[ciwheeles]

Today we got our first egg. A hen and our rooster went missing and when we found them we found the hen had just laid one! We're confused now though because it has these little white specks. Is that normal? Or are they lacking in something?

There's a picture of the egg. Our chickens get an organic sort of crumble and are mostly free range during the day.

 

[ksalvagno]

What breed of chicken? Have you washed the egg?

 

[sigalaluis11]

I believe it's totally normal. Almost all my chickens lay green sometimes speckled eggs. But I don't think that it's because they are lacking something.

 

[ciwheeles]

The hen was a Barred Rock, and after you mentioned the washing it I tried that. Sure enough the specks came off lol. This may sound dumb but I knew you had to wash them but after I found it I didn't have time so I just put it in the fridge. I didn't think the specks would come of either.. Ah lol that was really dumb..

I do still need to finish their nesting boxes though. Is straw cut into small pieces alright to use?

 

[LGFarm]

A. you don't need to wash them and actually don't want to wash them if you are going to set them for hatching
B. don't make this more work then it needs to be, straw will be fine, but you don't need to cut it up for them. Chickens find the dangest places to lay and aren't too picky about it.
C. it is extra calcium that she decided to lay with the egg, sometimes it will come off, sometimes it is stuck in with the actual shell, nothing wrong, just a young hen getting started laying. If the shells are really weak/thin, you need to add some calcium to their diet then.

 

[ksalvagno]

You really don't even have to cut the straw. I save my shredded paper from personal stuff and use that for the nest boxes.

 

[ciwheeles]

Awesome thanks guys!! I appreciate it! The shell didn't seem thin, but I guess I'll see when the others start laying what theirs are like. I try to give them things like organic rice and oatmeal in addition to their food. I heard it helps and they love it.

 

[NyGoatMom]

It happens occasionally to some hens...it is kind of a "gliche" in their system. I believe it is calcium deposit but it is totally fine

 

[littlegoatgirl]

We get these sometimes and (whe the spots don't come off) call them our natural "Easter Eggs"

 

[ciwheeles]

The white spots did end up coming back after it dried but we had another hen lay a normal non spotted egg so it must just be that hen one hen.

 

[nchen7]

that looks like a normal egg to me. some chickens just lay eggs with different colours. it's kinda fun!

as for nesting, don't bother cutting the straw. they're great at making nice little nests for their eggs. our feral chickens lay practically anywhere. recently they've been laying on mud that's between boulders we have lining the driveway. I personally don't think it's a great place, but it's super easy for me to steal their eggs (when they're not looking of course...)

 

[ciwheeles]

that looks like a normal egg to me. some chickens just lay eggs with different colours. it's kinda fun!

as for nesting, don't bother cutting the straw. they're great at making nice little nests for their eggs. our feral chickens lay practically anywhere. recently they've been laying on mud that's between boulders we have lining the driveway. I personally don't think it's a great place, but it's super easy for me to steal their eggs (when they're not looking of course...)

Haha well that's nice for you! You get eggs with having to feed or house any chickens!

 

[nchen7]

^^ it's great, except they lay all over, and we usually don't find the eggs. it really is like Christmas and easter wrapped into one when we stumble on a clutch of eggs. we also have mongoose issues now, and they usually steal them all (I hate mongooses...)

 

[Stacykins]

Today we got our first egg. A hen and our rooster went missing and when we found them we found the hen had just laid one! We're confused now though because it has these little white specks. Is that normal? Or are they lacking in something?

View attachment 39351

There's a picture of the egg. Our chickens get an organic sort of crumble and are mostly free range during the day.

It actually doesn't look like raised deposits of calcium. To me, it looks like she didn't cover the entire egg with brown pigment.

Brown eggs are actually WHITE shelled eggs with brown pigment laid down over top. That is why a brown egg is white on the inside when you crack it open. So her internal ink jets didn't cover the entire egg before it was laid.

Similarly, blue eggs have blue shells. And eggs become green when a blue shelled egg is pigmented with brown before being laid. Blue egg shells are dominant to white egg shells.

 

[georgiagirl98]

Aww! I love finding eggs from young first time hens, their eggs are always so cute and tiny, about half the size of normal. Adorable! (Well As cute as an egg can be haha)

 

[littlegoatgirl]

Aww! I love finding eggs from young first time hens, their eggs are always so cute and tiny, about half the size of normal. Adorable! (Well As cute as an egg can be haha)

The best are the first time bantams lay, their eggs are normally half the size of a regular egg, so they're like a quarter of the size!

 

[ciwheeles]

The best are the first time bantams lay, their eggs are normally half the size of a regular egg, so they're like a quarter of the size!

Wow that is cool! I wish me plan for bantams had turned out, but out of the two I got with my Wynadottes one had a birth defect and passed away and the other turned out to be a rooster. Maybe I'll have better luck next year

 

[littlegoatgirl]

Aw that stinks! Here's a pic- note this is a couple weeks (so not the smallest of her eggs) and I have small hands