Egg Question

[so lucky]

My silly red sexlink girl lays very soft brittle shelled eggs. About half the time she manages to break them before she gets out of the nest (or lays from the roost), but occasionally there is one that is slightly cracked, but the membrane inside is still intact. Do you think these are ok to eat, if they are fresh? I have been feeding them back to the chickens (cooked, mixed with other food) but since she lays the biggest eggs, it sticks in my craw (lol) to have to feed them back to her.
I know, I should send her to freezer camp, but I didn't get these girls to eat. Besides, she is pretty scrawny.

 

[desertlady]

if you pick up the eggs soon its safe to eat, I wouldnt eat it after 3 hours depending how hot it is. puting fake eggs with mustard will keep her from breaking them !

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think what you are saying is that the egg shell is so thin they get cracked by her stepping on them, not that she is pecking them.

Is she a pullet, just starting to lay? If so she could grow out of it. If not, yeah, you might have a hen problem if all the others are OK. The way I look at it, if they are all doing it, its a flock problem and you need to do something for the flock. If one hens doing it and no one else, its a hen problem.

Either she is not eating enough calcium or her body is not processing the calcium right. If that is the case, Id be a little nervous. This is how they learn to open eggs and become egg eaters. The egg breaks, they eat it, and one eventually makes the connection between an unbroken egg and food. Im not saying it happens each and every time but Id be nervous if it goes on for a while.

 

[Southern Gardener]

A calcium deficiency maybe? Do you provide them oyster shells?

 

[so lucky]

She is the only one with thin shells. I do provide oyster shells at all times, and mix crushed egg shells into their food. She is a little over 2 years old. Last summer she had kinda thin shells, but not nearly this bad. It doesn't appear that she is doing it on purpose, but I realize they could all become egg eaters as a result.

 

[catjac1975]

I wouldn't eat a cracked egg. why risk a stomach illness?

 

[catjac1975]

I feed them to my dog.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

if i get a cracked egg that makes it into the house i give it to the dog just in case. if i know it was just laid and very fresh and clean i may use it up quickly by scrambling.

 

[lesa]

If the membrane is still intact, I would eat it...

 

[bj taylor]

I wouldn't eat the egg. I imagine the membrane is fairly porous. I think the bacteria surrounding chickens is pretty high & some of that could be pretty hazardous to us people if transmitted. I always throw damaged eggs away.