Backyard Poultry Forum

Hi, Everyone!

Well, I'm thoroughly confused now!! :hu

I have a couple of pretend eggs under my Splash Australorp whom I placed a definitely fertile single 14day Polish egg under her about 4 days ago because it appeared to be the only one that was developing properly at the recommended time in my incubator. There had been a couple of these Interstate purchased eggs from the same batch that had leaked and, fortunately, I removed them before they exploded. The others were still in the "vein only" stage at 14days old (strange!) so I thought that the single egg may stand a better chance under "Happy", my broody Splash Australorp.

The last couple of days, I noticed that some of my Standard Hens, like my Buff Orpington, "Orpa", had pushed herself in with "Happy" and had probably laid her egg there. So, today, after I noticed "Orpa" was no longer in the nest, as usual, I pulled "Happy" out forcing her to have a break, stretch, feed and water, whilst I checked to see what eggs had been laid. Besides a small container of food and water beside her in her nest box, she also gets a vitamin tablet once a day to assist with her lack of appetite. Anyway, to my amazement, there was a pure White long large egg amongst the eggs! :ep Even bigger than the Polish egg that I had given to her! "Orpa's" egg was there too.

OK! Just for the record, I will be cordoning off a little area for her when & if this little one hatches but, meanwhile, where did this White long egg come from? I only have 3 other Standard Hens in the same run with Happy at the moment:

a) A Wyandotte/Marans-X (Just over 4yrs old): "Monet" lays medium beige coloured eggs with uneven brown speckles scattered on her eggs;
b) A Buff Orpington (1yr 2mths old): "Orpa" lays slightly stocky beige to dark beige coloured eggs with a slight shine;
c) A Silver Laced Wyandotte (1yr 8.5mths old): "Lacy" lays beige coloured eggs with a slight shine;

So, this long White egg does not match any of these breeds that I have in that run! 2 days ago, I did have a Dark Barred 3yr old Plymouth Rock who I, very sadly, had to put down due to her insistant egg eating (did try various means to counter her behaviour for nearly 2 mths but to no avail!). But, even so, I don't think I've ever known her to lay a White one! Long, yes. But not White! The other part of this puzzle is that even if this egg was hiding in the straw bedding and had been deposited by my DB Plymouth Rock, surely it wouldn't be so clean?! Or would it if it was completely hidden under the straw? It's spotless! Also, I checked under Orpa again a short while ago and discovered another egg from Lacy. That's two on the same day! Unless it's Orpa's but she's normally lays really chubby eggs! Neverthess, it's not as big a mystery as this long White egg!

Could my DB Plymouth Rock have laid this White egg? I have no Polish Hens in this run and no Polish Hens in the other side either. Plus it's too large to be a Polish egg! The two beige eggs were 54 & 53gms. The photo is of the 54gms egg and the long White egg. I haven't weighed the White egg as it's still under Happy whilst I try to figure out where it came from!

Anyone have any thoughts on this mystery? Is my assumption that my DB Plymouth Rock may be the culprit. (Maybe she had an inner supernatural suspicion that she was about to be culled! Thus turning her egg White! .......... Doo doo doo doo!......... Doo doo doo doo!......... :cd )

A very puzzled ChickyChooky! :hu

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Cluckin' & Chucklin' Away!
ChickyChooky

how large are eastern brown snake eggs? but that would be impossible, right? *shuddering*

ETA you mention a photo but I can't see any photo on your post. so my imagination is being overactive

Sorry, Kylie! I got interrupted by a rather long phone call from a friend who needed to vent and I forgot that I hadn't uploaded the photos. Done now!

Boy! You had me worried when you suggested a Common Brown Snake as they are prevalent here in Adelaide. I've lost 3x cats during the past 10 yrs to Brown Snakes here in Adelaide Western suburbs. But, I wasn't going to take any chances and did some research. Yes. You're right. The Eastern Brown Snake (same as Common Brown Snake) does lay white eggs. But, my research so far tells me that a reptile egg has a soft, stretchy, rubbery shell whilst a hard white shell belongs to a bird. Presumably, that would be the same for a snake as it is a reptile. If I'm wrong and someone who is a real expert on this, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! The mysterious egg has a definite hard outer shell. The other thing that I learnt is that The Common Brown Snake lays in clutches, not single eggs at a time. Also, another point, the photos of these snakes on the Internet (not many photos though) appear to have the same shape at both ends whereas this one is pointy at one end and rounder at the other as with most chicken eggs.

I was a rather concerned because I was reminded that last night when I went to lock up the chickens, for the first time, I found that I had left the gate open and it was just after dark. So, upon thinking about the possibility of a Common Brown Snake in my backyard was rather horrifying! PEspecially as my small dogs love to hunt for mice out the back! My backyard is like a jungle out there with lots of potted plants and overrun with sprawling plants. A great place for snakes to hide in! Looks like I'd best revamp my backyard a little or more than a little! It became overgrown whilst I was rather ill. There is a large empty block nearby and I always thought that it was there that my poor deceased cats had found the snakes which had poisoned them before they made their way to the front porch or front garden before collapsing. I must admit that since SAHT put up the new fence surrounding the property, they could slither under the driveway gates. So, tomorrow I will be putting wire along the bottom in order to prevent them access to the property.

Anyone know for sure that Brown Snakes don't lay hard shelled eggs?

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Cluckin' & Chucklin' Away!
ChickyChooky

sorry to freak you out! I have never seen or touched snake eggs, but from your photo your egg looks far more chicken-ish than snakelike.

I forgot to mention that yesterday when I went to check on my chickens there was a snake (eastern brown) in the coop. it came towards me and I fled. my husband says the snake wasn't trying to get me, rather than make his exit and I was in the doorway. I never did check for the eggs. made him put the chooks away last night.

so I am sure that you have an interesting mystery rather than a scary one to solve. I just have an overactive imagination.

by the way, your girls are beautiful!

ETA my logic (rather than any actual knowledge) would suggest that a snake would be very unlikely to curl up in the nest, lay a single egg and then abandon it, nor would a chicken come across a snake egg and steal it, adopting it as her own (especially if it was rubbery - she would surely pierce it with her beak?). I think my theory was ridiculous. please ignore me! I just had a case of the heebie jeebies after my close encounter with a snake that morning.

It just looks like an abnormally shaped egg. Sometimes that happens and nothing to worry about.

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Erika

As far as I am aware, snake eggs are soft shelled, not hard shelled like chickens. So I don't think you need to worry!

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NellyG ........................

One of mine, a large light sussex, always lays long thin eggs. Never a 'normal' shape, just as in your photo. Good layer, eggs are good eating, just an off beat shape.

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PC

Thanks everyone for your input! I think it may have just been Happy, the Australorps', egg. It, probably, just got missed in the dying process before entering the big wide World! Happy, about a month ago, lay the biggest egg yet! 70gms! Turned out to be a double yolk as well! My first too!

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Cluckin' & Chucklin' Away!
ChickyChooky