Wrinkled Eggs: What Corrugated or Wavy Shells Tell You
A wrinkled egg has ridges, waves, or a corrugated band across the shell. A single wrinkled egg after a stressful day is normal. A hen that produces wrinkled eggs consistently is often recovering from, or permanently marked by, a respiratory infection such as infectious bronchitis that scarred the shell gland. Nutrition rarely causes wrinkles on its own.
Most likely causes
- Stress
Handling, moves, heat, and predator scares can produce one-off wrinkled eggs.
- Past infection
Infectious bronchitis is the classic cause of permanent wrinkled or ridged shells.
- Double ovulation
Two eggs in the shell gland at once can dent and deform one another.
- Overcrowding
Competition for nest boxes raises stress and interrupts shell formation.
What to do this week
- Reduce stress: stable routine, enough nest boxes, and a secure run.
- Check for coughing, sneezing, or nasal discharge in the flock.
- Give each laying hen at least one nest box per four birds.
- Track which hen it is so you know whether it is permanent.
When it is worth a closer look
- Wrinkled eggs appear alongside coughing, rattling breathing, or watery eyes.
- Multiple hens start producing wrinkled eggs within the same week.
- Production drops more than 25 percent at the same time.
This page is husbandry guidance, not veterinary diagnosis. If a bird is in distress, contact a poultry vet.
Common questions
Are wrinkled eggs safe to eat?
Yes. The shape does not affect the contents as long as the shell is intact and clean.
Will wrinkled eggs go away?
Stress-related wrinkles resolve. Wrinkles from shell-gland scarring after infection are often permanent for that hen.