Fairy Eggs and Tiny Eggs: Why Your Hen Laid a Marble
A fairy egg, sometimes called a wind egg or witch egg, is a very small egg that usually contains no yolk. It happens when a bit of tissue triggers the oviduct to build an egg around nothing. This is most common at the very start of a hen's laying life and near the end of it. One or two is normal. A steady stream of them from a mature hen suggests a reproductive problem in that bird.
Most likely causes
- New layer
The system fires before yolk release is synchronized.
- End of a laying cycle
Older hens and hens finishing a cycle produce more of them.
- Stress or disturbance
Sudden disruption can trigger an out-of-sequence egg.
- Oviduct irritation
Tissue fragments can act as the seed the shell forms around.
What to do this week
- No action is needed for occasional fairy eggs from pullets.
- Keep laying conditions steady: quiet nests, consistent light, complete feed.
- Log the pattern by hen so recurring cases are visible.
When it is worth a closer look
- A mature hen lays only fairy eggs for more than two or three weeks.
- Fairy eggs plus a swollen abdomen, weight loss, or lethargy.
This page is husbandry guidance, not veterinary diagnosis. If a bird is in distress, contact a poultry vet.
Common questions
Are fairy eggs edible?
Yes. They are usually white only, with little or no yolk.
Why do old hens lay tiny eggs?
As reproductive function winds down, out-of-sequence eggs without yolks become more common.