As a huge fan of breakfast, I'm surprised I never knew all the weird egg shapes and sizes chickens can actually lay.
Of course, I've also never spent any time on a farm — though I have usually relied on fresh, organic eggs anytime I whip them up in a yummy dish. That said, I'm definitely glad I never came across quite a few of the more bizarre examples below when I opened up my carton.
Some of them seriously look like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie!
This is a great reminder at how nature can always keep us guessing. Take a look to see all of the weird egg shapes and sizes folks have found in their coops at one point or another.
Do you know someone who raises chickens? Be sure to SHARE all of these crazy eggs with them on Facebook!
1. Soft-Shell Eggs
Instead of a hard outer part, these eggs completely lack a shell and have only the soft membrane to contain the yolk and whites inside.
According to Fresh Eggs Daily, this happens with very old or very young chickens. It can also occur when a chicken is stressed or lacking in calcium or vitamin D.
2. Soft-Shell Eggs With A Tail
This usually occurs while the chicken or hen is passing the egg, which then gets stuck, creating this very strange appendage.
3. Mended Eggs
As you can see above, this is when an egg breaks before the chicken lays it and re-calcifies over the crack.
4. Misshapen Eggs
Like the soft shells with a tail, this happens as the chicken passes the egg and it gets stuck on its way down. However, these shells still manage to solidify.
5. Pimpled Eggs
These little blemishes are linked to the calcium intake of the mama. They vary in size and texture depending on the bird.
6. Blue Or Green Eggs
The folks at Countryside Daily explain how certain breeds of chickens naturally produce blue eggs: ameraucanas, araucanas and cream legbars.
A green hue occurs when they cross-breed one of the blue-laying chickens with a brown-laying chicken.
7. Super-Tiny Eggs
Linda from Garden Betty explains how these petite eggs usually don't even have a yolk inside them. They go by nicknames such as wind eggs, witch eggs, fairy eggs, and most hilariously, fart eggs.
8. Eggs Inside Of Other Eggs
Countryside Daily also shed light on this bizarre phenomenon some farmers experience from time to time.
It's something called counter-peristalsis contraction and happens when a chicken releases a second oocyte while the first is still in the eggshell gland.
9. Eggs With Multiple Yolks
This is a rare occurrence, according to Poultry Keeper, and is actually a flaw when found in eggs that aren't meant to be eaten. It's impossible for more than one baby chick to develop inside a single egg.
10. Wrinkled Eggs
This is different from the soft-shelled eggs in that these wrinkles are firm. Poultry Keeper claims this happens with older hens who have a history of suffering from avian infectious bronchitis.
11. Faded-Pigment Eggs
According to research from the University of Florida, two major factors for a decrease in pigmentation on brown eggshells include stress and old age.
12. Super-Round Eggs
This incredibly rare occurrence can fetch a pretty penny for the chicken's owner, like the British woman who sold her hen's round egg for over $600.
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