[Sharondp]

Went to collect the eggs from the black rocks this morning and found a tiny egg, about the size of a blackbirds. Could it be from my light sussex pullet who is now approx 12 weeks and boarding with the blacks since the fox ate all her sisters? Or is one of the blacks having a bad day? They didn't lay for a couple of days but started again yesterday, with 3 eggs from 5 hens.

[xnbacon]

I had one of them a while ago - only happened once and never found out who was responsible, but yes, wierd!!  Can't help you with the why, though, sorry!  Probably just a quirk of nature if just the one.

[dixie]

Its called a wind egg or a fart egg!! they occasionly lay a weeny egg, usually with no yolk, think its just their sytem sorting itself out!

[Sharondp]

Thanks - I won't tell the children that's what it's called - particularly as the 5 year old wants to take it to 'show & tell'!
So probably not the pullet then - I was thinking it was a bit early for her!!

[Hermit]

We have had a few of those eggs off the ducks when they first lay. Fart eggs is a more apt name when applied to a duck dud

[daniellestocks]

I got one last week, no yolk i still ate it 

[Sharondp]

We did break it just to have a look, there wasn't a yolk but a white and what I can only describe as a black 'splodge' within it - didn't look very appetising!

[Hermit]

I had the teeniest egg today, smaller than a bantam egg. It had a tiny yolk, looked like an eye ball.

[little blue]

looked like an eye ball.

... mmm, nice!

[northfifeduckling]

I always called them starter eggs as I just got them from young ducks, the chickens started off with almost full sized ones and I was a bit disappointed 

[dixie]

I have a hen recently start laying she laid a teeny weeny egg one day then a whopper the next, and it was all crinkly ouch!

[Sharondp]

Ouch indeed! We had an egg with blood stains on from one of my buffs today - had a quick inspection but couldn't tell which one

[Pomona]

We've got Black Rocks and had one or two of these - they're very dainty looking aren't they?!

Every other egg has been absolutely fine, and there doesn't seem to be any determining factors, it's just a one-off kind of thing.

Though, I was most disgusted when I opened the nest box and saw it there: the hen who laid it had been gurning loudly for hours and was in so long I thought she was laying an ostrich-sized egg        

[suziequeue]

I had one on Saturday.

When I opened it it had a yolk and a little blood spot. We don't have a cockrel and I thought that blood spots only came in fertilized eggs.

Conclusions:

1) The egg was laid by something else
2) I am wrong about my blood spot assumption

Can anybody elighten me?

Susanna

[jameslindsay]

I had one on Saturday.

When I opened it it had a yolk and a little blood spot. We don't have a cockrel and I thought that blood spots only came in fertilized eggs.

Conclusions:

1) The egg was laid by something else
2) I am wrong about my blood spot assumption

Can anybody elighten me?

Susanna

Blood spots occur when blood or a bit of tissue is released along with a yolk.  Each developing yolk in a hen's ovary is enclosed in a sack containing blood vessels that supply yolk building substances. When the yolk is mature, it is normally released from the only area of the yolk sac, called the "stigma" or "suture line", that is free of blood vessels.  Occasionally, the yolk sac ruptures at some other point, causing blood vessels to break and blood to appear on the yolk or in the white. As an egg ages, the blood spot becomes paler, so a bright blood spot is a sign that the egg is fresh.

Blood spots occur in less than one percent of all eggs laid.  They may appear in a pullet's first few eggs, but are more likely to occur as hens get older, indicating that it's time to cull.  Blood spots may be triggered by too little vitamin A in a hen's diet, or they may be hereditary - if you hatch replacement pullets from a hen that characteristically lays spotted eggs, your new flock will likely do the same.