Dark Egg Breeds Thread

[pinkchick]

Quote:
This is considered an acceptable Welsummer egg, yes. Welsummer eggs should never be as dark as that of a Marans. Welsummer eggs are to be a rich Terra Cotta color either smooth colored or with speckles.

Yes, I seperate the OE's by comb at hatch and also band them immediately, I also incubate and hatch them in a completely seperate 'bators.

edited to add: I also do not keep any Olive Egger roosters at present, but, when I find one that I want to keep, they will all be in seperate pens and will not be in with Marans. Right now, I am backcrossing one more time to the original Marans roo I used in hopes for adding just a little bit more dark egg genes to the pool. If I get a nice roo, I will test mate him to a BCM hen and if the outcome is acceptable for egg color I will put him with my existing OE hens in hopes of deepening the olive color even further. I have no idea if it will work but I am going to give it a try anyway.

 

[crazyforchicks]

These dozen I got from a flock of bcm newly to lay, I am not really excited about the color but I was told it may improve? Anyone think there is hope yet for really really dark ones?

 

[geebs]

The hen that laid the really spotted one... has ink to waste... it is likely that this hen will produce a darker egg... This has been my experience...Oh and Kim... All our chickens will lay better in the spring...no stress of the cold etc.. Mine are laying 5's and 6's but come spring will dole out some 7's and 8's... It is that way for me every year... Hope this brightens your day... The most correct hens I have don't lay as dark as the mutts... That is just life I think.... I have a show/breakfast pen... and a breeder pen.. I will pull out of the breakfast pen to cross a couple times and see if I can't improve things... Wade sometimes lay lighter and then go darker and then lighten again... especially when the lay is started in the winter!!!

 

[drom]

Quote:
Mine pretty much always gradually get darker during the first couple weeks of laying and stay nice and dark red for a few months. The most extreme example I had was this fall. I had two pullets that for 3 weeks of laying their first eggs didn't lay anything to write home about. They were very average-I didn't even bother to take any pictures of them because I was so disappointed. And then out of the blue they started laying these dark red eggs. I wish now I had taken a picture of the first eggs to show the difference.

 

[geebs]

okay... eggs I am setting in the morning.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Fabulous!!!!!! Just Fabulous! So many good hatching vibes coming your way!

 

[Debbi]

Ok Geebs, now I know your secret! You take the eggs you're going to set to the kitchen, and show them the frying pan!

Pretty eggs, good luck with the hatch!

 

[geebs]

Drom...Mine too...I am in the first two weeks of good lay right now... They will get darker as they go... I have had one 7 so far.... It had a hole pecked in it... I had to eat it... (that makes me mad)... but it is the same hens and the dark egg gene bred forward so it doesn't matter...I am starting to get some type and color in the subsequent generations so that is all I can ask for.... Go slow and get there quicker is my motto...

Yep Debbi

There is a hazard with that.. I am hungry... Been digging ditches to run the rain off my horses... Sheesh...I should have photographed that.. but got my camera wet photographing a dead horse... I love stupid ppl... (NOT) not mine of course.. Someone left a hot walker base in the pasture....I told em 4 months ago to remove halter from horse and they found the horse tangled up in it... Sadd....

If I remember I will get pics of the flooding... there will be flooding!!!

 

[crazyforchicks]

Mine pretty much always gradually get darker during the first couple weeks of laying and stay nice and dark red for a few months. The most extreme example I had was this fall. I had two pullets that for 3 weeks of laying their first eggs didn't lay anything to write home about. They were very average-I didn't even bother to take any pictures of them because I was so disappointed. And then out of the blue they started laying these dark red eggs. I wish now I had taken a picture of the first eggs to show the difference.



Thank you for giving me hope!!!! I was almost in tears!

The birds are beautiful I think and they have good leg feathering, I'm really new to this and want to know as much as possible!

 

[drom]

such beautiful egg pics everyone is posting!! I guess you are all gearing up for the lay season