egg "sits" there while the shell "calcifies" Depending on how developed your chickens oviduct is, the calcification may not be put on in an even layer. Or your chicken's organ that puts down the calcium might not be completely used to regulating the amount of shell that goes down(there is extra calcium in there!)I hope this helps! email me with questions!

-- Anthony De Piante (ajd@carolina.rr.com), March 01, 2002.

I wouldn't feed eggshells back they are full of bacteria and can be fed to another chicken not layer of egg.

Chad

-- Chad Adom Norton (rwnorton@erols.com), April 09, 2002.

whgatever!

-- Stuart Green (stuartbrownintown@yahoo.com), August 13, 2002.

i have to do a science fair project do you have any answers. i am doning it on eggs i found this web site at school.i need some answers. this is the question, why do rotten eggs float? please email me back

thanks

-- Ashlie (chicadee484@aol.com), December 16, 2002.

Kathryn, in answer to your question, the eggs that are rotten float because of build up of sulphur dioxide and other "smelly" gasses. this is why people complain about rotten egg gas, serious putrifaction occurs at various times, most commonly when the egg is well and truly "out of date" this can also occur if something seriously goes wriong during incubation. the instant an egg goes rotten it should be destroyed totally and disposed of in a sealed bag to prevent contamination pathogens from passing on to other food.

its usually the yolk that goes rotten first and starts a chain reaction...hope you like your fried eggs yellow and not green...

-- the chook man (lungyinc@bigpond.com), January 07, 2003.

HI i have chickens 4 road islands and others but most likely my road island would lay an egg and fall on other egg or just the earth surface is to hard for it u may want to try makin nest or if you do try makin sure they lay in there and make sure that its filled with hay or whatever you use what i use for those people that run out of hay ect..if you have a lawn mower that shoots the grass out that you cut i use that and it works great or even try useing moss off a tree i will say that these plants will attract bugs so be carful when changeing there bedding and about the (large bits of grit)i would not worry about becouse just like you and me we are diffrent and im sure that there nothin wrong with them ive had on the was dark on 1 side and light on the other and to tell you the truth if you fell that it wont hatch then you can eat it just make sure you wash it thanks for readin sorry for it being so long :)

-- Joshua Kelch (joshmonster123@earthlink.net), April 18, 2003.

CHAD)to cover your egg shell information if you guys feed egg shells to a chicken is is posible that if the chicken went to the bathroon and some egg shell was not digested the chicken could be injured in a way of a brews,bleeding,or wounds its not heathy for them becouse well lets put it this way would you guys get a baby chop it up and eat it NO! you wouldnt becouse its filled with bactreia,there are fluids that when the hen gose to lay her egg fluids spill all over the eggs also a mega risk of 1 or all of your chickens getting a disese from DNA mix up just like humans if we share ones DNA with others we get sick so think of a 12 to 20 inch tall chicken tryin to survive somthing that its owner did but if you have egg shells you could blender them in your garbage d.in your sink or crush it and make soil with it AND 1 other thing if you have a rotted egg and have snakes why not feed it to them or if live near forest or anywhere near wild life give it to wild life like (raccoon)or (possuim)

thanx for reading my note hope these work for you and keep you and your chickens happier

-- Josh Kelch (joshmonster123@earthlink.net), April 18, 2003.

CHAD.to cover your egg shell information if you guys feed egg shells to a chicken is is posible that if the chicken went to the bathroon and some egg shell was not digested the chicken could be injured in a way of a brews,bleeding,or wounds its not heathy for them becouse well lets put it this way would you guys get a baby chop it up and eat it NO! you wouldnt becouse its filled with bactreia,there are fluids that when the hen gose to lay her egg fluids spill all over the eggs also a mega risk of 1 or all of your chickens getting a disese from DNA mix up just like humans if we share ones DNA with others we get sick so think of a 12 to 20 inch tall chicken tryin to survive somthing that its owner did but if you have egg shells you could blender them in your garbage d.in your sink or crush it and make soil with it AND 1 other thing if you have a rotted egg and have snakes why not feed it to them or if live near forest or anywhere near wild life give it to wild life like (raccoon)or (possuim)

thanx for reading my note hope these work for you and keep you and your chickens happier

-- josh kelch (joshmonster123@earthlink.net), April 18, 2003.

It is because you are not feeding them the right protine

-- Cheryl (princess89222002@yahoo.com), April 29, 2003.

Read why eggshell is not satisfactory and the percent calcium source in feed is required for egg production at this web site: http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/poultry/smallflock.html

-- Wade Van Buskirk (wade.at@psmfc.org), July 02, 2003.