Smaller eggs

[terrier]

I've noticed recently that occasionaly when collecting the chook eggs I find there is one about half the size of the other eggs. Yesterday, I wasn't around to collect the eggs, so today I harvested two days worth and there were two half size eggs! Is it possible that one of the girls is occasionaly laying small eggs or are we having visitors to the coop?

[kellycoover]

Hi
In raising chickens it is common to have new hens, pullets, to lay smaller eggs. It sometimes happens with older chickens as well at the end of their tenure.

[Nicos]

Hello kellycoover - and welcome to the Vine!!!!!
I see you are a bit of a night bird too!
Have fun on the Vine- tis a crazy place to be!
Have you got a lottie or garden patch???
I love to hear about the chooks, although not able to have them myself. Bit like having a virtual pet!

[yoanbob]

hi terry yes as KC says one is proberbly laying smaller eggs, they should get bigger with time, we had a warren that about once a week would lay a HUGE double yolker, they were massive but even she started laying tiny ones.
welcome to the vine KC

[terrier]

Hi
In raising chickens it is common to have new hens, pullets, to lay smaller eggs. It sometimes happens with older chickens as well at the end of their tenure.

Hi kellycoover, welcome to the vine, the fount of all gardening knowledge. Kick your shoes off and join in.

Our chooks are about 2 years old so they should be mature now. It's just that I've never seen this before with any of the others we've had. We occasionally get soft shells but not miniatures.

[kirsty b]

About a month or so ago, I went down to see my girls and found a perfect little egg, smaller than a bantam's. Perfectly formed, but tiny and had no yolk. This was a few days after the sheds got burned down and someone I know said it could have been the shock that caused it. Not the case with your girls I'm sure but a teeny tiny egg really tickled me.
Another thing, I had a mix of hybrids, a pepperpot and a ginger ranger before mr fox came for tea and they all laid different sized eggs. I found that the younger birds (warrens) laid the smaller eggs and the rhodies and the other two laid larger ones.

[Sue]

Hi
My hens, light sussex, bovans nera and meadowsweet all laid small eggs to start with, now I've got two laying large eggs and one, Enid, the light sussex still laying small, almost round eggs. She had a bout of laying soft shelled eggs in the run but for the last three weeks (finger's crossed) she's been laying in the house, but they're still quite small and still round.
But bless her little cotton socks, I'll take whatever comes.
Sue

[Pumpkin Becki]

Hi,

If you have hybrid hens, they have been bred to lay you an egg a day, everyday of about 18months from point of lay. After this time, they will continue to lay, but more infrequently, and you will get the odd anomaly (teeny tiny egg/ soft shelled egg/ big double yoker). They will live around 5-7 years but will be laying very very few eggs by this time.

If they are pure breeds, they will live about the same length of time, and will lay around 3-4 eggs a week (depending on the breed and age). They will take breaks (go off lay) during the year, usually during winter and at the end of the summer for 'the moult'.

So, your lady may just be at the end of her egg producing days, or she may be undergoing a bit of stress (heat/ the moult/ lack of water). Make sure she has access to clean water all the time (one day without can stop egg production for up to a fortnight) and always feed a good quality layers mash or pellet. If she is moulting (its a bit early in the season) then you could add Poultry Spice to her feed to give her a boost, as all the protein from her feed will be going to make new feathers.

A small egg is caused by a foreign body (usually just some cells from inside the hen) getting into the egg production cycle. The body sees this as a yoke and continues the egg building process as normal. That is why the resulting egg is smaller than a normal one, because the foreign body that started the process is much smaller than a normal yoke.

Hope that helps