Green Egg/Heavy Bloom/Pic

[adlynch]

Just wanted to hear y'alls thoughts.
All of these came from the same girl.
I know this because my "Ameracauncas" (I use the term loosely) are a bit older and have stopped laying for the year. They mostly lay light blue eggs.

I got this girl in the Spring. She was labeled either an Oliver egger or Easter egger, I dont remember which. But like I said-- I'm not sure the hatchery knows either.

ANYWAY-- what facinates me is the different shades she lays. Is this because the bloom is sometimes thicker than others? Does anyone have more info on why this happens? I've searched the internet and havent come up with much of anything.

Interested in what y'all have to say!

 

[aart]

Brown coating(what makes a blue shell green) can change daily...bloom can vary too.
Not unusual at all, some birds may vary daily more than others.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is the amount of various pigments available in the uterus when the shell is being built. That can be affected by stress, nutrition and various other contributors.
ETA
I don't think bloom contributes much to the color one way or the other. After all, it is a clear coating.
I have heard the bloom on Langshan brown eggs makes them appear more plum colored. I don't really buy that either. I have a handful of hens that tend to lay a light plum colored egg instead of the intense reddish maroon they are supposed to be.
What causes that is an application of more calcium after the pigment is applied.
Some complex chemistry goes into pigment production. I imagine that if some micronutrients which contribute to that chemistry are in short supply in the bloodstream, there will be less pigment available. Very little research has been done on the subject except white and normal brown eggs. I'm convinced that for darker layers like Welsummers, Barnevelders, Langshans and especially Marans, Penedesencas and Empordanesas there are many more than one pigment in the mix.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Beautiful eggs! Enjoy!!!!

 

[adlynch]

Thank you all for your replies! Very interesting!!

 

[lyndallriedel]

It is the amount of various pigments available in the uterus when the shell is being built. That can be affected by stress, nutrition and various other contributors.
ETA
I don't think bloom contributes much to the color one way or the other. After all, it is a clear coating.
I have heard the bloom on Langshan brown eggs makes them appear more plum colored. I don't really buy that either. I have a handful of hens that tend to lay a light plum colored egg instead of the intense reddish maroon they are supposed to be.
What causes that is an application of more calcium after the pigment is applied.
Some complex chemistry goes into pigment production. I imagine that if some micronutrients which contribute to that chemistry are in short supply in the bloodstream, there will be less pigment available. Very little research has been done on the subject except white and normal brown eggs. I'm convinced that for darker layers like Welsummers, Barnevelders, Langshans and especially Marans, Penedesencas and Empordanesas there are many more than one pigment in the mix.

So, copper and zinc. Well researched in other animals. Sulfur & Iron (well-water) Molybdenum are all antagonistic and block these. (I think there's another one).