The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: snowyriver on October 02, 2016, 10:58:19 am
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Hi.
1 of my new hens has laid 10 eggs to date and every egg is pretty much the same. The pointy end and the bulbous end are perfectly formed, but there is a ribbed band around the middle of the egg, it's as if the 2 halves had been ark welded together.
My biggest concern is that I’ve purchased this well bred trio for breeding next spring, but obviously this hen is not one to breed from unless the shell issue is due to something I’m doing wrong. They are fed layers pellets and are free to range over 2 acres of grassland and 3 acres of broad leaved woodland, but none of my other hens have this issue.
Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice would be welcome.
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This is nothing you are doing wrong, it's a small issue with the hen's reproductive system. I can't think it would hinder fertility but most folk wouldn't breed from her in case it's a genetic problem. Sorry not to be of more help!
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Mine have produced the odd one like this which is due to the egg being held in/stuck and it putting extra layers of shell around the middle. Sometimes caused by being startled/stressed, but if she is doing it with every egg could be genetic.
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Thank you for your replies.
You're both thinking along the same lines as me.
I'm beginning to think that the seller/breeder knew exactly what she was doing when she sold me this trio for a lot of money! 1 hen laying deformed eggs and the other laying very small eggs for a large fowl yearling hen (55 grams).
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I think, since she's laying these consistently, that it may be an ongoing problem. I have a hen that always lays eggs with "spots" of shell material sprinkled over them. She's also my best layer! She's home bred and we've never had one do this before. We use the eggs in the house and never incubate them. Eggs generally start out quite small and get larger with age, when the shell also thins. It's one of the reasons they sell off battery hens young as the eggshells aren't robust enough to withstand collection and packing. What breed are your new birds?
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My trio are Sussex.
I'll keep the hens and make use of their eggs. The original plan has now been tweaked and I'll purchase a couple of pullets to breed with the cockerel, so not all will be lost.
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I like the Sussex breed and have a few Speckleds. Some have been bred for show rather than the utility breed they used to be.