The Poultry Keeper

The Ladies · Joined: 02 Aug 2008 Posts: 131 Location: Kent

Yesterday and today i have collected two very uneven wrinkly eggs. The shell is still very solid. This is wrinkly all over not your usual single ridge or nodule. Any ideas what causing his?
I do have one hen that keeps eating the shredded newspaper that I am lining the nesting boxes with. She isn't eating it all day but just if I drop the odd shred she will eat it like a worm.
Do you think this has any effect on the chicken of egg production?

Curious???

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1219 Location: Cornwall

If albumen quality is very poor and there is no sound foundation upon, which to build the true shell; The result can be the distinctive ‘crinkled’ shell typical of certain viral diseases. Misshaped eggs can also arise for other reasons. i.e, the shell may break in the shell gland during the formation process; The damage can be partly repaired but a bulge forms around the centre of the egg (an equatorial bulge). Any factor which causes disturbance to the birds 10-14 hours before the egg is laid is likely to increase the incidence of this fault.