It sounds like something out of a children’s picture book – fairy eggs. But far from whimsical cartoons, they are very much real.
So what is a fairy egg?
Fairy eggs get their name from their miniature size. They are tiny eggs that are occasionally laid by healthy chickens.
Backyard chicken owners may be disconcerted to come across the odd fairy egg, which are a tiny yolkless egg.
Chicken coach, Elise McNamara, says the mysterious eggs are sometimes laid by pullets when they first start laying, as their bodies become used to egg production. Alternatively, fairy eggs can be from a hen at the end of her laying season.
“If it’s a one-off, don’t worry,” says Ms McNamara, a chicken consultant from regional Winchelsea in Victoria’s south-east.
“It can happen if they’re gearing up for egg laying or winding down.
“On the other hand, if you’re getting a lot, you should see a vet to check on your hen’s reproductive tract.”
Can you eat a fairy egg?
After ‘What is a fairy egg?’, another commonly asked question is ‘Are fairy eggs are safe to eat?’.
While fairy eggs may be eaten, they’re obviously not as nutritious as an egg with a yolk. Nor as satisfying as a full-sized egg.
Often, they’re composed of something that the bird is expelling from her body – a blood clot, say – and an egg shell forms around that.
For the record, Ms McNamara says she tends not to eat them and that they are rare.
What about lots of abnormal eggs?
If you’re getting a lot of dodgy eggs, you can attempt to isolate the chicken that you think is the culprit and take them to the vet for advice.
According to Poultry Australia, egg production can be impacted by factors such as the level of light during different seasons, hot and cold weather, poor diet and stress.
Egg production can be improved by ensuring that nesting boxes are secure, private and reasonably dark. If nesting boxes are overcrowded, hens will often find alternative nests when free ranging to lay their eggs.
A balanced diet of a layer feed plus some kitchen scraps and shell grit will help ensure good egg production.
