Yesterday Bluebell laid her first egg and mid morning today I found Bluebell’s second egg in the nest box. It was slightly bigger and more blue than her first, truly beautiful! I felt very proud of her.
Bluebell’s second egg
Bluebell’s egg is on the right and Treacle’s egg is on the left
They look so wonderful and I feel I could cry because we haven’t been able to eat any of the eggs due to the mouldy taste. I am at my wit’s end with this as I have been reading chicken blogs for the last two years or more and have only done things and given treats that I have read everyone else does and no one else has this problem. I just cannot understand why this is happening and the longer it goes on the worse I feel because I just don’t know what else I can do.
I am waiting until morning to taste Bluebells egg before I put out this post.
This morning we poached Bluebell’s egg and both tasted it. It was just the same, a strong mouldy, woody, unpleasant taste. I am beyond disappointed. We have now had twelve eggs from Treacle (there was one in the nest box this morning at first light) and two from Bluebell. I had never expected to finally get eggs and not be able to eat them, it’s heartbreaking.
I have e-mailed the farm that I got the chickens from, asking them if they have any ideas or advice. I just don’t know what else to do.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
If nothing you have tried has made a difference so far, and you are convinced it is to do with what you are feeding them, maybe you need to find another brand of layer’s pellets? You’ve tried changing everything else, so the pellets could be to blame. Maybe the supplier is not storing them correctly or something.
I would imagine that you would see an improvement within a week of removing whatever it is that’s affecting the taste…
I no longer think it is the pellets. I am buying small bags now, the first from the pet shop in our local garden centre and the second from “Pets at Home”. One of the people on “Down the Lane” said they get them from there and have had no problem.
I can’t think it’s what they are eating now, because they have fresh pellets, fresh corn for before bedtime and some fresh greens for treats and it’s made no difference at all.
I am meeting a lady from “Down the Lane” tomorrow and we are going to swop eggs so at least I will have another opinion on the taste. I am going to see if I can find a help line to call in the poultry magazine and maybe even call a vet for advice. I am running out of ideas on this and am finding it really depressing.