Which breed for deep blue eggs?

[Chuckcluck]

OK, so here is my first beginner question. I am getting chickens in late March, coop and run going up as we speak. I am settled on wanting blue eggs, so I am leaning towards the Easter Egger, When I went t visit my friends EE hens, the eggs were extremely light blue. My question is if I get 6 EE hens from a vendor, are some likely to have medium blue and some light or all light? I have seen darker blue egg pictures on this sight but don't know if they are EE's

 

[ChicknsRock]

Easter Eggers lay blue and green eggs, but since mine has never laid an egg I can't tell you the exact hue. Ameracaunas lay light blue eggs, I know, and I think maybe Aracaunas lay blue eggs.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't think there is a breed in the US that lays a dark blue egg. You may get a pure blue from an Araucana, true Ameraucana or Cream Legbar but still not very dark.

 

[jeremy]

Most blue egg laying breeds lay a pale blue egg. There are some lines of true Ameraucanas (NOT EEs) that have been bred for a deeper hued egg, but you won't find them at a hatchery. There are some breeders here on BYC that have lovely colored eggs.

Have you considered Olive Eggers? They are a cross between a blue laying and a dark brown laying chicken, usually the depth of color in olive eggs is much more true to what you would imagine.

 

[nicalandia]

Most blue egg laying breeds lay a pale blue egg. There are some lines of true Ameraucanas (NOT EEs) that have been bred for a deeper hued egg, but you won't find them at a hatchery. There are some breeders here on BYC that have lovely colored eggs. Have you considered Olive Eggers? They are a cross between a blue laying and a dark brown laying chicken, usually the depth of color in olive eggs is much more true to what you would imagine.

I've been doing an extencive research on this subject and that has lead me to believe that the only path to Dark/deep blue eggs is to use a grey egg shell color instead of white.. I've read that some of the south american stock, were able to produce grey colored eggs.. but I have yet to see a pic of a grey shell egg it was actually the Quechua/Olmec chicken breed that produce these type of eggs

 

[jeremy]

We get gray too, but not a true gray... just a bloom colored olive.

Still pretty neat though.

 

[nicalandia]

We get gray too, but not a true gray... just a bloom colored olive. Still pretty neat though.

I was Thinking more of a True gray color, as a genetic mutation that could turn the white shell into true gray but not on the same o+ allele as

 

[donrae]

OK, so here is my first beginner question. I am getting chickens in late March, coop and run going up as we speak. I am settled on wanting blue eggs, so I am leaning towards the Easter Egger, When I went t visit my friends EE hens, the eggs were extremely light blue. My question is if I get 6 EE hens from a vendor, are some likely to have medium blue and some light or all light? I have seen darker blue egg pictures on this sight but don't know if they are EE's

Your hatchery EE hens are going to lay a range of blue, green, brown, cream or pinkish eggs, and there's no way to tell for sure who will lay what until they actually kick an egg out.

If you're absolutely wanting blue eggs, check out the Aracaunas or Ameraucanas. A good breeder will happily send you pictures of their eggs so you'll have an idea what shade you're getting into.

 

[gander007]

First things first

always good to see a new chicken farmer and even better to get be prepared before the chickens arrive is a blessed one for the new comers

An hatchery EE most likely will produce Green, brown light blue and even a soft pink egg so if you are trying for just a blue egg producing hen you need to find a breeder who deals with such a bird

.......



gander007

 

[Chuckcluck]

All great comments. I am good with any colors it just threw me when my friend told me his EEs lay beautiful blue eggs and i looked at them and you could hardly see the blue and yet on the site here there are some pictures of really blue eggs. i guess i will find out soon enough!!