Egg problem

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lindsey

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Hi, I am new to forums but not to chicken keeping. I had hens for about 15 years in the late 80's onwards and last year began hen keeping again after a gap of about 10 years. Unsuprisingly things have changed a bit, especially the price and variety of pols! My problem is new to me and I have searched the web and read everything I can find on egg problems without coming across anything that describes what I am experiencing. I have four hens, different varieties, and they have been laying consistently since I got them as point of lay in April 2011. One of them has in the last few months begun laying an egg which has a semi-solid slightly mottled yolk. It isnt possible to beat the yolk into the white with a fork because the yolk is so firm. I cant tell the bad eggs from good without cracking them into a saucer and then it is immediately obvious. Has anyone has heard of anything like this before? All four hens seems happy and healthy.
 
Also kept poultry for years and I've never heard of this at all so sorry I can't help. They should be coming up for a moult soon and I wonder if the break will break the cycle as it were and she will start laying good eggs again after the moult.

Be interested to know what changes have occurred
 
thanks for your reply, Its very puzzling, the freshly laid yolk is about the consistency of soft butter and will hold the imprint of a finger. I will let you know if I find out what it is.
 
I've heard of this problem with the whites Lindsey -called 'meat lumps' I think. But not the yolks. Sounds like the consistency of fat. Are these hens overweight or fed too much sweetcorn (maize)? Or is this hen not drinking enough water because there is ACV in it?
 
I give them about an egg cup each of maize scattered in the run every afternoon and they dont appear to be overweight. What is ACV? I put crushed garlic in the drinkers. The yolk is spherical like a ping pong ball and mottled, but normal colour. The consistency is probably more like soft raw pastry, difficult to describe really, if I poke it with my finger it leaves a lasting dent! We cant eat these eggs so wwe are having to crack all our eggs before use to make sure we they are ok which cant continue. Do you think Deffra would be interested? Perhaps the hen has a disease?
 
I think the amount of Maize is OK if they have room to run it off. If they are just sitting there mixed corn would be better, so far less maize. I would try stopping the garlic and just give them plain water Lindsey for a few weeks. It could be either an actual effect of too much garlic or not liking the taste so not drinking enough. Can't see it as a disease as such -perhaps a genetic malfunction otherwise. We do get the occasional noticeably thicker yolk from one hen -not as thick as yours. She lays very infrequently and is 5 now.
 
Are all your hens the same breed! I can tell which one of mine has laid which egg because they are all different shapes, sizes and colours. if you can't do this, maybe try separating them, into pairs at first, and marking the eggs so at least you know which one is the culprit. The you have more grounds for working out what you should do about it.
 
Okay I will stop the garlic in the water, it's worth a try. they are 4 different breeds, two lay pale eggs and two lay brown and I have isolated one of the pale layers to find out which one it is. The problem really got underway when we were on holiday for two weeks, typical eh?, and we came back last Thursday. It doesn't happen with every lay so it might take a few days to discover the culprit. Interesting Chris that your older hen lays the occasional thick yoked egg, is it mottled as well? Mine have been laying non stop for 15 months and are gradually reducing their lay so I wonder if it occurs after she has had a couple of days off?
Thanks for your replies, much appreciated.
 
When you say 'it really got under way whilst you were away for two weeks', how long had the problem been going on before that? And it's just a pale egg?
I wonder how they were cared for when you were away? Could they possibly have been fed anything you wouldn't have given them? Chickens are very sensitive to changes of keeper and routine, and if someone with less experience had been looking after them, it's possible they might have had a few 'treats' that wouldn't have been on the menu normally. I can't think why this should have affected just one hen, though. Just trying to think of any possible aspects not yet covered!
 
Well I had experienced one or two strange eggs prior to going away and I warned the carer to be aware and she then reported that they had experienced the problem 'quite frequently' but wasnt able to be specific. Since our return I have used 6 pale eggs, including one identified from each suspect, and had only one problem egg out of the 6 and that one was laid the day we left for our holiday. Now that one hen is in isolation I will be able to see which one is laying the bad egg and how often. I am eating so many eggs at the moment I hope it won't take long, of course it is all down to me, everyone else is reluctant to eat any pale eggs at all. As soon as I identify the rogue hen I will post, it's either the Bluebell or the Speckledy.
'
 
Just posted a reply at the same time as you and it's disappeared Lindsey. Think Lucy's eggs are very slow down the ovaduct and thicken up as a result. They are an even colour. I eat a lot of poached eggs and often notice some yolks are runnier than others but haven't given it any thought until now. But I presume yours are laying daily, not once every three days?
 
Well actually no, I am aware that egg production has reduced, probably because they are now in their 15 consecutive month of laying, I have been surprised that they havent gone into a moult yet. In the last 8 days the pale-egg layers have acheived 50% between them which means one could be only laying once weekly. With the pale layers separated I will be able to see what their individual laying rate is and the problem might simply be the circumstance you describe, ie the egg spending longer than normal in the oviduct. I was heartened to read that your elderly hen lays the occasional thick-yolked egg, although not as thick as mine by the sounds of it!
 
lindsey said:
Well actually no, I am aware that egg production has reduced, probably because they are now in their 15 consecutive month of laying, I have been surprised that they havent gone into a moult yet.
Click to expand...

I have two hybrids the same age as yours and they haven't shown any signs of moult yet either. Getting a bit tatty though!
 
I have been reading about the reproductive system in hens, and have learned that they have a cluster of egg yolks developing in sequence when they are in lay, released one at a time down the oviduct. A bit like a bunch of grapes of different sizes. So an individual yolk would spend some time developing before being released. How long I'm not sure, but during this time maybe something is happening to the yolks in your hen, Lindsey. I wondered about possible cancer of the ovaries affecting the developing yolks, and another possibility, which might be linked, is that this is a result of a previous virus infection which went unnoticed at the time but has affected the ovaries (and maybe other tissues in the body.)
This is just a theory of course, but if and when she dies or you cull her, it would be very interesting to have a proper autopsy done, as this seems to be such a rare occurence.
 
Takes about a week for the egg as we know it to develop Marigold. Having post-mortemed a hen I found an egg and 4 yolks from the size of a pea up to fully formed. The white, sac and shell must go on in the last day. That assumes production at one a day. For an old hen like Lucy they must be moving through in three weeks? Or moving through in a week and being started every three days?
 
Thank you both for the information, I am hoping that it is the gap between laying that is causing the problem. Just an update, the bluebell laid on Sunday and it was a good egg but hasnt laid since then so it will be interesting to check out her next egg.
 
Sorry it has taken so long, Bluebelle has finally laid her egg, first since Sunday, and it proves she is the culprit layer of the faulty eggs. I imagine she might be phasing down to go into an early summer moult and perhaps the gap between eggs is the cause of the strange yolk as Chris suggested. I will keep her on and see whether the problem resolves after full laying recommences and write this one down to experience!
Thank you again for your interest and contributions.
 
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