Are egg colors/speckles supposed to vary?

[The Rinaest Rina]

These are the eggs I've gotten for the past week or few days.

I have two started pullets of unknown breeds (one might be a mix with sapphire gem,) and several pullets that should start laying in just a few days. I wouldn't put it past them to start a little early- and that darkest, speckled one is a bit on the small side. But I digress.

I thought that one hen layed a tan egg and the other layed a darker brown, speckled egg. This is evidently not a solid fact! Sometimes they're speckled, sometimes not.
Is this normal for a hen's egg colors or speckling to vary? Or do I have some sneaky early pullets? Is it parasites/some exotic disease?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is not parasites. It is not a disease, whether mundane or exotic. It is just something that happens.

You probably have at least three different ones laying.

 

[OLDRanch]

what a beautiful basket of eggs. I would say three hens too.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I had a golden Cuckoo Maran who laid speckled eggs and while they were always speckled it was sometimes more or less. I agree you have three laying

 

[rosemarythyme]

Slight color variation, size variation, speckling/not speckling is all possible from one bird. Egg shape and overall color are the usual indicators of whether or not an egg was laid by one bird or another, but if obviously if you have a bunch of brown egglayers it may be tough to distinguish eggs from one another.

As far as speckles themselves they're just pigment (dark) or calcium (light). Harmless and some folks really like the look so some breeds/hybrids are bred for it.

 

[The Rinaest Rina]

Four hens now!

I'll be able to tell them apart now, haha!

Thanks all for your information. Egg colors are so fascinating I'm not disappointed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have a BCM (Blue Copper Marans) and she lays a fairly dark egg... most of the time, lol! Sometimes only the lower (pointy) half of her egg is really dark. Sometimes it's speckled, but usually not. I can always tell it's hers bc hers is the only "chocolate" egg I get. But I am often surprised at the variation in it, especially now that she is over 3 years old.