Eggs with holes

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Hi everyone. One of my Golden Comets has been laying some strange eggs lately. She often lays ones with bumps (calcium deposits) and I don't really mind. I still eat them.

But lately, she has laid a few with these strange holes/divets in them, and I don't know what this is. I tried searching for another thread about this but couldn't find the same issue.

You can see there is some hard bumpy stuff inside the hole if you zoom in. I don't think these are peck holes. Also note the clusters of tiny dots on the shell and around the hole. These are more on the surface and most come off if I scrape lightly with my fingernail.

So what do you guys think this is?

FYI my chickens currently get Producer's Pride 16% layer feed, but are switching to DuMor Organic later this week. They have oyster shells free choice all day (but no ome seems to LOVE those) and they get fed crushed eggshells when I have them. They also get calcium-rich dairy products 1-2 times per week. They are nearly through their DE and apple cider vinegar de-worming. They show no signs of lice or mites.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

I believe it's an over indulgence of oyster shell causing the weird calcium build up and crater. Appears to just be forming weird and not completely finishing over the air sac when the shell is forming from the looks of it.

 

[townchicks]

Too much calcium. Leave the oyster shell but stop with the treats. BTW, neither DE nor ACV will deworm your chickens.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I believe it's an over indulgence of oyster shell causing the weird calcium build up and crater. Appears to just be forming weird and not completely finishing over the air sac when the shell is forming from the looks of it.

Too much calcium. Leave the oyster shell but stop with the treats. BTW, neither DE nor ACV will deworm your chickens.

It seems strange to me that it would be too much calcium. None of my chickens eat much of the oyster shell. It's a tiny dish and some weeks I don't even have to add any because it doesn't look like anyone ate any. That's why I have been supplementing with lowfat cottage cheese once or twice a week. Also, the rest of her shell is not very thick. It's somewhat brittle, as are my other Golden Comet's.

Is there any other issue it could be besides too much calcium?

I should add that I do not know the age of this hen. I know she's over a year, but she could also be quite old.

 

[townchicks]

Is there any other issue it could be besides too much calcium?

I don't know why the holes are there, but the bumps are from excess calcium. The hens will eat oyster shell when their bodies tell them they need it, so that would explain why they don't eat much. Layer feed has enough calcium for most, but not all hens, that is why we always say keep oyster shell on the side. The hole looks like pecking or toenail holes to me, and may be unrelated to the calcium level..

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is not that she is eating excess calcium, it's most likely a defective shell gland. It is a problem with the hen, not so much how much calcium she eats.

You might look through the egg quality handbook and see the different shell defects and potential causes. That was written mostly for commercial operations, that's why some of that stuff id in there but it is still a great source of information.

https://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/egg-quality-handbook

That looks like photos of two different eggs. How many days apart were they laid? How thick is the rest of the egg shell, looks like they may be pretty thin. If it is two different eggs it is interesting that the holes are about the same spot on the egg.

My guess is that the egg shell is fairly thin and the shell gland causes those pimples to be deposited. When the egg is laid or when the hens are walking on the eggs they knock that pimple off and leave a hole. It's also possible a hen's claw punctured a hole in that as she was walking around getting on or off the nest or rearranging the nest.

 

[Perris]

Is there any other issue it could be besides too much calcium?

Insufficient vitamin D, which is needed in order to metabolize the calcium. She is getting more calcium than she can process at the moment and it's being deposited as granules on the surface. To fix the vit D issue quickly, give her a drop of cod liver oil.

The hole (and thinness of shell) may be a result of mycoplasma infection. Compare with figure 5 here
https://nadis.org.uk/disease-a-z/poultry/diseases-of-farmyard-poultry/part-1-mycoplasmosis/

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

It is not that she is eating excess calcium, it's most likely a defective shell gland. It is a problem with the hen, not so much how much calcium she eats.

You might look through the egg quality handbook and see the different shell defects and potential causes. That was written mostly for commercial operations, that's why some of that stuff id in there but it is still a great source of information.

https://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/egg-quality-handbook

That looks like photos of two different eggs. How many days apart were they laid? How thick is the rest of the egg shell, looks like they may be pretty thin. If it is two different eggs it is interesting that the holes are about the same spot on the egg.

My guess is that the egg shell is fairly thin and the shell gland causes those pimples to be deposited. When the egg is laid or when the hens are walking on the eggs they knock that pimple off and leave a hole. It's also possible a hen's claw punctured a hole in that as she was walking around getting on or off the nest or rearranging the nest.

Thank you for sharing that!

Yes, it was two eggs, laid about a week apart. The ones between it were mostly normal, but some with large calcium deposits on the outside of the shell (no holes). The shells were on the thin side, but not anything crazy.

To me, it seems like the shell gland thing could be a possibility. I've heard Golden Comets were bred to give the commercial egg industry about 2 good egg-laying years, and after that they often have health issues.

It seems like the hole was formed when she made the egg - not from stepping on it or pecking it. I think this because the contents of the egg are sealed in there, even with the hole. For example, if I tipped the egg upside down, it would not leak.

From the link you sent, this might fall under "pinholes". There is no picture, but it says this could be due to age and breed. I wonder if she is just an older hen.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Insufficient vitamin D, which is needed in order to metabolize the calcium. She is getting more calcium than she can process at the moment and it's being deposited as granules on the surface. To fix the vit D issue quickly, give her a drop of cod liver oil.

The hole (and thinness of shell) may be a result of mycoplasma infection. Compare with figure 5 here
https://nadis.org.uk/disease-a-z/poultry/diseases-of-farmyard-poultry/part-1-mycoplasmosis/

Thanks! I will try something for the vitamin E.

I took a look at the picture. It seems a little different than her eggs, and she doesn't have the respiratory symptoms it lists. It was worth looking into though, so thanks!

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Not sure if this is any help, but here is the inside of the shell. It looks like the inner membrane is intact, even over the hole, but there is that dark red sediment in there where the hole is.

Also, the actual white and yolk of the egg look just fine. My dog thought it was delicious!