Lets preface this with... No, there isn't someone playing a joke on me, I watched her lay a white egg this morning. So let's not get into a spat where I'm being told a change in shell color can not happen.
One of my NHR's has started laying white eggs this week. She's been laying brown eggs since fall, though a lighter brown than the other NHR's but they were still brown. The 2 she has given me this week are the same off white my silkies lay. I was confused on Monday when I saw the first one because everyone old enough to lay in this run don't lay white, and they are BIG, double yolkers, much larger than what a silkie lays. I scratched my head and just thought it was a fluke or she got upset before she laid color over the shell, it was a fairly thin shelled egg after all.
Then this morning I hear a rukus outside and decide to check it out. There was Bertha, screaming at the top of her lungs in the nest box. Not sure what to do I just sat and waited, a few minutes later she lays another huge white egg in front of me. It's thin shelled as well and she was screaming until I managed to get her in hand and calmed down. Boy that was a chore.
Now, since I actually saw this egg come out of her....... What causes this? Is she just laying them a little early and not finishing the outer layer of shell because they are so big? Is there something wrong with her? She hasn't been laying well for a month almost, she's only a year and 3 weeks old, we haven't changed anything, no creepy crawlies, everyone has been wormed and treated for lice, no stress that I can tell.
Stumped.
One of my NHR's has started laying white eggs this week. She's been laying brown eggs since fall, though a lighter brown than the other NHR's but they were still brown. The 2 she has given me this week are the same off white my silkies lay. I was confused on Monday when I saw the first one because everyone old enough to lay in this run don't lay white, and they are BIG, double yolkers, much larger than what a silkie lays. I scratched my head and just thought it was a fluke or she got upset before she laid color over the shell, it was a fairly thin shelled egg after all.
Then this morning I hear a rukus outside and decide to check it out. There was Bertha, screaming at the top of her lungs in the nest box. Not sure what to do I just sat and waited, a few minutes later she lays another huge white egg in front of me. It's thin shelled as well and she was screaming until I managed to get her in hand and calmed down. Boy that was a chore.
Now, since I actually saw this egg come out of her....... What causes this? Is she just laying them a little early and not finishing the outer layer of shell because they are so big? Is there something wrong with her? She hasn't been laying well for a month almost, she's only a year and 3 weeks old, we haven't changed anything, no creepy crawlies, everyone has been wormed and treated for lice, no stress that I can tell.
Stumped.
