Please share any abnormal eggs you collect in the comments below to help others recognize the various eggs that hens lay. We are happy to offer our thoughts on what potential causes impacting your abnormal egg. Let's begin with understanding all the hard work that a hen puts in to gift us with her eggs. Female chicks are born with tens of thousands of ova (yolks). While only a small portion of those ova will develop into eggs, chicks are born with the maximum number of eggs they’ll be able to lay. When hens are getting close to point of lay, her waddles and comb will turn bright red (some rare breeds are different like the Silkie and Ayam Cemani). What do normal, healthy eggs look like? Egg colors can vary significantly based on the bloom that each breed an individual hen of the breed produces. Consider what color is normal for the breed of hen you have before entering a concern of the color of egg that is being produced. Most abnormalities are caused by diet, genetics, age, or environment. When laying her first eggs, it is completely normal for your young lady to have a few abnormal eggs right out of the gate. Her body is maturing and will take some time to get her eggs to normal size and shape. Eggs offer a window into the health of your hens. Don’t fret about an occasional odd egg. If it is occurring frequently, it is a good idea to determine the cause. As your hens get older it is normal that these hard working ladies' eggs will not be as consistent nor as perfect as when they are at their peak laying age. Tiny Eggs / Fairy Eggs Description: Eggs that are significantly smaller and do not contain a yolk. Possible Causes: · New layers may provide a fairy egg as their reproductive system is still maturing. · Foreign mass such as tissue triggers her to produce an egg. · Disrupted development due to stress. The hen's energy is being spent healing her body and rendering her unable to produce a regular egg. Edible? These eggs are edible. They are not much of a food source, but are endearing to find. They are great for art projects or a keepsake as the egg white will eventually evaporate. Fairy eggs do not give off the normal rotten egg smell. Soft shell or No Shell Eggs Description: Soft shells or no shell eggs are described as having the membrane intact, however, either a very soft outer shell or no shell. Possible Causes: · Young layers may deliver their first egg without a shell as their shell gland is still immature. · Insufficient calcium is the most common reason. Make sure your girls always have access to oyster shells and that their diet contains appropriate calcium. · Inadequate nutrition: phosphorus, manganese, or vitamin D3 · While chickens are typically cold hardy, overheating is a higher threat. On days over 80 degrees, heat stress can be a factor if they do not have enough water/ shade. Mint leaves in their water can help. · If the previous egg was delayed in her shell gland, it is possible the soft shell egg is being laid too soon. · Certain diseases can cause this symptom: Avian Influenza, NDV, infectious bronchitis, Egg Drop Syndrome 76 Edible? The shell provides protection to the egg. Without the shell, it is hard to know what has passed through the membrane. I do not recommend for human consumption. It is good for tossing in your compost pile or cooking and giving to your dogs, cats, or pigs as a treat. Double Yolker Eggs Description: Double yolker eggs occur when two yolks are released into the oviduct to quickly, and are included in the same shell. This can be due to a hormonal change or imbalance that causes the yolk to release too early. While many rejoice for the gift of an egg with (2) yolks inside, it is a hen health concern. A double yolk egg is larger and increases her risk of becoming egg bound and could result in vent prolapse. Thus, it is not recommend to breed for this trait. Possible Causes: · New layers and older layers nearing the end of their laying cycle are more likely to have a double yolker. · Double yolks can be hereditary. Production breeds like Rhode Islands and Plymouth Rocks are more likely to yield a double yolk. · A hormonal change or imbalance that causes the yolk to release too early. Edible? Eating a double yolk is absolutely alright. Blood Smeared Eggs Description: Dried blood smears are found on the outside of the egg shell. Possible Causes: · Most commonly occurs when pullets begin laying · Sudden, significant increases in day length or light · Overweight pullets · Prolapsed Cloaca · Poor hygiene or vent pecking Edible? Yes, the bloom on the shell protects the eggs contents until ready to wash and eat. Not appealing if you are selling eggs. Recommend for personal or pet