California White laying brown eggs?

[GRITS Mama]

Have 5 hens. My California white just started laying on July 20th. We've had 6 eggs from her so far. I watch them all closely and know she's the only one laying currently. They are all about 4 months old and she's the first to lay. I thought her eggs are supposed to be white. Should I be concerned that they are light brown? I put out crushed oyster shells in a separate container for her after she laid her first egg. Her eggs actually appear to be getting more brown each day. Pictures attached. Any thoughts?

 

[Top Rooster]

My only guess is that there must be some other breed mixed in somewhere in the parents because both parent breeds lay white eggs so one of the parents or both could have been mixed with a brown egg laying chicken and carried it on to their offspring.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Should I be concerned that they are light brown?

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

There is no cause for alarm, the brown color is genetic and not health or calcium related. It is very common for them to start our lighter and get darker. And the shade can vary throughout the season... more laying equals lighter SHADE. Slower can equal darker. In the Marans breed they consider it an average color around the 20th egg that's laid. All eggs are white underneath (except true blue goes all the way through). The shading is one of the last layers to go on and you can even rub it off if you catch it while still wet after being laid.

White layers also have white ear lobes. Cream layers often have red with a bit of white on them. Brown layers have red lobes.

If you got this California white from a feed store, my guess would be a mix up in labeling... and possibly it's a white rock?? But the black spots in her feathering lean more towards your current understanding. As does your laying age.

The other option has been noted and there was some cross breeding (which is what production birds are) and the brown egg gene got bred in somewhere (to the California grey sire)... brown is dominant to white in eggs, so is blue. So probably chalk it up to "hatchery" quality.

White eggs are cool. Those are lovely too, congrats on your first eggs!

 

[GRITS Mama]

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

There is no cause for alarm, the brown color is genetic and not health or calcium related. It is very common for them to start our lighter and get darker. And the shade can vary throughout the season... more laying equals lighter SHADE. Slower can equal darker. In the Marans breed they consider it an average color around the 20th egg that's laid. All eggs are white underneath (except true blue goes all the way through). The shading is one of the last layers to go on and you can even rub it off if you catch it while still wet after being laid.

White layers also have white ear lobes. Cream layers often have red with a bit of white on them. Brown layers have red lobes.

If you got this California white from a feed store, my guess would be a mix up in labeling... and possibly it's a white rock?? But the black spots in her feathering lean more towards your current understanding. As does your laying age.

The other option has been noted and there was some cross breeding (which is what production birds are) and the brown egg gene got bred in somewhere (to the California grey sire)... brown is dominant to white in eggs, so is blue. So probably chalk it up to "hatchery" quality.

White eggs are cool. Those are lovely too, congrats on your first eggs!

Thank you so much. Y'all gave me some great info.

 

[kproffer]

Austra whites apparently look the same but lay light brown eggs. I thought I may have had a mislabeled California White too but mine layed a white egg today