Colored Egg Source

[shedinator]

My wife and I have Brahmas and Australorps but recently decided we'd like to try and raise some tinted egg layers for flock diversity and "carton appeal."

For those of you who raise EE, OE, Araucana, or other blue and green egg layers, what breed do you recommend? Where do you get them? We want fun colors, but not at too much expense of egg production, which I've read can be an issue with hatchery stock. Oh, and we're an exclusively large fowl operation.

 

[diamondsilkies]

I personally really like EEs or ameraucanas. They lay pretty large eggs and I've found that they're actually one of the smarter breeds (I did an experiment with my girls a couple years back). They're also very friendly, and come in all different colors (feather wise).

 

[New2Chicks97]

We have Easter Eggers and really like them. They have a variety of personalities and colors and their eggs are pretty blue & blue-green.

My next foray into colored egg layers is going to be Crested Cream Legbars and actual Ameraucanas. I also plan to get another Favacuana or two. The one we had before she was taken by a predator laid the prettiest sage green eggs.

 

[shedinator]

I personally really like EEs or ameraucanas. They lay pretty large eggs and I've found that they're actually one of the smarter breeds (I did an experiment with my girls a couple years back). They're also very friendly, and come in all different colors (feather wise).

Thanks. About how many eggs do you get from them in a year? And do you know about what the breakdown would be in terms of what % of EEs lay which egg color? The hatchery descriptions all say things like "a variety of colors ranging from blue and green, to brown, and sometimes even pink!" which tells me pink is rare, but it sounds like the other colors are a crap shoot and you could wind up with a bunch of brown egg laying EEs...

 

[Athena2344]

No, the most common color is blue or green, out of a mixed flock of 6 ees given to me a couple years ago, 1 being a rooster and one recovering from injuries and two not laying yet, I had them for almost two weeks and got a dozen and a half eggs during that time, one laying blue and the other laying green.

 

[Pork Pie]

Crossing a low egg-yielding blue laying breed with a high production white laying breed, e.g. leghorn will give you (in theory) 50% frequent, blue laying pullets.

These links I found helpful when I was trying this out:
https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/gms1-genetics-of-egg-color/

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/gms2-breeding-for-blue-eggs/

https://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/gms3-breeding-for-other-egg-colors/

 

[New2Chicks97]

We got 5 Easter Eggers at our local feed store and they all lay blue or blue-green eggs. During the summer we averaged 3 eggs from the 5 of them per day. There were a few rare days where all 5 of them laid in one day but not often. It was hard to tell which one laid which egg because three lay nearly identical color eggs with one laying a more greenish blue with white spots and one laying a very pale blue.

 

[Acre4Me]

We have 2 EE. They lay different shades of green -one is a distinct light green, the other lays a pale green. They lay 5-6 eggs/week. We asked at the hatchery what possible color they would lay and they said they set mostly green shades with a little variation like a bit more blue (for a blue-green color).

Btw, pink eggs often are just a pinker version of light brown eggs. All the “pink” eggs I’ve seen are not a baby pink, or that distinct...they are a variation on brown. But, maybe there is a definite pink color that I’ve not seen.

And, at our local store, they just started selling colored eggs from Arkansas. They are packaged very nicely, and the eggs are deep brown and bright blue (for an egg), packages together and it is striking! So, I think a mixed carton looks attractive. I have a neighbor who cannot stand brown (or colored) eggs...he swears they taste different and off. He grew up with chickens, but they all laid white eggs. So, that’s one person who would not be interested in colored eggs! Of course, I’ve laughingly offered him some green eggs on occasion!

Here are those eggs I mentioned. The actual egg colors look like on the label. The price is high for this area, but looks like a few have moved, but not quickly.

 

[RumneyRoost]

I've got two cream legbar pullets. Only one has started laying, so far she's averaging about 4-5 eggs per week. Her eggs are a blueish green depending on the lighting. Her eggs are slightly smaller than the ones my speckled sussex and barred rock lay.

One is a bit skittish, the other has an attitude. I quite like them. The little crest gives them personality, but isn't so big that they look goofy. Once their combs come in the crest isn't as noticeable either.

Also, I'm not sure where you're located but the cream legbar pullet that is laying has a fairly large comb. Probably double the size of my barred rock. Unfortunately she's already gotten some frostbite this year. It's been hovering around freezing and consistently 80-90% humidity so there isn't a whole lot I can do for her. She'll probably be more comfortable once everything is frozen and we stop getting rain and wet snow.