consumption. Bloody, Meaty Yolks Description: Blood spots visible when a blood vessel in a chicken's reproductive tract breaks during the laying process. Meat spots look gray or brown and occur from a ruptured blood vessel on the yolk surface when it's being formed. Do not confuse red, gray or brown spots as an indication that the egg is fertile. Bullseye marks on a fertile yolk are white. Commercial egg producers candle their eggs to avoid selling eggs that have blood or meat spots in them. Possible Causes: · Genetics. Occurs 5% of the time in brown eggs an 1% of the time in white eggs. · Vitamin imbalances such as Vitamin A and K · Artificial lighting · Fugal toxins in damp pellet feed. If feeding commercial pellets, keep off the ground and ensure it stays dry. It is helpful to sprout feed daily so that they are only served what they will eat in a day. If any sprouts are left, they can grow into a viable plant instead of mold. · Diseases: as Avian encephalomyelitis or tremovirus. Edible? The spots are perfectly edible. They may be distasteful to those that are not use to farm fresh eggs. The spots are typically small and easy to remove if desired. Awkward Shaped Eggs Description: Awkward shaped eggs are not uniform in shape and may have a lop –sided bulge or extreme pointed end, lumpy appearance, too small or too large, round instead of oval, or any difference from normal shapes. Possible Causes: · Abnormal disturbance in the egg forming process, such as stress due to over-crowding. Make sure you are offering a minimum of 1 nesting box per 3 hens and 10 sq ft per hen run space. · Age both layers just starting with immature shell glands and layers nearing end of lay. · Defective egg shell gland. · Diseases: Avian Influenza, NDV, infectious bronchitis, Egg Drop Syndrome 76 Edible? They are safe to consume. Dirty Eggs Description: The egg shell is smeared in dried feces and/or dirt. Possible Causes: · It is possible that a hen requires training to lay eggs in a designated nest box versus laying on the ground. · The run may be too muddy causing the hens lower bodies and feet to be muddy. Keep the run dry to avoid this. · Indication that the living conditions are not clean. At the first sign of smudges on eggs, I would recommend a deep cleaning of the coop and nest box area. Eggs should clean and the nest box should be pleasant for both the hens and the egg collectors. To help improve living conditions, place a small amount of Serenity Sprouts Dust Bath on the bottom of a deep cleaned nest box. Then, add the bedding material of your choice (pine shavings or soft straw) and top with Serenity Sprouts Nest Box Herbs . · Wet droppings or poor gut health; make sure you feed a quality diet. · Electrolyte imbalance Edible? In theory, you can clean off well and cook fully to meet safety guidelines. Egg shells are porous and dirty eggs are a sign that the hen’s laying area is not well kept. There is a higher risk of Salmonella from feces covered eggs. Water pressure used to clean the egg can push microscopic exterior contents inside the egg. Personally, I would avoid consuming these eggs and add to compost pile. Wrinkled Eggs Description: Ever incorrectly crease a shirt when you are ironing? That is what a wrinkled egg looks like. Watery albumen (egg white) leads to wrinkled or rippled egg shells as it is harder for the shell to be formed correctly. Possible Causes: · As hens age, the albumen gets thinner. Seen more often in production breeds like Rhode Island, Plymouth Rocks, and hatchery hybrids. · Stress · Defective shell gland · Overcrowding · Disease: Infectious bronchitis can cause thinning of the albumen. Even years after the infection, hens are carriers for life. Edible? Yes, as long as the shell does not contain a hairline crack. Calcium Deposits Description: White irregularly shaped spots deposited on the external surface of the shell. They can be raised and bumpy. Possible Causes: · The most likely there is an excess of calcium in her diet. · Defective shell gland · Stress causing disturbances during the calcification process. Edible? Absolutely, these as are just as delicious as any other egg. Incomplete pigmentation Description: The development of the color pigment on eggs is often described as the egg traveling through a color printer/ paint bay. Incomplete pigmentation can look as though the hen simply ran out of toner. It is usually a rare occurrence. Possible Causes: · Stress such as heat stress. · An older layer will often produce eggs with paler shells, as well as a hen who had been laying intensively over a long period. · Environmental stresses · Diet deficiency. Specifically, zinc, copper and manganese support transporting