Look. I’m not one that faints at the sight of blood. But, when I find a freshly laid chicken egg with a bit of blood on it (or sometimes more than a bit!) I know that something is not quite right.

As a backyard chicken owner we should all know that eggs don’t always come out right, it’s normal right? Still, when you find blood on the eggshell of one of your eggs you can’t help but be a little concerned.

Here we go through whether the blood on the shell of a chicken egg is cause for concern, if it’s actually OK, and what it can mean for you and your hens.

Blood On Chicken’s Egg Shell – Is It OK?

It’s comical to occasionally find a misshapen egg here and there, but the sight of blood can be quite jarring, and it doesn’t quite feel the same.

Here at BackyardFarmLife, we’ve discussed why you’ll often find smaller eggs, soft shell eggs, and sometimes even liquid eggs. Although they can be a bit concerning when you find them too often, usually if it’s a once-off it’s completely OK and normal.

Similarly, if you find blood on an eggshell, it’s nothing to be concerned about – your hens are normally just fine!

The egg chute is lined with blood vessels, and is rather sensitive, particularly if you’ve got a young hen who is still developing. When strained, it’s possible that some of these blood vessels burst. This can lead to blood on the egg itself, or blood coming out of the vent, the chicken’s bottom, at the same time as the egg.

Finding one or two eggs with blood on the eggshell is absolutely OK, but if it’s happening every time or very often, then it’s worth investigating further.

Why Is There Blood On My Chicken’s Egg Shell?

So, we’ve established that blood on the eggshell is normally just from a burst blood vessel in the egg chute, and it’s completely normal on rare occasions.

But, there are circumstances where this happens more often or where it’s caused by other factors.

So, whether you’ve found just one bloody egg or multiple, here are all the common reasons why there’s blood on your chicken’s eggshell. 

Age Of Your Chicken

The age of your chicken plays a large part in how developed and practiced your chicken’s egg production is.

What you’ll find is that younger hens laying their first eggs are much more likely to have mishaps, including bursting blood vessels in the egg chute. 

This is because it’s the first few times this system is actually being used!

There are also accounts that older hens who are at the end of the egg-laying days may also struggle to lay eggs in complete normality.

So, at both ends of the age scale, you are more likely to come across eggs with blood on their shells.

Irregular Or Large Eggs

Have you ever seen that child’s toy where you are supposed to put the square block into the square hole and the circle block into the circle hole?

Well, picture that, but for irregularly shaped eggs or abnormally large eggs trying to make their way through your chicken.

So, it’s not uncommon to find a bit of blood on the eggshell if the egg itself is larger than usual or is misshapen in any way, as it’s naturally harder for the chicken to lay it.

It’s also pretty common when a chicken lays a larger egg than normal that the egg itself will appear “elongated” too.

External Injury

Aside from things that go on inside your chicken, an external injury to your chicken’s vent may see your eggs to be covered in blood as they exit.

These injuries are often brought on by things like infection following injury or potential mite infestation.

Although mites are less common, it does happen! Mites can bite your chicken in the vent area to cause some superficial bleeding.

But, if your chicken’s vent appears clear, and there are no signs of mites, then you can rule this one out as a possible cause!

It Just Happens!

Owning and raising your own backyard chickens, you simply have to realize that these kinds of things happen!

Not every chicken can lay a perfect egg every time. Inevitably you are going to face some pretty weird and shocking-looking eggs, including those that have a bit of blood on them. 

Even if your egg is covered in blood, it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong with your chicken!

When Should You Worry About Blood On Your Eggs

So, if it’s relatively normal to find a bit of blood on the eggshell every now and then, when should you actually be concerned that something may be wrong?

Well, the first tell-tale sign that something out of the normal is happening is when you start to find blood on eggs regularly, or every time. 

Still, it’s possible that your chicken may be completely fine. But, finding repeated bloody eggs can be a sign of more severe illness or injury.

For this reason, if you are worried at all you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to a veterinarian that handles poultry for some advice.

But, don’t jump to conclusions just yet. It may be something that can be fixed or will heal over time automatically!

To Conclude

So just to sum up: finding a bit of blood on your chicken’s eggs is completely normal.

Just do a bit of a check on your chickens for any external injuries, any misshapen eggs which may have caused it, and check to see if it’s only on the one egg rather than the whole lot!

If you do identify that your hen is continuously laying eggs with blood on them, this doesn’t always mean there is a severe problem. Particularly if you’ve got yourself a young hen: her body may just be getting used to it.

Still, if you continue to find bloody eggshells then it’s worth investigating further and contacting an experienced vet for advice.