What is this white stuff on the egg?

[kinnafinn35]

Every once in a while - actually pretty often, a day or two every week or so - we get a brown egg with a strange white coating. Anyone know what it is or what causes it? They've all been laying for a couple of months now. They probably average about 7 1/2 to 8 months old.

 

[dantodd]

The egg shells are white and the brown color is applied near the end of the process. Are you sure it's white on top of the brown and not holes in the brown showing the white underneath?

 

[LT]

It looks like a extra coating of "bloom" which is the antibacterial that eggs have on the shells. This agent is why you don't have to refrigerate eggs; it protects them from bacteria getting in.

 

[ginger c.]

Ours looks like that quite often. We haven't died from them, so feel safe eating them. LOL. We do--of course--wash them before cracking them.

 

[kinnafinn35]

Quote:
Thank you for your reply! Yep, I'm sure. To be positive, I just washed it off, and when I scrubbed it, it disappeared.



Thanks, LT! That's what I was assuming it was, but I wanted to be sure. I have a chicken with what I think is Rickets right now so I wanted to be sure it couldn't be an egg from her that's showing some complication of the illness, or signs of something else related in another hen.

 

[kinnafinn35]

ginger c. :

Ours looks like that quite often. We haven't died from them, so feel safe eating them. LOL. We do--of course--wash them before cracking them.

Haha! We've been eating them too, just curious what it was! We wash them too though

 

[Hinotori]

I have a girl who always has a thick coating of excess bloom on her eggs. It's fine, don't worry about it. I don't even bother washing before cooking, I'm not eating the shell.

 

[epeloquin]

One of my Brd Rocks has been laying eggs like that since she started. EVERY egg of hers is like that. No worries.

 

[ChickenGirl165]

I dont really know what it is but our hens have it too, i think its pretty normal

 

[troyerchar]

I have a hen that lays eggs with an excess of something sticky on her egg. Is this bloom? Happens about once a week