Common Egg Shell Deformities, Discolouration Issues and Probable Reasons

15 common Egg Shell deformities in respect of structure and colour as under:

1. Pale Shelled Eggs
Reasons:
a) Infections like Infectious Bronchitis & EDS
b) Old Age Hen
c) High Stress in flock
d) Toxic Effect of Drug like Sulphonamides & Nicarbazine

2. Pink or Liliac Eggs
Reasons:
a) High Stress in Flock
b) Excess Dietary Calcium

3. Dirty Eggs
Reasons:
a) Poor Gut Health
b) High volume of indigestible ingredients in Feed
c) Enteritis
d) Electrolyte Imbalance

4. Shell-less Egg
Reasons:
a) Disease like Avian Influenza, ND, IB & EDS
b) Immature Shell Gland
c) Nutrients like Ca, P, Mn or Vitamin D deficiency

5. Bloody Eggs
Reasons:
a) Rupture of blood vessels inside Fallopian tube wall
b) Rupture of blood vessels on Yolk surface
c) Deficiency of Vit A or Vit K
d) Large size in Egg in Old hen causing stretching and pressure on the lower area, may lead to bleeding
e) Egg may broke inside hen’s body & cause bleeding

6. Soft Shell Eggs
Reasons:
a) Excess Phosphorus in Feed
b) Heat Stress
c) Old Age of Hen
d) Electrolyte Imbalance

7. Cracked Egg
Reasons:
a) Calcium & Vit D deficiency
b) Heat Stress
c) Old Age of hens
d) Electrolyte Imbalance
e) Mycotoxins

8. Corrugated Eggs
Reasons:
a) Calcium, Copper & Vit D deficiency
b) Heat Stress
c) Old Age of hens
d) Defective Shell glands
e) Electrolyte Imbalance
f) Mycotoxins
g) Overuse of Antibiotics

9. Wrinkled Eggs
Reasons:
a) Stress
b) Infectious Bronchitis
c) Defective Shell glands
d) Overcrowding

10. Pimpled Eggs
Reasons:
a) Eggs with Extra-calcification as granules on the blunt end
b) Old Age Hen
c) Inadequate Nutrition
d) Strain of Chicken

11. Calcium Coated Eggs
Reasons:
a) Defective Shell gland
b) Disturbance during Shell Calcification
c) Excess Calcium in Feed
d) Young hens under any stress usually hold Eggs longer leading to Calcium coated Eggs

12. Mottled Eggs
Reasons:
a) Disease like Avian Influenza, ND, IB & EDS
b) High Humidity in hen house
c) Mycotoxins
d) Manganese Deficiency
e) Overcrowding
f) Any reason leading to shell fails to dry quickly

13. Broken or Mended Eggs
Reasons:
a) Stress during Shell calcification
b) Overcrowding
c) Disturbances during Calcification

14. Misshapen Eggs
Reasons:
a) Immature Shell gland
b) Disease like Avian Influenza, ND, IB & EDS
c) Excessive Lighting
d) Stress
e) Overcrowding

15. Spots (White Brown speckled) on Egg Shell
Reasons:
a) Inadequate Nutrition
b) Defective Shell gland
c) Disturbance during Egg calcification
d) Excess Calcium in Feed
e) Stress during Laying

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