Update folks: Ok, my ladies are laying around 3 or 4 eggs a day (5 Hens) They are getting larger and getting darker brown (the eggs). I have had a few double "yolkers" and that is exciting. I also had a weird experience. As I was changing their water a hen "hatched" an unshelled egg on the floor, it was just the membrane with yolk and all, well the other chickens just gobbled it up, right before my eyes!!!. I was wondering, is this normal? I feed them Layer food and they get plenty of water and light. I started giving them crushed Oyster shells just in case. Any thoughts? Thanks Andy in MD

-- Andy in MD (andy@mission4me.com), February 08, 2002

Answers

We get one of these every so often. Since the chickens are free range and fed commercial layer, and have oyster shell available, I just don't worry about it. I'm not about to separate each hen (we have about 50) to see which one left it in the nest.

-- Dianne Wood (woodgoat@pacifier.com), February 09, 2002.

If you're worried about whether or not the eggs are bad for them, they're not.

If you're worried about whether or not this will cause them to WANT to eat the eggs, it probably won't. (note probably)

My mom always said it was just a lack of calcium, and the oyster shells should do the trick, or even crush the used eggshells and feed them back to the chickens with any vegetable scraps you might give them(mine prefer the crushed eggshells to the oyster shells). Good Luck!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), February 09, 2002.

Not sure why it does that. I feed mine laying pellets, oyster shells, and crushed up egg shells and every once in a while I will still find one under the roost.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), February 09, 2002.

feed them a cup or 2 of WHOLE oats a day.

-- carol (kanogisdi@yahoo.com), February 09, 2002.

This is just one of those things that happens, albeit usually with younger hens that have just begun to lay. You likely have no deficiencies as to caqlcium or anything else if it happens rarely. Not to say you shouldn't toss some oyster shell their way every now and then. However, layer feed contains sufficient calcium by itself. If you free range, they'll pick up all the odd little necessities in their daily foraging. GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), February 09, 2002.

I found a very interesting wrinkly duck egg a few days ago. When I washed it, it thawed. Turned out to be a frozen no-shell egg.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), February 09, 2002.

I have one hen who regularly lays a wrinkly egg......hard as a normal one, and fine inside, but has wrinkles. the kids think its pretty neat. I never sell them, but use them for us. I have another who lays long pointy ones...ususally double yolked. I have found a no shell egg from time to time too. I had a turkey that laid them quite often. I gather my eggs twice a day to help avoid the egg eating. Mine will do it given the chance, and I never seem to catch them red handed doing it. Never fails...if I only gather eggs late evening there will be a broken one. It makes me mad. So.....I gather at around noon, and then again in the evening. Anyway....the no shell egg should be a once in a while thing..if more often than once a month or so..I would try to get more calcium to them. I use oyster shell.

-- Jenny (Auntjenny@aol.com), February 09, 2002.