Back in lay question

[julesapple]

Just been out to collect eggs. There was a chocolate brown egg from Gladys and then there was this tiny wee thing...weighs 20g and is an inch long.

Could this be Shirley getting back into lay? I can't think of any other explanation for such a tiny egg appearing. The Pekins are now 8 weeks, so it couldn't be them. Shirley is their 'mum' and they are now in the big hen house.

All of the other three non-broodies are laying good big eggs, and this one is not a Hattie (blue) or a Gladys egg. It could be Buffy's but she consistently produces big eggs and it's slightly darker than her usual pinkish shade. Will need to see if another tinted egg appears today....

Very mysterious!

Jules

[RichmondHens]

Yes, sounds like it. If the chicks are 8 weeks she should be laying again around now. They don't always lay full sized eggs straight off. My Welsummer has just got back into lay (her chicks are now nearly 6 weeks but being raised by a bantam as she was rubbish at brooding) and her first egg was rather smaller than usual.

[jessmorris]

..I also had a very teeny egg laid by my hybrid bantam when she was released from caring for her thuggish Marans 'babies'!..about an inch long.

[julesapple]

We were wondering, if we had a cockerel, could this tiny egg possibly have produced a tiny minute chick? It was fully formed inside as far as you can see.

Buffy didn't lay today so the mystery carries on til tomorrow....

Jules

[RichmondHens]

Unlikely I would have thought. You should never set anything for incubation that is not "normal" looking, ie unusually small or large or with shell irregularities etc. I would think that a very small yolk would not contain enough food to enable a chick to grow.

[julesapple]

I guess the DNA within the egg would determine that the chick would be a certain size, so it wouldn't have room to develop.

Buffy laid her usual egg today so by elimination, the tiny egglet was Shirley's.

Jules