Egg color is changing

[Jgrice]

Hey everyone! So I recently bought a leg horn/Easter Egger mixed hen. The lady I bought it from said that the hen laid blue eggs, but I have had this hen for about three months and all of her eggs have been white in color. Then, the other day, I went outside and noticed that she laid a very blue egg! I have to admit, I was really excited. But I’m wondering, is it normal for hens eggs to alternate in color like that?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is about available pigment in the uterus when the shell is being formed. It isn't extremely common but lots of things can affect that. Among them being stress, nutrition and frequency of lay.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I have a white French Marans whose egg color varies broadly. Sometimes they are relatively light brown, sometimes deep dark chocolate, and sometimes speckled. She can be laying dark chocolate for weeks and then a light speckley one shows up! It does seem like she runs out of dark chocolate paint toward the end of fall

 

[CHlCKEN]

Perhaps the stress of the move caused your hen’s reproductive system to produce a few flukes. Not enough pigment released to the shell and you were receiving white eggs. Now that stress levels have been reduced the chicken’s eggs will appear more blue in color.

 

[aart]

all of her eggs have been white in color

White or just very very pale blue?
Putting egg on a piece of white paper can tell the tale.

Will be interesting to see if the blue continues.

 

[Jgrice]

White or just very very pale blue?
Putting egg on a piece of white paper can tell the tale.

Will be interesting to see if the blue continues.

Definitely white.
She laid another blue egg yesterday!

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've have the same issue with my Olive layer. She was laying pretty olive green eggs, but now lays brown/pink. Haven't gotten an olive egg in a few months now from her.

 

[aart]

It is about available pigment in the uterus when the shell is being formed. It isn't extremely common but lots of things can affect that. Among them being stress, nutrition and frequency of lay.

@ChickenCanoe is there a dietary supplement that can increase the blue pigment?

 

[SnootyHen]

I have a Barnevelder who started by laying the prettiest golden light brown eggs with lots of brown speckles. Definitely the prettiest egg in my coop. After a few weeks it changed to a medium brown egg with some larger brown dots. No clue why! Now she's on strike and hasn't laid anything since Nov 30th so I am hoping when she comes back, the speckles will return. I hope your blue stays blue!

 

[theoldchick]

Fascinating! I've never had a chicken change egg color so drastically. Here's a bunch of science goobly-gook about the blue egg color. https://www.virology.ws/2013/09/11/...some breeds of chicken,in China lay blue eggs.