What is this weirdness?!??
☆ July 10, 2014
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I was collecting eggs this morning – I reached into one of the nesting boxes and my fingers closed around this jelly madness. An egg without a shell!
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26 Responses to “What is this weirdness?!??”
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July 10th, 2014 @ 10:07 am
I have heard of this before! There are multiple causes. Have there been any large storms near you lately? Oddly sometimes disturbances can off-balance the production of a shell. Also it could be a calcium deficiency in the chicken.
July 10th, 2014 @ 10:21 am
WOW! How strange!
July 10th, 2014 @ 11:32 am
A post with more info… http://www.communitychickens.com/7-reasons-for-shell-less-eggs-a-giveaway/
July 10th, 2014 @ 11:55 am
The eggs always start with no hard shell. I did a chicken processing workshop to learn how to butcher a chicken, and as we were butchering, we had to reach inside the birds and pull out the innards – including any eggs that were still in there. And they were bright orange and soft! But for a chicken to lay an egg before its hardened? Hmm, I don’t know what that’s about.
July 10th, 2014 @ 12:04 pm
so can you still eat it or is it like hard boiled jellyness? So many questions?
July 10th, 2014 @ 12:25 pm
I don’t think I could ever stop touching that. Does it jiggle? Ooh, don’t tell me. But do. Ooooooh.
July 10th, 2014 @ 12:41 pm
I have gathered a egg like that earlier this spring. They were young just starting to lay.
Maybe something to do with age. Really don’t know. But it is really weird.
July 10th, 2014 @ 1:09 pm
Erica – thanks for the link…. I love learning!
July 10th, 2014 @ 1:44 pm
A Cockatrice! You might have a Cockatrice. :-) (Some snakes lay shell-less eggs.)
July 10th, 2014 @ 2:36 pm
Now I’m hoping it’s a Cockatrice…
July 10th, 2014 @ 2:42 pm
… and we shall call you Shreverys Coyotaryen – Queen of the Coyote, Duchess to Daisy, Eli’s Hand, Writer of Books, Shreveesi of the bovine and great plains, Mother of Rooster Dragon.
July 10th, 2014 @ 3:03 pm
I have had one of those….We pitched it in the field and hoped it was a fluke! Haven’t had one since, but it was WEIRD!
July 10th, 2014 @ 3:07 pm
When hens (of any species) lay soft eggs, it means they have a serious calcium deficiency, to the point it could be dangerous for the bird. Making eggs leaches calcium out of their bones and if they don’t have enough in their diet, the eggs come out like that. You should probably start feeding all the hens extra calcium rich foods and maybe even, if you know which one laid this egg, get her to a vet.
July 10th, 2014 @ 4:28 pm
Thank you, Erica for the link. I learn something new and interesting every day.
I think this might be a case of a very young hen starting to lay. Most of Shreve’s chickens are pretty young as we saw them as bitty chickies growing up.
But I’d still spread around some oyster shell, eggs shells or switch feed like that link said. A healthy chicken is a happy chicken. They are obviously more than willing to provide you with eggs.
July 10th, 2014 @ 4:29 pm
It’s not so weird after all! Thanks for the link and the personal anecdotes.
A ~ Oh yes, it jiggled. It was kind of like one of those water snake toys…. loved those as a kid.
B ~ After playing with it for a while, I pierced it with a knife and poured it into a bowl – it was a perfectly beautiful, normal looking egg on the inside… Chloe said it tasted delicious.
My favorite theory is that it’s a Cockatrice. Now, suddenly, I want a Cockatrice tattoo…..
July 10th, 2014 @ 5:51 pm
Felyne: LOLOLOL!
July 10th, 2014 @ 7:10 pm
Yep. They are starting to lay so make sure they have ready access to crushed oyster shell, smashed up egg shells or farm store chicken grit mix which should have shells in it. Save all your empty egg shells and give them back to the chickens.
July 10th, 2014 @ 8:16 pm
I’m guessing it was a welcome change for her girly bits to go from hard shells to a jiggly egg ;P
July 11th, 2014 @ 8:26 am
Well said Shawnee.
It looks beautiful with the feather !!
July 11th, 2014 @ 10:23 am
found a tiny little basket a few inches wide on a wind chime cross beam the other day. inside was two baby hummingbirds. could not have been more than 3/4 inch long.
July 11th, 2014 @ 1:19 pm
http://imaginationstationtoledo.org/content/2011/04/how-to-make-a-naked-egg/
We’ve done this science experiment with my daughter to see what an egg shell is made of and what an egg looks like without the shell. It’s pretty cool!
July 12th, 2014 @ 12:12 am
My grandmother used to raise chickens but this is actually the first time I have heard of a soft jelly like egg being laid by a chicken. However, through the comments made here I have really learned a lot! I love the photo of the feather with the egg. It is really an interesting comparison and also beautiful, I think>
July 12th, 2014 @ 2:08 am
What happened to Frisco? I cried when I saw that he had died,and I read that poem. I love your stories and your pictures. Pasco, Wa.
July 12th, 2014 @ 7:41 am
You’ll get these sometimes, even if you feed oyster shells. Just part of having chickens. Generally a lot of double-yolk eggs as well, and I remember a rare three-yolk as a kid!
July 12th, 2014 @ 9:52 am
It certainly makes for a beautiful photo.
July 12th, 2014 @ 7:33 pm
You can simulate this by soaking an egg in vinegar for a while (overnight, I think). It’s maybe a waste of an egg, but it’s sort of interesting.