Can you give me a list of dark egg layers?

[ninjascrub69]

Quote:
Really? My golden comet layed a egg that was just about the same color as my RIR. Yaaayy an exuse to get some more!

 

[Goose and Fig]

The Penedesencas are crazy flighty birds. Not people-friendly at all. If you want approachable birds I'd go with the marans & wellies.

 

[Illia]

Golden Comets? Are we joking around here?

Sorry but I think we're talking about breeds with dark[/i] eggs. No offense meant.

Here's the dark egg layers:

Marans
Welsummer
Penedesenca
Barnevelder (horrid color in the US though)
Empordasenca

But stay away from Hatchery stock - Their color is very poor.

 

[cashdl]

I am not recommending these as dark egg layers but my TSC Rhode Island Red pullets just started laying and their eggs are only slightly lighter than the Black Copper Marans hatching eggs I bought. The egg color will probably lighten as the hens get older. It just threw me for a loop because they are in the pen with my marans and I thought they were my marans eggs at first but I knew the marans pullets were too young ( 5 months old ). So I seperated and sure enough its the RIRs. Nothing out of the marans pen yet.

They are definately a dark brown but not what I would consider a chocolate. Each persons idea of dark is different. The RIRs are more cocoa than coffee. LOL

Lanae

 

[Illia]

Quote:
This is my idea of dark.

 

[CityChicker]

Yeah, obviously different people have differing ideas of what is considered "dark". IMHO, the most consistent in the US for dark eggs are the Marans. I would go with an established line of BC if really dark eggs are desired followed then by some of the less established colors. A lot of the other color varieties in Marans lay eggs that are what I would describe as terra cotta to dark medium brown. It just depends on the variety and the line.

The next most consistent breed would be Welsummers, IMO. Some of the better Welsummers in the US will lay a terra cotta to medium dark brown egg (although some I suspect are crossed with Marans). Of course, like with Marans, it just depends on the quality and the line. A lot of Welsummers in the US will lay lighter colored eggs. I can't comment on Penedesencas as I have no experience with them. The other breed frequently mentioned is Barnevelders. I have purchased Barnevelders from several of the US lines and none of them lay an even remotely decent egg color. I wouldn't even begin to describe them as dark brown layers. I have plenty of brown layers in my run of the mill utility flock that lay darker eggs. There may be some lines of US Barnevelders that have better egg color than I have personally seen, but in general, I don't think they are nearly on the par of the Marans or even Welsummers.