# Blood on outside of eggshell



## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

I am getting at least one egg with blood on the shell each day. I have 24 layers and they have been laying since last December. What is the cause?


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## April (Nov 28, 2006)

Big eggs, maybe? Young chickens?


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## gardenspider (Jun 21, 2010)

I would not be concerned at all. I have chickens also and its pretty normal.
Sometimes birds have a hard time passing eggs the way we do "other" things.
It's normal. Have you raised birds before? I have raised birds for several years and have had some of my birds have that every year. 
A very good book for information on chickens is 

Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.
Gail Damerow is the author.
Great book. Best one I have found on the market.

Hope this helps you!


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2010)

Yes, as the others said, it's normal. 

I would only be concerned if it started happening very regularly.


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## gardenspider (Jun 21, 2010)

Even if it does happen on a regular basis, don't fret. It's when you consistently find blood in the inside is when it's time to cull the bird. 
When you have 30+ birds it's impossible to tell who butt is doing what.
We have several like that and it's normal. Don't worry about it.
What kind of birds do you have?
I have black sex links (also known as black star) 
Often times I get double yolks at least 2 per day.
How many birds do you have?
How long have you been keeping birds?


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

highlandview said:


> I am getting at least one egg with blood on the shell each day. I have 24 layers and they have been laying since last December. What is the cause?


Mites.

If it hapens once in a great while it is normal: if it happens daily it is probably mites.

I have had 3 episodes of this, and each time mite treatement has worked:not very scientific but it works for me!

What happens is, they bite the tender skin near the vent. When the hen lays an egg, it rubs across the bite and makes it bleed.


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## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

gardenspider said:


> Even if it does happen on a regular basis, don't fret. It's when you consistently find blood in the inside is when it's time to cull the bird.
> When you have 30+ birds it's impossible to tell who butt is doing what.
> We have several like that and it's normal. Don't worry about it.
> What kind of birds do you have?
> ...


This is our first flock. We have 27 (3 roosters and 24 hens). We have Buffs and Austrolorps. Thanks for the info.


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## gardenspider (Jun 21, 2010)

Your Buffs...Are they Orpingtons?
I love those! I had those for awhile and when they were young I would hold them.
They got to the point where they would squat when they saw me coming and wait to be petted pr picked up!~ Very friendly bird but they are good brooding hens. Sometimes that's all they will do all day and night. Had to force them out of the brood boxes just so they would eat and drink sometimes even if they had no eggs. We just kept birds for eggs. Hens will stop laying once they stop brooding. So if it's eggs you want you want to get good laying hens.
Finally found it in the book: Bloody shells, (how bloody are these?)
QUOTE "sometimes appear when pullets start laying before their bodies are ready, causing tissue to tear. Other reasons include excess protein in the lay ration and coccidiosis, a disease that causes intestinal bleeding . Cocci does not often affect mature birds, but if it does you will likely find bloody droppings as well as bloody shells.
You can try to get meds for this at the farm supply store. There is one that you just add to the water supply. My farm very tells me it's normal for blood spots to happen and not to worry.


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