pigment onto the shell. · Disease: Infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, egg drop syndrome 76, and avian influenza can cause damage to the oviduct, resulting in loss of shell color. · A heavy infestation of roundworms, capillaria worms, and/or red mites, can cause pale shells. · The coccidiostat drug, Nicarbazin, can interfere with eggshell pigmentation. Edible? Yes, egg coloration does not impact the nutrient value of the egg. White Banded Eggs Description: When the hen is forming the shell of the first egg, the normal calcification process is interrupted, allowing a 2nd egg to enter. When both eggs enter the oviduct and make contact with each other in the shell gland, the 1st egg gets an extra layer of calcium – which is the white band marking. Possible Causes: · Flock stress, watch for abnormal behavior in your flock that could be creating stress. · Sudden changes in lighting conditions. · Infection. Edible? Yes, they are. Cracks – Hairline Fractures Description: Hair line cracks, star cracks, or large cracks that result in a hole in the shell. Possible Causes: • Heat stress • Older hens nearing the end of their laying cycle. • Inadequate bedding in the nesting box or area hen is laying. • Inadequate nutrition: Calcium and vitamin D3 • Mycotoxins Edible? The crack can allow bacteria and other nasties in. They are not good for human consumption. If fed to animals, the eggs should be cooked first. These eggs are good for compost.

Download our free Egg Cost Calculator (Microsoft Excel format) to help you determine the cost you invest in raising your own chickens. The Serenity Sprouts calculator will allow you to enter exact or projected costs based on your choice of hatching your own eggs, purchasing chicks to raise, beginning with pullets, or starting out with hens that are already laying but may decline production soon. Often family chicken keepers under estimate the value of their amazing eggs! Selling lower than your costs and giving eggs away is an act of kindness for those that can afford to fund a community outreach program. It is important to highlight what makes your eggs worth more than the store? What is better about your eggs than your neighbors? If the factory farms need to set their 'premium eggs' for $5.99 - $7.99, certainly individually loved hen eggs are worth more. Compare yourself to your competition. If not feeding the same nasty pellet feed, your living conditions are better, eggs are sold fresher locally, and you avoid selling eggs from hens ever came in contact with an illness requiring antibiotics to recover, then your eggs bring a higher value. Determine market value I passed the egg aisle at the grocery store in February of 2020. Here is what I saw. Families avoid the cheap eggs, they sell out of the $5.99 dozens that notate their commercial hens are happy, and the $7.99 dozen commercial pasture eggs sell, but not as quickly as $6/dozen commercial eggs the grocery store sells out of.   Determine best price for your eggs Your labor compensation and cost per egg would be your minimum sell price. Anything above would be profit. Spouting is the only way I have found that I can feed organic for less and be proud to know every ingredient that our flocks are eating. Even organic pellets have ingredients I would rather not have my chickens ingest. When families see the quality food and life our flocks get. The value exceeds the price we are asking for a dozen eggs. Give yourself credit for the loving work you do. Even if not feeding the highest quality, your eggs should be more humane and fresher than the supermarket. It is important to believe in the value of what you are offering. If you think your eggs are not worth the same as factory farm eggs, then sell for less. If you believe in the value you are offering to your customers exceeds what they can find elsewhere, price according! Estimate Life time cost There are several variations depending on your plans for your chickens. At what age will you obtain your hens? Will you choose to raise from babies or pay more to get pullets? Will you buy hens that are laying now but will decline production quickly? _________ Calculate total years you plan to keep them. $________ Annual cost of original purchasing chick/chickens including any that you may have lost to predators or other reasons $________ Annual electricity costs (incubator, brooder heat, heated waterers, ect.) We offer a professional brooder which saves on electricity, bedding, and significantly reduces feed waste. $________ Annual Feed cost. This is the point in which you decide what type of value you are going to offer your customers. Are you going to feed commercial pellets