Dark Egg Breeds Thread

[Arielle]

bwalden-- what a nice shine on those eggs!! Bet they are actually darker than my monitor shows. Pretty speckles!!

 

[bwalden]

very nice, we get a mix of speckles on our Welsummer eggs too!

Thanks I love those!

 

[bwalden]

bwalden-- what a nice shine on those eggs!! Bet they are actually darker than my monitor shows. Pretty speckles!!

Thank you! Yes the flash kinda washes the color out. But these are end of laying cycle eggs. They were darker back this fall.

 

[Arielle]

I've often wondered if it is worth decreasing the rate of lay to i ncrease the depth of color! You kn ow, fewer eggs to share the ink supply.

 

[upthecreek]

Now you have got it ............ as they say "hit the nail on it's head" .



Shannon

Genetics determine the egg color but egg color requires certain chemicals to be imbedded in the egg. If nutrition isn't optimal, it will affect how much of those chemicals are available so food can affect the intensity and hue.

You can't build a house without bricks, mortar and wood. By the same token you can't build a body without protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

 

[Arielle]

Yah, it just seems to me that if the girls only has so much paint, 3 eggs week might be darker than 5-6 eggs per week.

 

[bwalden]

Yah, it just seems to me that if the girls only has so much paint, 3 eggs week might be darker than 5-6 eggs per week.

100% agree. I have some hens that lay every day and theirs are the lightest of my layers. I have some that lay 3-4 a week and theirs are much darker. I wonder if nutritionally speaking there is something that could be fed to increase the dark pigment? I read an article on there once were a lady was feeding blackberries to her hens and the eggs they laid had a blue-purple color to them. I don't want purple eggs mind you, but if there was something healthy that could be supplemented in their diet I would definitely consider it.

 

[Wynette]

I've often wondered if it is worth decreasing the rate of lay to i ncrease the depth of color! You kn ow, fewer eggs to share the ink supply.

I certainly think it would be worth it, but I'm a bit of a dark egg snob.

One of the things we strive for with Marans is a nice, round egg, rather than oblong in shape. The reason for this is that a "wider" egg takes longer to pass through the oviduct, and more time in the paint booth means (supposedly) more color!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: If fewer eggs nets darker eggs, I'm all for fewer eggs!

 

[Hangtown Farms]

crele penedesenca eggs and my darkest egg yet from my white empordanesa hen