colors of eggs

[team guava pastry]

Our chochins have been laying off and on since april. Lately one of them has been laying really light light brown eggs. The other are usually dark to med. brown. What could be making this happen? Diet? Time of yr? I told my girlfiend that it's something in thier diet from the yard that they eating.

Any ideas??

I'm not complaining, just wondering?

 

[Akane]

Egg shell is genetic. The shade can get lighter or darker as they get older and after they molt but the overall color is genetic. If they are laying brown eggs they carry brown egg genes. Nothing you feed them will change the color of the shell except maybe extra calcium. Sometimes an egg will come out with an extra layer of calcium making it look lighter, chalky white, or even purple. Probably not healthy for the hen to purposely try to get eggs like that. Egg shell is genetic in chickens and not influenced much by external factors.

 

[Mahonri]

Eggs get lighter the further into the laying cycle they go.

 

[dawny2u2]

So...even though both birds are cochins, their eggs could be different color browns, predetermined by their genetics? Could this happen even if they are sisters? Or would their eggs be the exact same color?

 

[team guava pastry]

thanks I didin't think about genetics. Like i said I'm just glad they are laying.

I just let them out for the day. Boy they hate being in the coop, they just want to be free.

 

[Akane]

Pretty much every chicken lays a different shade of egg no matter how closely related they are. Whether that's dark brown, off white, or blue/green. It all depends on what genetics they get and usually that comes down to how many and which brown genes they got. Different breeds will have more variation between individuals than others. It depends how strictly the breed has been bred for egg color. Some breeds every individual will be very very close to each other in color and other breeds they can lay everything from white to dark brown.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

I have a marans that lays a dark chocolate egg but after
months of laying her eggs are a much lighter brown...once
she molts then her eggs will be chocolate brown again.

I have also had a hen lay a white egg and then next time
it was brown...so no rhyme or reason to it.