After writing the post about the new rain shelter the other day, I went over to Chicken World to collect the eggs and give the chickens their daily treat of a good scoopful of corn .... and look what I found in one of the nest boxes ....
.... a tiny egg.
They are commonly known as Fairy eggs or Witches eggs .... I know which I prefer to call them!!
They can be laid by any hen at any time and is usually caused either by a disruption of the hens laying cycle or just by her body not producing a yolk, thus the incomplete 'egg' whizzes through her reproductive system with the white getting a coating of shell. The Fairy eggs are usually a paler colour than the hen would normally lay, as because of its small size it speeds through the last process which is where the colour is added to the shell, so I can't tell which of my hens laid me this cute little gift.
I will be saving it as I don't have any at the moment, we have given them away as fascinating keepsakes to folk that ex[pressed an interest in them, and I have none for me at the moment.
They do keep forever and don't develop a bad egg smell as the white evaporates over time and the eggshell hardens. I think I'll start a collection of them in a jar in the kitchen.
Sue xx
That was so interesting, I'd never heard of a fairy egg/witch egg before.
ReplyDeleteLike Mac n' Janet,,, never heard of a fairy egg before,, Cute.
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting. One of our chickens laid one of these last week and we had no idea why. Also, our hens are not laying normally. Any ideas? We have 9 hens and only getting 2 eggs a day as opposed to just last week when all 9 were laying. . It's a mystery to me ..
ReplyDeleteCheck none of them are eating the eggs, mine do this sometimes.
DeleteLook for red mites in the henhouse, if you get an infestation it can make the hens stop laying, look in dark corners and under perches for tiny dark brown mites, (if you squash one they make tiny red puddles as they are full of your hens blood).
Something else could be stealing them during the day (rats etc).
Are the birds moulting, this can put a hold on their laying.
Final idea off the top of my head .... are they going broody. When it gets warm a hen can mistake this as a sign that it's time to sit on the nest even if there are no eggs in it. A broody hen stops laying. You will know as they will be sat in the henhouse all day if you let them.
Fascinating! NEVER heard of this either but we don't keep chickens- as much as I'd love to. Great that they don't go rotten - that in itself is amazing.
ReplyDeleteEgg shells are porous so if left in the open air the contents will evaporate from these tiny eggs, and as there is rarely a yolk there's not enough to go off before it vanishes :-)
DeleteFascinating! a bowl of these on a kitchen windowsill would look very pretty,
ReplyDeleteFairy eggs. How fascinating. Never even knew they existed.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cute, at leat you're getting eggs ... my 2 hens are totally on strike and I haven't had an egg for months. I have tried everything.
ReplyDeleteMy hens stopped laying for the last few months of Winter, as did our neighbours, as neither of us had had this happen before it was very strange.
DeleteHave you tried giving them a tonic, I use one that contains seaweed, it just gets poured into the water, makes it a strange unappealing green colour but the hens drink it if there's no other water available -http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Net-Tex_Liquid_Tonic.html
I also use Garlic Granules t keep the girls (and Caldwell) fit and healthy - http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Garlic_Granules.html
You can click on the link on the sidebar to go straight to the Flyte So Fancy website, most things ordered will be with you within a week.
Thank you so much for your suggestions I will be off to get some tonic from the farm shop first thing tomorrow :-)
DeleteDoes the garlic granules make the eggs taste like garlic?
DeleteIve heard of them but not seen one. How cool.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! Never heard of fairy eggs before this! I learned something new today! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love it when this happens as it usually means a hen that's been off lay for some reason is coming back into production again. I've never kept one as I would be sure to lose it or break it!
ReplyDeleteI have never ever seen nor heard of this, very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely.
ReplyDeleteI too have these small eggs
ReplyDeleteGeorge ( my scittish terrier eats them as a treat)
How interesting. If you are lucky enough to get any more a collection in a jar would look wonderful. Our chooks have not started laying yet. Its 6 weeks since we got them and I'm wondering if they ever will lay any.
ReplyDeleteIt could be any of the reasons I have mentioned in other replies, or maybe they are just a tad younger than you think they are.
DeleteI think the very changeable weather we have been having over most of the country may be responsible as well, hens are so much more relaxed and productive in steady warm weather with lots of sunshine for them to bask in.
We all need some sun .... not just the hens!!
Down in these parts they are known as wind eggs.
ReplyDeleteEven my new hens have not laid a 'Fairy' egg! Have been getting some huge double-yolkers from older and new hens. Checking them daily in case they have prolapses. Getting some lovely mixes of colours too!
ReplyDeleteApparently, adding oregano and parsley to their feed, stimulates egg laying. Don't know if it is purely the fibre or trace minerals/vit c that does it but, it worked on my older hens early this year!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good tip. :-)
DeleteI did not know Fairy Eggs wont go bad! I shall start my own collection. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDelete