My BPRs egg color (especially one of them) lightened a lot over the past year....I have heard that lots of sunlight and lots of heat will lighten the pigment available for the hen to coat the egg. (the 'bloom') -- My BPRs have so much heat and so much sunlight that their little feathers bleach to brown from their normal black.... Then over the winter (even with out a visible molt) they return to their normal color.. Like a human who's hair gets bleached by the sun. Strange isn't it?