My eco solution to rat problems

[lucyandstephen3]

I have 4 happy chickens who all seem in good health, but one chicken periodically lays very thin eggs, which when boiled/poached have a unpleasant grainy texture to the white. The taste isnt too good either. Yolks seem fine and a good colour and the eggs are fine for other uses.

 

Anybody experienced anything similar or have any ideas. I haven't managed to identify which chicken is the culprit, but they are all wormed regularly with an organic wormer and this doesn't seem to have any pattern to the egg issue.

 

Any suggestions gratefully received.

[Chucky Mama]

I have an older hen that lays thin shelled eggs. The whites are quite gelatinous. I use them for baking if they are not too bad or I give them to the dog.

[lucyandstephen3]

Thanks for that - perhaps it is normal then, although ours are young hens. Sounds like the solution could be to get a dog!!

[lucyandstephen3]

Our egg story has moved on and we are still none the wiser, so any more suggestions really would be very much appreciated. The eggs which were producing a grainy and unpleasant tasting egg white when boiled/poached are now decidedly 'off'. We've had a few from the same chicken that have been very off even when fresh, others which weigh nothing and have no or little white, or have very big membrames - they float end up in water. The shells don't seem to be particularly thin. Chicken is healthy and happy - not that we are sure which one is producing the dodgy eggs.

 

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[sakurasunshine]

Hi,

I have a similar thing with my eggs. When I fry them the whites look quite watery and the texture of them tastes like it has curdled!

What can I do to prevent this?

[Srunicorn69]

Did anyone find a solution to the egg white curdling as my young hens have just started to do it. She had great eggs for six weeks and now the last five eggs have white that seems to curdle when cooked but also tastes horrible.

Sue

[UKMARCH]

I have never come across this my older hens lay a more thin shelled egg which have thinner whites but I haven't noticed any deterioration in taste they just don't cook as well and I wouldn't use them for poached eggs, I wonder if they have always tasted odd if there is something wrong with the hen?

[Srunicorn69]

Just an extra bit of information to my problem above. Would antibiotics make a difference to my girls eggs even thou I left it 72hours after giving the last dose of doxycycline in the water. Or is there a longer withdrawel period of eggs and that's why my girls egg white is curdled when cooked. ( it's only the white directly around the yolk, the very outer white is ok).

Sue

[UKMARCH]

I imagine it could make a difference I'm not familiar with that medication so not sure of the egg withdrawal period. I have found this and it seems that in 6/7 days the eggs would be clear.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2015932

[authorclaireosullivan]

On 8/6/2014 at 7:22 AM, Srunicorn69 said:

Just an extra bit of information to my problem above. Would antibiotics make a difference to my girls eggs even thou I left it 72hours after giving the last dose of doxycycline in the water. Or is there a longer withdrawel period of eggs and that's why my girls egg white is curdled when cooked. ( it's only the white directly around the yolk, the very outer white is ok).

Sue

also consider getting them wormed. I found curdled whites while I was cracking shells into the pan, tossed them. I have no idea what it is but at least one hen is giving out nasty eggs. There is no natural cure for worms no matter what the literature says. Ivermectin is widely available but you have to dose per fowl. Which is tricky. Which is what I have to do...