Someone in our flock is laying very large eggs. Should we be worried??

[Guerra]

Someone in our flock of (15) Cuckoo Marans hens (all 28 weeks old, been laying ~8 weeks) is laying incredibly large eggs.

Should we be worried??

Is there any way to discourage it?

The first was 136g (Tuesday), then 140g (Friday) and today 147g (Monday). At this rate I am afraid they will keep getting bigger...

After the first two (136g & 140g) we checked all of the hen's vents, and they all seemed fine.



We cracked the 136g and it was an egg within an egg.

 

[Eggcessive]

Marans tend to lay jumbo eggs, at least my black copper and birchen marans do. The cuckoo I had didn't lay them though. I would just watch for any of them becoming egg bound, or suffering a prolapse. Don't use any extra light in your coop, more than 12 hours a day.. Other than that, I don't know that there is any way for them to lay smaller eggs. Keep plenty of crushed oyster shell available free choice, and most chickens will take crushed egg shells much better. A good balanced layer feed with vitamins, calcium and phosphorous should make up 90% of their diet. This hopefully will keep their shells hard.