Weird coloured egg, yolk on outside

[Mortiskya]

Hi all, looking for some advice.

Today I was surprised with a very odd light coloured egg that had a bit of yolk on the outside. It was so pale and yellow, felt rough, and it was laid in the run. I cracked it and inside was completely normal but the shell was very brittle and basically crumbled in my hand.

Our 5 older chooks won't lay anywhere other than the nest boxes and only 3 are currently laying so I'm pretty sure the hen in question is our Columbian Wyandotte who laid her first egg about a week ago. However her first egg was dark and terracotta in colour, darker than our 5 older girls eggs which is how we knew it was hers. I also noticed some yolk on her vent feathers.

The main concern and question is the yolk on the outside and if an egg has broken inside of her. She is currently acting quite normal just going in and out of the coop like she wants to lay an egg. Any way I diagnose this issue before it becomes too serious? I do have antibiotics on hand but don't want to waste them before confirmation. I may give her a warm Epsom salt bath just incase. It's also definitely not an egg eater.

First photo is what I collected today, top two eggs are normal for us. Second photo is her first egg on the left circled, right egg circled is the egg in question.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally when I find an egg with yolk on the outside it means an egg was broke in the nest. They generally get eaten.

An occasional weak shell is okay, but sometimes things like a slight respiratory issue can cause brittle shells. Always keep oyster shells available for the calcium.