This results from an egg cracking during calcium formation, and the cracks are the chicken’s repairs, laying calcium over the cracks. The wrinkles sometimes look like a series of cracks in the shell. The wrinkles are often deep grooves, giving a very misshapen egg and making this perhaps the weirdest of all the egg oddities. Some older hens begin to lay wrinkly eggs too. Why are chicken eggs sometimes wrinkled?Ī wrinkly eggshell can be a sign of stress or illness but is usually a hereditary condition. The second egg produced in this process will usually have a flattened side, as it has bumped into the first egg during the early stages of shell formation and has been ‘squashed’ into an odd, flattened shape. It is usually caused by an interruption in the formation of the eggshell, caused by stress or by a second egg entering the internal production line. Viewed from the side, an eggshell with this peculiar oddity has a thick white ring, looking uncannily like an x-ray of the egg that lies beneath. Why do chicken eggshells sometimes have a white ring? This may be linked to dehydration, so make sure your hens have enough water, and that a timid hen isn’t being bullied away from it all the time. These can be spots or wormlike strands, and they often occur as single spots on an otherwise standard egg. The speckling is usually smooth, but it sometimes manifests as raised blotches of excess calcium. On some eggs, there is a marbled pattern rather than an area of freckles. She may have been shocked or stressed in some way while the egg was forming, or she may have developed a quirk in the pigment-producing part of her egg-laying system.įreckling is often the result of excess calcium production, sometimes associated with the ‘end of season’ laying at the beginning of winter. However, if a hen that typically produces plain eggs lays speckled ones, there are various possible causes. Any ailment can cause a hen to become stressed, so, in theory, any illness can result in misshapen eggs. Laryngotracheitis is another illness linked to egg abnormalities, and this, too, can be prevented through vaccination. The condition is rare, and chickens can be vaccinated against it. It is also common for the affected eggs to have lighter-colored shells than usual. The eggs she lays will have thin, wrinkled or rough-shelled eggs, and the white of the egg will be watery. An infected hen will stop producing eggs for a few days or will only lay intermittently. Infectious bronchitis can lead to misshapen eggs. The round shape requires less calcium than a normal oval egg.Īre oddly shaped chicken eggs a sign of illness? In all these cases, the egg inside is unaffected and is perfectly safe to eat.Ī ball-shaped egg is usually a sign of slight calcium deficiency. ![]() Sometimes they are rough-looking, with craggy rather than smooth surfaces, or with thicker bands of shell running across their middles. Misshapen eggs can be elongated, or they may have a thin, pointy end. This is usually due to a hen having the urge to lay but finding her space in the laying box occupied by another bird. Stress in the chicken coop can lead to misshapen eggs too. It often takes young hens an egg or two before they settle into their regular pattern. Why are chicken eggs sometimes misshapen?Īn oddly shaped egg can be produced for various reasons. Some smaller bantam breeds produce small eggs all the time, of course. Young birds often produce small eggs, and they will begin laying regular eggs very quickly. ![]() These eggs usually have smaller-than-usual yolks, but they look very eye-catching in the poaching or frying pan! In these cases, the hen has doubled up on her usual daily production and has had to produce a giant egg to accommodate the extra mass. Why are chicken eggs sometimes bigger or smaller than usual?Ī huge egg contains two yolks. They are quirks rather than breed-specific traits. ![]() Odd shapes and sizes are something quite different, though. The palette ranges from deep browns to light blues and pastel greens, with speckling adding another dimension of prettiness. A hen will produce eggs of the same color throughout her laying years. Although most chicken breeds lay light brown eggs, some have eggs with pigmented shells. There are various reasons for these oddities.Įach hen will have her own ‘quirks’ in terms of egg size and color. Some are huge, some are tiny, some are ball-shaped, some are pointy, and some are soft-shelled. Why Do Chicken Eggs Sometimes Look Weird?Ĭhickens sometimes lay eggs that look nothing like a standard supermarket egg.
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