Problems With Eggs - Yolks & Whites
Blood spots, pale yolks, green colour, addled eggs etc.
On occasion you will find faults
with your eggs, and it's useful to know the causes.
Not all problems can be prevented but it is helpful
to know the reason for problems in your eggs.
Pale Egg Yolk Colour
The yolk colour of eggs naturally varies from light yellow to a
deep orange yellow depending on what the hens are eating. grass and
other plants such as clovers and lucerne enhance the yellow colour
of the yolk. Ill health can also affect the colour of the yolk.
Green Egg Yolk Colour
Sometimes free ranging hens will produce eggs with green yolks,
most frequently in the spring when plants are most lush . The birds
should be given more compound feed to reduce the proportion of greens
in the diet to correct the problem.
Rotten Eggs
Usually the shell membranes that lie just under the shell protect
the egg from microbial and fungal infection. If this layer is damaged
or malformed and they get into the egg, rot in patches or whole will
occur.
Bubbles in the White
Eggs normally have an air space at the blunt end and the shell
is permeable to the air to allow oxygen in to developing chicks.
If , however, the inner membrane is damaged the result can be bubbles
in the white.
Blood Spots in Eggs
These are small red to reddish brown spots found in or around the
yolk. They are usually caused by one of the tiny blood vessels in
the ovary breaking at the time when the yolk is released. Often people
mistakenly think they indicate a fertile egg and it is the start
of a chick forming.
High levels of activity or disturbance, particularly at the time
of ovulation are likely to increase the incidence of these blood
spots.
Because free range hens may eat grass which contains a substance
called rutin that has the effect of stopping bleeding, free range
hens eggs tend to have less blood spots than those from caged or
battery kept birds.
Meat Spots in Eggs
Meat spots are usually brown in colour, darker than blood spots,
and they are found in the egg white (albumen) rather than the yolk.
They consist of small pieces of body tissue, such as the internal
wall of the oviduct. Their incidence varies according to bird age
and health and also due to breed differences.
In brown shelled eggs, they are more difficult to identify when
candling and brown egg laying hens are more likely to produce them
than white egg laying hens.
Watery White (Albumen)
Although eggs will remain safe to eat for around 28 days the internal
quality begins to deteriorate from the day they are laid. Newer eggs
have firm whites that hold their shape. Poor quality whites usually
indicate the egg has been laid for longer than you realise. It's
quite amazing how often you come across eggs laid where they shouldn't
be some time ago.
Some newly laid eggs from older birds may have poor quality whites
and eggs Viral disease can also cause the hen to lay eggs with poor
quality whites.
Articles About Eggs
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