Chicken Egg Problems

Are these chicken egg problems
or do chicken sometimes just lay weird eggs?

Most abnormal chicken eggs aren’t anything to worry about. Occassionally, however, your chicken might be having problems. Here's a list of the more common egg abnormalities and their causes. (And solutions, too, if there are any.)

Misshapen Eggs:

Misshapen eggs come in all sorts of amazing shapes. Just Google misshapen egg images and you’ll be blown away by the eggs some hens have laid. If you’re hen lays a misshapen egg from time to time, there’s nothing to worry about. Only about 2% of the eggs laid are odd in shape, and it usually just means that you’ve either got a young or old chicken doing the laying. Or, often, that the hen experienced a double ovulation during the laying process.

Fart Eggs:

These are also known as Wind Eggs and are tiny eggs, generally without a yolk inside. The cause of these cute little eggs is thought to be when a small chunk of tissue comes loose in the egg production area of the hen and is mistaken as a yolk. The process immediately surrounds this hunk of tissue and creates an egg around it.

There’s nothing to worry about with these tiny eggs. It’s just a fluke that happens from time to time. One of my hens laid eight fart eggs in a row one time. She was on a streak! She eventually got over it and started laying normal eggs again.

Blood Spots on the Outside Shell:

This is a good indication that you’ve got some red mites present. The best treatment for this problem is to talk to a vet and get some anti-mite remedy from them.

Blood Spots on the Inside of the Egg:

A common misconception of the blood spot inside the egg is that it’s a fertilized egg. But, actually, the blood spot is caused by the rupture of a blood vessel during the formation of the egg. It’s harmless and can be eaten (or picked out of the egg before cooking, if you don’t like the looks of it).

Double Yolk in Egg:

This happens when two yolks are released at the same time and become encased in a single shell.

Soft Shell/No Shell Eggs:

There are actually several potential causes of a hen laying a soft-shelled egg. One cause is from the hen not receiving enough calcium in her diet. The remedy for this is easy. Place a small container of oyster shell or other calcium source in the pen so the hen can eat it whenever she needs it (amazingly, her body will tell her when she needs it—so just give her access to it and she’ll know how much to eat). Also, it’s good to have your hens on a layer food, which has added calcium.

Sometimes, it’s not a calcium issue, however. If a chicken’s system is somehow shocked or the hen gets scared, it could cause the next egg she lays to be soft. However, if ALL the hens are laying soft eggs and they’re also all eating calcium, add variety to their diet by feeding them things like fresh spinach or cabbage. Allow them more free-range time to increase the greens in their diet.

Lastly, if you’ve done all the above, and occasionally get a soft egg, just know that sometimes hens lay soft eggs for no reason at all. Unless it becomes a huge problem, don’t worry about it. However, it’s good to try all the above first, to make sure it’s not a lack in their diet.

As you can see, most of the time odd looking eggs aren't actually chicken egg problems, they're just odd looking eggs. Consider it a 'bad egg day' and watch to make sure it doesn't become a habit. However, sometimes abnormal eggs could be a sign of dietary lack or occassionally even disease. If problems persist, consider consulting a vet.