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Egg Question - thick albumen?

Anne Miller

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posted 7 years ago

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Off and on over the years we have had chickens. We moved and our daughter moved to our house and is using our chicken house. Our daughter has a rooster.

This morning we cracked some eggs that had a thick blobs of whitish egg white. Some the blobs encased the yolk, I set them aside for a treat for the dog.

What is going on? Are these fertile eggs that stayed in the nest longer than usual? Maybe I should float them?

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James Freyr

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posted 7 years ago

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If I understand you correctly Anne, the thick egg white is opaque? The eggs from my chickens have always had two "kinds" of egg white. A very thick part that appears to be surrounding the yolk, and a thinner runnier more liquid like outer egg white. The amount of these in my chickens eggs vary. When I crack them into the frying pan in the morning, sometimes it's mostly the thick part, appearing to hold a 1/4" high blob around the yolk, and other eggs I crack into the pan just run everywhere covering almost a quarter of my 12" skillet. The albumen in my chickens eggs always seems transparent, though I have come across cloudy egg whites from other farm eggs I've purchased in the winter when my chickens aren't laying.

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Craig Dobbson

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posted 7 years ago

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I think I know what you're talking about. Do they look like this?

or like this?

Sometimes it can be that the egg is super fresh and the gasses in the egg haven't yet escaped the albumen. Other times, it can be that the egg was partially frozen before it was collected so the albumen is somewhat ruined. I've also seen this from older hens just before they stop laying for the season. I don't think it has anything to do with the new rooster though. :)

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Anne Miller

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posted 7 years ago

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Thanks, James and Craig

They looked like the top picture.

I don't think they are fresh eggs as she brought them to us on 3/31 and she brought us 54 eggs (3 x 18ct cartons).

At least I know that it is OK for the dog to eat them.

It is hard to believe we have never seen this before.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Bryant RedHawk

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posted 6 years ago

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Nothing wrong with those eggs, it is a matter of egg age (eggs are good for up to 30 days without refrigeration if they are unwashed eggs.

Nice photo Craig, really nice eggs too.

We occasionally find little blood spots but those too are no big deal, they come from the hen straining a bit during the formation of the egg shell just before laying.

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Anne Miller

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posted 6 years ago

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Thanks everyone for the comments. Due to maybe the way we were brought up (as don't eat those); I give them to the dog, one a day. I still have 4 of those same eggs. I use the test method to make sure they are still ok..

https://permies.com/t/7030/Storing-Eggs#386333

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https://permies.com/t/1255/kitchen/great-recipe-surplus-eggs

Jocelyn Campbell's picture of my favorite recipe:

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Janet Sowerby

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posted 3 years ago

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Can you eat this egg

Anne Miller

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posted 3 years ago

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Janet Sowerby, if I remember correctly the general opinion was YES!

Do you have eggs like that?

Bryant RedHawk wrote:Nothing wrong with those eggs, it is a matter of egg age (eggs are good for up to 30 days without refrigeration if they are unwashed eggs.

Nice photo Craig, really nice eggs too. We occasionally find little blood spots but those too are no big deal, they come from the hen straining a bit during the formation of the egg shell just before laying.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Sherri Hammer

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posted 1 year ago

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My eggs don't have the white part covering the yoke?? After I hard boiled them??

Megan Palmer

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posted 1 year ago

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If the egg white does not cover the yolk after the egg has been boiled, the problem is likely to be a runny albumen that may be caused by a number of reasons - it may have been laid by an older hen, the egg was older, the hen may have been unwell.

Kristine Keeney

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posted 1 year ago

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Sherri Hammer wrote:My eggs don't have the white part covering the yoke?? After I hard boiled them??

I find this happens with old eggs. There's nothing wrong with them, but the yolk isn't centered anymore. Since I don't worry about food appearance, as long as it's good for you and tastes good, I don't worry about it.
Unless the hardboiled egg has a funny (not normal in a hardboiled egg) smell, it's fine.

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Kimberley Shepherd

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posted 2 months ago

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So, this evening, I made scrambled eggs and when I was whisking the eggs up there was a ton of mucus looking stuff in it and it wouldn't whisk at all. I managed to drain off the thick stuff and tried not to think about it. And now I've over thought about it and I may never eat eggs again.
Regarding the blood speck someone mentioned, I always thought it was part of the dead chick that never came about. Yes I'm an adult. Yes I'm a super fussy eater. Yes I sound dumb lol.

Kristine Keeney

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posted 2 months ago

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The "mucus looking stuff" is albumen. It's a normal part of the egg. Nothing to worry about. It's part of what we consider the white of the egg. Unless it's a really weird color or has some kind of bad smell, it's fine to eat like any other part of the egg.
It can be a bit stiff if the eggs are very fresh or cold. Or both. That stiffness makes it hard to beat/whisk. Nothing weird.

The blood speck has nothing to do with the chick. It's a common misconception. It's from the hen, from her having some kind of stressor that caused a little blood while the egg was forming. Some hens are more susceptible to it and it's generally advised that you don't hatch eggs from a hen with that tendency as the trait can be passed down.

You don't sound dumb. We all have quirks and some of them are more easily explained than others. My husband still laughs at some of my eating habits and quirks and he's been exposed to them for over 30 years. Do what makes you comfortable.

There is nothing so bad that politics cannot make it worse. - Thomas Sowell
Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. - Albert Einstein

We've gotta get close enough to that helmet to pull the choke on it's engine and flood his mind! Or, we could just read this tiny ad:

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