Cool Facts About Chicken Eggs

I'm sure you've wondered why some hens can lay eggs everyday while others can't, as well as why some eggs are different colors than others. Well, we're here to talk about it today and hopefully answer some of your burning questions.

Hens Eggs

Most breeds don't start laying eggs until they are about 20 weeks old. Some lay eggs daily, some every other day, while others only lay eggs once or twice a week. There are certain things that can affect laying routines, such as temperature, winter daylight shortages, illness and lack of proper nutrition. Stress and improper hydration can cause issues as well, so as long as you keep up with your chickens and make sure they are staying healthy on their routines, things should go smoothly.

Egg Variations

• Pullet Eggs- The first eggs produced by a hen. The eggs are small in the beginning and will get bigger as the hen matures.
• Oops Eggs- Tiny eggs that pass through without reaching their full size. It happens.
• Shell-less Eggs- Sometimes eggs are released before they've had time to develop a shell.
• Double Eggs- This basically means that the egg in encased in another shell.
• Double Yolkers- Normal about of egg whites, but there are two yolks. When this happens, the egg might be larger than normal.
• Yolkless Eggs- Purely egg whites and no yolks!
• Aside from these types of eggs, each egg is characteristic on the breed that produced it. Depending on the breed, you might have medium eggs, large eggs, colored eggs, brown eggs, light brown eggs…the list goes on! However, the inside of each egg is always the same and doesn't look different, no matter the breed.

Check back next week and we will discuss the egg laying process as well as chicken and egg behavior!