sparrow Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 One of our 6 chickens is laying eggs that are too big suddenly. I'm not sure which one, but at least once a day we're finding an egg that is overly large, with a slight bulge on the side. I'm worried we're headed down the egg bound path! Is there anything I can do? Add something to their diet? What would cause such a problem? Thanks for any help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 One of ours regularly lays eggs like that and has for probably at least a year now with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twilkin Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Our chickens lay ginormous eggs that won't even fit in the cartons. We've lost two of them to unknown. Maybe eggs too big? I wondered if there was some reason they laid such big eggs. It doesn't seem to be breed specific as we have several different varities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Very young industrial Rhode Island Reds often lay huge eggs at first, and other chickens may when they are older. How long have you had them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted May 9, 2010 Author Share Posted May 9, 2010 I guess I feel a little better. It's just odd that it's a fairly recent development. I've read that black oil sunflower seeds can help the eggs "move along", so maybe I'll try that. Thanks for making me feel better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Are they fairly young chickens? Our young hens lay small eggs when they first started laying, then suddenly we get eggs varying from medium to giganto. Eventually, the egg sizes stabilize, and each hen will lay eggs of a fairly consistent size, though occasionally we'll still get one a little smaller or larger than normal. My sister has many hens, and she says the same thing, that her young hens seem to go through a period of laying eggs of all sizes. Let the kids hang out with you when you crack the large ones. Every once in a while an extra-large egg will have a double yolk! (We had one hen who laid several double-yolked eggs over a period of three weeks, though we haven't seen any since.) Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted May 9, 2010 Author Share Posted May 9, 2010 Are they fairly young chickens? Our young hens lay small eggs when they first started laying, then suddenly we get eggs varying from medium to giganto. Eventually, the egg sizes stabilize, and each hen will lay eggs of a fairly consistent size, though occasionally we'll still get one a little smaller or larger than normal. My sister has many hens, and she says the same thing, that her young hens seem to go through a period of laying eggs of all sizes. Let the kids hang out with you when you crack the large ones. Every once in a while an extra-large egg will have a double yolk! (We had one hen who laid several double-yolked eggs over a period of three weeks, though we haven't seen any since.) Cat We got them as chicks last spring, so they're about a year old. They've been laying medium to large eggs consistently since about August. During their early laying days, we did have a hen laying double-yolkers every other day! It seemed to stop after about 2 weeks. These latest eggs are concerning me a bit more because of the slight bulge on the side of each of the large ones. It's like something's not forming right in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Our hens do not do this, but my pastor has a hen that lays eggs that won't fit in the cartons. It is a breed specific thing for his hen, he thinks. Have you tried googling the breed along with the words "large egg" and see if it is something breed specific? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Our hens do not do this, but my pastor has a hen that lays eggs that won't fit in the cartons. It is a breed specific thing for his hen, he thinks. Have you tried googling the breed along with the words "large egg" and see if it is something breed specific? Gail Damerow writes in the "Guide to Raising Chickens" (my chicken bible) that the size of the eggs depends on the pullet's/hen's age and breed and weight. The heaviest chicken egg on record is 1 pound. Egg size should increase until the pullet is about one year old. It is normal for an occasional egg to be slightly bigger or smaller than the average. Odd shaped eggs can be caused by a hen developing 2 yolks within a few hours of each other and causing them to move through the oviduct together. The second egg will have a thin, wrinkled shell that is flat toward one end. Egg shape is usually consistent in a hen's life making it easier to identify the layer of a specific size egg. You can also add some ground flaxseed to their feed which generally strenghtens their overall health and provides more Omega 3 in the eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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