Chicken laid abnormally dark/vibrant egg, now lethargic with pale comb

[Ngirl]

Hi everyone,
My 4-year-old Easter Egger Bessy laid a very dark (crazy vibrant/saturated) blue egg yesterday. Her eggs are normally pale blue (you can see the difference in the pics). Today, she's very lethargic, standing around like she's zoned out, and her comb is suddenly very pale. She's clearly feeling off. She wouldn't eat with the others (she's always the most docile and tends to hang back). But she ate a little when I gave her some scratch separately. I also gave her a little bit of watermelon. I'm going to spike their water with some ACV and was going to monitor her. I'm reaching out here because I couldn't find anything online about anyone encountering a similar situation, so I figured I'd ask. (In the pic of the eggs in the tray, the bottom right and the top left are both Bessy's, one day apart)

 

[nuthatched]

What's her diet? Acv won't so a thing, do I'd skip that.
How old is she?

 

[Ngirl]

What's her diet? Acv won't so a thing, do I'd skip that.
How old is she?

She's 4. She has free access to non-medicated layer crumble and oyster shells. She also roams our yard eating bugs or whatever else. And she gets mealworms, scratch, and kitchen scraps (that we're careful with)

 

[nuthatched]

She's 4. She has free access to non-medicated layer crumble and oyster shells. She also roams our yard eating bugs or whatever else. And she gets mealworms, scratch, and kitchen scraps (that we're careful with)

4 is getting up there. Do you have any tums or calcium citrate? Have you opened the egg to make sure it's normal yolk?

 

[Ngirl]

4 is getting up there. Do you have any tums or calcium citrate? Have you opened the egg to make sure it's normal yolk?

Yes, I got Tums on hand, but I didn't think it was a calcium issue because it's a good solid shell (her shells are always strong). I just visited her again and she's sitting in her nesting spot, apparently trying to lay an egg, which makes me hopeful that she's doing better. Waiting now, fingers crossed.

(Thinking out loud: I read that the blue pigmentation comes from recycled blood, so I wonder if with the overproduction/overexcretion of the pigment she became temporarily anemic... and would feeding her extra mealworms help since they're high in iron).

 

[Ngirl]

Update on Bessy: She just laid another deep colored egg. Her comb is less pale than before, more orange than red, but she's not herself. Her poop is also very brightly green, though she hadn't eaten anything green today (apologies for including the picture). I cracked her egg and it looks like an ordinary egg. (Bessy is the bearded chicken on the left)
EDIT: I just let them out of the coop, she's walking around fine, and just ran over to me when I went out with mealworms. She's eating them now. Still, I don't know if I should worry about the pigmentation issue

 

[nuthatched]

Yes, I got Tums on hand, but I didn't think it was a calcium issue because it's a good solid shell (her shells are always strong). I just visited her again and she's sitting in her nesting spot, apparently trying to lay an egg, which makes me hopeful that she's doing better. Waiting now, fingers crossed.

(Thinking out loud: I read that the blue pigmentation comes from recycled blood, so I wonder if with the overproduction/overexcretion of the pigment she became temporarily anemic... and would feeding her extra mealworms help since they're high in iron).

Hmm, I don't know where the pigments come from. That's possible that she's anemic. I suggested calcium just in case she was struggling with a second egg.

 

[Ngirl]

Hmm, I don't know where the pigments come from. That's possible that she's anemic. I suggested calcium just in case she was struggling with a second egg.

Thank you [And I meant to tell you, I love your avatar ]

 

[catballou]

Hi everyone,
My 4-year-old Easter Egger Bessy laid a very dark (crazy vibrant/saturated) blue egg yesterday. Her eggs are normally pale blue (you can see the difference in the pics). Today, she's very lethargic, standing around like she's zoned out, and her comb is suddenly very pale. She's clearly feeling off. She wouldn't eat with the others (she's always the most docile and tends to hang back). But she ate a little when I gave her some scratch separately. I also gave her a little bit of watermelon. I'm going to spike their water with some ACV and was going to monitor her. I'm reaching out here because I couldn't find anything online about anyone encountering a similar situation, so I figured I'd ask. (In the pic of the eggs in the tray, the bottom right and the top left are both Bessy's, one day apart)

I would definitely not give her ACV. That won't help her one bit.
Give her some vitamins in her water or by syringe, but one drop at a time on her beak.