Sunday, April 18, 2021

What in the world is wrong with this egg?

First, I'll answer the question and then we'll discuss further.  There is nothing "wrong with the egg.  The one I'm talking about is the small one below in the nesting box.  Can you see the one I'm talking about?  I went out to gather eggs the other afternoon and discovered a very small egg nestled in the nest.


It is the small egg right beneath the blue egg.  I've posted about these eggs before, but it's been a long time, so let's talk about it again.  The tiny egg is called a 'fart egg.'  I researched it and it is also called a 'fairy egg,' 'rooster egg,' or 'wind egg.'  They are simply eggs laid by some hens in the very early stages of their cycle.  I consider it "working the kinks out."  When you do anything for the first time, things won't be entirely right.  Same thing here.  We have a number of pullets that we just introduced to the rest of the flock.  This has created a change in the pecking order and lots of stress.  We like routine.  So do birds.    

These fart eggs are yolk-less and are created when a hen starts to form an egg before her body releases a yolk.  They are usually a little darker in color than the other eggs.  I think they are cool-looking.

Finding eggs like this are kind of rare.  When you do run across one, it is a strange occurrence.  They are cute.  We bring them inside, but never eat them.  We always wonder if they are okay to eat.  After reading about them, they are safe to eat.  There's no yolk, so they won't be as flavorful or nutritious, but they are fine to eat.  It will just take a whole bunch of fart eggs to make an omelet!!

I went ahead and put the fart egg in a carton so you can see the comparative size.  Now, I don't think a customer will be very happy buying a dozen eggs and having a fart egg in the package, so I removed it and replaced it with a standard-sized egg.

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