[danniulrich05]

Our hens eggs are pale and watery like store bought eggs. We have 40ish birds in our laying flock and they live out in the pasture with the other animals. They have their own coop separate from the guineas. They are a mixed group with about 1/3 being speckled Sussex 1/3 production red and the rest are a few rir, one buff orp, and a few Easter eggers. They are about half and half 18 months old and the others 6 months old. They have all the bugs and plants they want to eat and they get 5lbs of layer pellets once a day. My question is why their eggs are so pathetic? Soft pale yellow yolks and very watery whites.

 

[chickenista]

Hmmmm....
good question.
What is your weather?
Has it been hot?
If it is hot, then the shells are thinner and there is more moisture put into the eggs.

And.. do they eat the grass and stuff or do they gorge on the laying pellets?
Maybe cut back on the layer and maybe only do it in the late afternoon?
That way they have the day to eat green stuff.
And what is in the pasture?
Just grasses or are there weeds and clovers etc..?
If it is just taller grasses, there isn't much for a bird to eat.

 

[danniulrich05]

We've only had a few hot days (90+) and it seems like the eggs have been this way most of the year. They are kind of lazy they act like they are starving when I fill their pan. I fed them very little early in the summer and was only getting one or two eggs a day. We have a very mixed pasture with lots of clovers and short grass where the steers have munched it down.

 

[chickenista]

Hmmm...
I would still maybe suggest cutting back on feed a bit and changing the time of day in which they get it and see what happens.

 

[HillRunner]

I have the same problem! Someone told me worms might be the problem?

 

[HillRunner]

I have not sold any of them either. Makes me afraid to sell them not only if they are bad but word of mouth is a killer and if people spread the word I sell bad eggs i am done in the egg department.

 

[danniulrich05]

How do you worm chickens? We've never had to worm before. This year I had to worm all my pigs and will be from now on.

 

[wally]

I recall that if you feed marigold flowers the yokes will improve color.. I have not tried this but something I recalled reading here on HT.

 

[Vosey]

I don't know the answer, but we have one hen who lays pale yolks. All Barred Rocks. Sometimes we get runny whites too, but I bet that's the heat here. I figured the pale yolk hen doesn't eat something all the other girls do? Or maybe they don't all come from the same hen.

We were feeding pellets and switched to crumbles. They gorged themselves on the crumbles! Would not stop eating them, we had to pick up the feeder during the day as they stopped foraging and laid around all day. Switched back to pellets and they went back to life as normal.