and compete with grocery store pricing to sell the cheapest eggs? Will you invest in organic pellets and compete with grocery store higher priced eggs? Will you invest your time in sprouting Serenity Sprouts feed to save money and have an edge in the market place? $________ Egg carton or other packaging cost $________ Nest box bedding, herbs, and other care costs $________ Total annual cost $------------- Annual cost x total years you plan to keep them $________ Lifetime cost of coop, run, equipment, and other one-time costs. This is another area to determine what value you are going to provide to your customers. Will you buy the cheapest you can to keep them alive or is their environment a place where you would be proud to let visitors see your happy hens? $________ Total Cost of goods (add lifetime cost to annual cost x total years) Determine labor value _________ Hours each month spent cleaning coops, providing feed/water, egg collection, marketing or selling the eggs, general chicken care. _________ Multiply by 12 (months per year) _________ Multiply by years you will have the hens $________ How much are you worth an hour? Minimum wage for 2020 in Colorado is $11.10 and is expected to raise significantly in the coming years. Are you worth less than minimum wage? Are you worth minimum wage? Worth more than minimum wage? $________ Total labor costs. Multiply total labor hours by value per hour. Determine expected lifetime egg production The first 5-7 months of life is pure investment as they are too young to lay eggs. If keeping as pets once egg laying declines consider food cost to egg production ratio usually flattens at 2.5- 3 years for production breeds and 3-4 years for normal breeds. _________ Calculate how many eggs you can expect during their productive timeline you have them for. Each breed varies, so research the annual eggs expectations, point of lay, and when production declines and how rapidly it declines. $________ Total cost. Add the cost of goods and the cost of labor. $________ Cost per egg . Divide total cost by number of lifetime eggs expected. $________ Cost per dozen eggs. Multiply by 12. Take your costs, market value, and profit need into account in determining your sell price. It is easier for customers to accept a discount on higher priced eggs than it is to try to increase egg prices once they are used to purchasing for less. Market demand for your specific eggs will vary. If your eggs are aging more than 5 days before selling, either your price is too high or you are not marketing the value of your eggs properly. If you are running out of eggs, you are under valuing the price your eggs are worth, or you do not have adequate hens to supply the demand. I am already selling eggs below market value, how do I increase price without losing customers? At the time of this writing, our eggs are $7/dozen (frequently sell out) our girls are fed serenity sprout's organic sprouting mix , free range, and when below freezing feed serenity sprouts roll-milled chicken cereal that has tons of herbs added to compensate for not being able to forage when the ground is snow covered. Depending on what you feed them, you might be underselling and spending more money than what you bring in. It is a challenge in raising your prices once you establish customers that are used to getting your premium eggs for less than the cost to make them. It helps if you are doing something new to add perceived value to your eggs, or educate your consumers on the differences between your eggs and your competitors. Make sure you understand what is behind the grocery store marketing. Consumers just want to buy the right eggs, however, commercial marketing makes it confusing on what egg are the right eggs. The more you can help remove the confusion and educate them on the differences, the more loyal they will be even when adjusting price. It is thoughtful to give customers a month heads up. I allow them to pre-order for as many future dozens they want our current price before increasing. This would allow you to purchase feed in bulk as some families might be happy to pay up to 6 months in advance. Alternatively, you can let them know that to be sustainable your prices are increasing and let your loyal customers get a 50 cent discount above your new selling price.

Chickens are hard workers. With the right set up you can have them do the hard work of composting to generate amazing organic soil. It compliments our sprouting feed . Here are a few resources: Composter Chickens by Justin Rhodes Chicken Compost - Designing the System by Edible Acres How To Make Compost With Chickens~ The BEST Compost EVER! by Simply Starry Sustainable Living With God