Strange egg advice

[springchicken81]

We got this egg today that looks very different from all our previous ones. I think we have a new layer. Could this be a first egg from a French Black Copper Maran? Why the strange texture on top? Will they become darker over time as she gets the hang of laying?

 

[LavenderDaFlerf]

Looks like the hen just had lots of extra calcium deposits.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

We got this egg today that looks very different from all our previous ones. I think we have a new layer. Could this be a first egg from a French Black Copper Maran? Why the strange texture on top? Will they become darker over time as she gets the hang of laying?

Calcium deposits

 

[STACEYH]

That looks like a Marans egg. My girls' egg is that color and speckled.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Could be a Marans egg. Any other dark brown laying breeds in the flock?

 

[aart]

Why the strange texture on top?

Could be calcium deposits.
Is the shell thinner there.
Hopefully just a new layer glitch.

Here's some tips about how to tell.....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[Ridgerunner]

We got this egg today that looks very different from all our previous ones. I think we have a new layer. Could this be a first egg from a French Black Copper Maran?

Looks highly likely.

Why the strange texture on top?

Check out the sandpaper shells in the Egg Quality Handbook. Don't worry about the reasons, she's a new layer. That happens, it's not a problem. Even if she keeps doing it that's not a problem unless you are looking for cosmetically perfect eggs. They are perfectly safe to eat.

https://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/egg-quality-handbook/17/sandpaper-or-rough-shells

Will they become darker over time as she gets the hang of laying?

Maybe. You are correct, when a pullet first starts to lay she can have all kinds of glitches. The internal egg making factory is pretty complex, it sometimes takes a while for the pullet to get all of the glitches out of that system. She may need to do some work on that part of her process.

But the eggs usually don't get darker, they get lighter over time. The pullet's first eggs are usually pretty small, they get larger over time. If the pullet makes a certain amount of that pigment to put on the egg it can look lighter as the egg gets bigger because it has to cover more egg shell. Also, the longer the hen lays after she starts the lighter the egg usually gets. I'm not sure why but even with a mature hen where egg size isn't really changing the first egg in the laying cycle is often the darkest, either after a molt or when a pullet first starts. It's as if she is using up something the longer she lays. It's usually a slow gradual process.

Some people are under the impression that all Marans lay a really dark chocolate brown egg. That's not always correct, some Marans can lay a relatively light brown egg. It depends on the person that selects which chickens get to breed. If they use egg shell color as part of their criteria to select breeders you can get a really dark brown egg. But if they don't use the egg shell color as a criteria the egg shells can get fairly light. Only time will tell what happens with yours.

 

[springchicken81]

This is the evolution of her eggs over the past week. The most recent one is by far the darkest and smoothest.

 

[STACEYH]

This is the evolution of her eggs over the past week. The most recent one is by far the darkest and smoothest.

This article is about Marans eggs. https://www.muranochickenfarm.com/2013/04/marans-egg-facts.html

 

[3KillerBs]

This is the evolution of her eggs over the past week. The most recent one is by far the darkest and smoothest.

New layers often have to work some glitches out of the system.