Cracked open an egg and it looked disgusting!!! HELP

[ChirpyChicks1]

Last night I cracked open a couple of eggs and one was soooo gross

The second I tapped it on the counter I knew it was different, the way the shell cracked was weird, it cracked and splintered out like a spider web. I opened the egg (some of the contents "popped" out) and the egg yolk has started to congeal and the egg white wasn't clear and looked more like cottage cheese. It smelled bad too but you had to be close to smell it, not the normal horrible horrible rotten egg smell that you see in the movies.

I'm so mad at myself for not taking a picture. I was completely grossed out and threw it away as quickly as possible.

I have a couple dozen eggs on my counter, not washed, never refrigerated. I collect eggs multiple times a day so it wouldn't have sat out in hot weather.

There is just no way this egg could have been that old, less than a month more than likely because my hens have been starting to molt so laying numbers have been down and more random than normal. My girls haven't been laying one year yet (soon though) and I have no roosters

I give away eggs to family members and no one has said anything about getting a nasty egg, but I'm not sure they even would tell me if they had considering they know how beloved my chickens are lol plus they get free eggs, kinda a "don't bite the hand that feeds you thing"

 

[krista74]

When I started handing out free eggs I gave them with a warning that I can't be held responsible for what's inside them! My fear was that one might be nasty without me knowing, and I didn't want them to think I was giving out 'old' eggs - merely that these things just happen occasionally.

So far, no-one has said anything about a bad egg. I've not had one either. But I am fully anticipating that one day one of my eggs may not make the grade.

I wouldn't stress too much about it. Be thankful YOU got the bad one and move on! Think of all the good eggs you've produced. The odds are low that other bad ones will occur.

- Krista

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

I'm wanting to know if others have had an egg like this, some kind of explanation. I've Googled and searched on this sight and have found zero information or another description like what I saw.

 

[JeanR]

I have a pencil at hand in the poultry house, and date EVERY egg as I collect them. (Because I may hatch some from time o time, I also list the band number of the hen and cock on he egg---ei. (50GX41Y).(if they are in pens of trios). Then they go in egg cartons, so most are within a few days to a week old in each carton. Some are left on the kitchen counter until I have a dozen for a carton, but I do like the dozen and a half cartons. Possible hatching eggs are in separate cartons and never in the fridge. My fridge doesn't hold a lot of the cartons, and I do give to my neighbors to keep things under control. I also EAT a lot of eggs myself. When several weeks old in the fridge, to make room, I hardboil a dozen at a time. They go into egg salad, egg salad sandwiches, . I save for deviled eggs if there is a potluck coming up. And one neighbor trades fresh fish (trout or kokenee Salmon for eggs!--Pretty nice! We don;t keep track of "even", just "trade" when we have them.....My eggs are from Bantams, so not large.
I have never opened a spoiled egg--maybe that awful egg had been hidden under the nest straw for longer than guessed. You know a hen will steal a nest out--and maybe lay 20 eggs (actually does not lay every single day. Those eggs may be started to develop, when she lays each new one, but not enough to "spoil" the eggs, if you find the nest and pull the eggs for yourself. They are NOT Spoiled, good to eat. And the temperature may be very warm during the daytimes. And if she is allowed to set, the eggs will hatch the same day--or maybe 2nd day. So, although "started", they were not developing ahead, while waiting for her to set!

Not to worry, something happened, but if you date your eggs as you collect them--won't happen again??? Good luck~!

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

As I said before the egg could not have been old and I collect them multiple times a day