\"concrete\" eggs

[Guest]

I have a question--I occasionally get an egg from my Easter eggers or Ameraucanas that is rougher and seems to be without the bloom.  They look like they\'re made of concrete, so that\'s what I call them--concrete eggs.

Does anyone know why these might pop up occasionally?  Cause?  How to solve the issue?  It doesn\'t seem to cause a problem, nothing seems any different, just the outside texture of the shell is rough and dull.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts,

Liz in Utah

[Mike Gilbert]

If these eggs are being produced by more than one hen, you may have a flock nutrition issue to address.   Hens that have had certain diseases will oftentimes produce misshapen eggs, and I suppose the same problem could interfere with the synthesis of the shell while being formed.   If it is only one hen I would not be too concerned.   But I would not hatch that hen\'s eggs in case it would be  genetic - a propensity caused by some kind of mutation.   That seems very unlikely, but even so I wouldn\'t chance it.   Sorry I can\'t give a more \"concrete\" reponse.  

[Guest]

If these eggs are being produced by more than one hen, you may have a flock nutrition issue to address.   Hens that have had certain diseases will oftentimes produce misshapen eggs, and I suppose the same problem could interfere with the synthesis of the shell while being formed.   If it is only one hen I would not be too concerned.   But I would not hatch that hen\'s eggs in case it would be  genetic - a propensity caused by some kind of mutation.   That seems very unlikely, but even so I wouldn\'t chance it.   Sorry I can\'t give a more \"concrete\" reponse.  

Thanks Mike.  It doesn\'t happen very often, but it has happened from more than one hen...certainly not on a regular basis, though.  It\'s almost like there\'s too much calcification on the outside of the shell.

I doubt it\'s a nutrition issue, my ladies free range but always have 20% lay pellets available, plus crushed oyster shell, plus occasional treats (less than 5% of diet) such as a handful of scratch or some sunflower seeds, or leftover veggies or whatever.

Thanks for the thoughts, and I\'ll let you know if I get any more of these concrete eggs.

Liz in Utah

[Mike Gilbert]

I have had older hens produce rough, porous eggshells from time to time in the past as well.     I tried various diet changes as well as apple cider vinegar in the water to help them utilize the calcium and phosphorus in their diet.   My conclusion was that it was an internal and/or genetic problem.   Fortunately, these eggs never hatched, as the porous shell was probably condusive to the invasion of harmful bacteria.