Our Rhode Island Reds have once in a while laid big, very wrinkled eggs. We were going to show them at the fair for the weirdest looking egg prize. Does anyone know why they do this and if there's anything we can do to stop it? Thanks. By the way, I just love this board. Denise

-- Denise Chambers (pastorcraig@blackfoot.net), August 20, 2001

Answers

Denise, the wrinkles are caused by the constrictures in the passage as the eggs come thru on their way to get laid and as the egg hardens. I am sure a chicken expert could put this is more technical terms. I am not sure of the egg hardens too soon or if these are young hens who have not had the passage stretched out or if they are laying really large eggs. I had one really long slender banty egg the other day that was a double yolker. I don't think it hurts them unless they prolapse or one gets stuck inside(they usually die from that). karen

-- karen Mauk (kansasgoats@iwon.com), August 20, 2001.

I've had some chickens do the same thing. What I have found was that they had double yolks. The strangest one I got was from a goose. It was a huge - HUGE egg - Double yolked.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), August 21, 2001.

Denise, I would second the post from Denise. My Rhode Island Red flock seemed to have a certain chicken that always laid eggs like that, very light tan and thin shelled, and wrinkled all over. I didnt know which hen it was, but she recently quit laying.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 21, 2001.

Denise,

Maybe that bear scared your chickens so bad they'll never be normal again. LOL. Couldn't resist answering this!

-- Bob & Laura (WI) Buck Snort Resort (buksnort@mwt.net), August 21, 2001.

This doesn't answer the question fully but some sickneses that a bird may have or had can cause this (EDS76 or Egg Drop Syndrome) Ihave read about it some where .Anyway this bit won't answer the question either http://www,thewrinkledegg.com/story.htm seems to be a camp site?? I'll keep on searching.

-- Rooster UK (nicholson.p@btconnect.com), August 22, 2001.

I sometimes get a wrinkled egg from my hens and decided to do a search on it... I thought I was the only one. Generally it is a large egg and has some creases in the shell. The one I found yesterday was AMAZING! It had a lot of texture and reminded me of the way cardboard would warp if it got wet. Very bumpy and creased. It was a large egg. My theory is that this egg might be sitting in the 'egg canal' too long (perhaps because it is large and hard to pass?) causing it to 'mold' to the contours inside the chicken. This goes along with what someone else said. If I had a digital camera I would take a picture of it. Hmmm might ask someone to do it for me. Anyway, I did a search because I have heard of hens becoming egg bound and wondered if my hens were a candidate. BTW this leg is laid either by an Australorpe or Hubbard Golden Comet. It is a pale or light brown/beige color. It's a mystery to me!

-- Renee at Briar Creek (fakeaddy@nomail.com), November 04, 2001.