Egg color

[ladycat]

I just read something interesting at this website: http://www.chickensforbackyards.com/aboutus.sc

Q. Why would my egg colors vary?
A. In general egg shell tint will change throughout each hen's laying cycle and go from darker tint brown chicken eggs to a lighter tint. However, the most noticeable lighter tint change is generally due to lack of Vitamin K in the hen's diet. Add Vitamin K to the hen's diet to darken up the natural shell tint. You will usually see results in 7 days.

I can't find anything to confirm that. Does anyone know if it's true?

 

[TheEggCollecter]

*1 for Ultra Kibble. I don't use it myself but a friend of mine swears that it works wonders of chickens.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Fascinating.....where did you get this info...can you cite with a link?

I love your avatar....so that's how they 'scorch' the yard so quickly!

I still need to do more bumping to find out if all blue eggs are caused by the same exact gene or slightly different genes (for instance there are several different genes that cause rex cats and 2 different genes that cause hairless dogs so I need to confirm the genes involved for chickens, to know if there are different genes at work) but I found several sites that all seemed to use this sites info: http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/why_are_chicken_eggs_different_colors and then I found this site which made the shade and water suggestions and added more info on egg laying in general, you guys will love her site: http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/02/rainbow-of-egg-colors.html So based on what I read and also here on the forum, especially about crossing white egg layers with blues gives you a lighter egg seems to indicate to me a genetic element that can be enhanced or diluted. I suspect dark brown eggs in some breeds may have lightened due to white production blood infusions especially in production lines, but that aught to be correctable via breeding.

I also think I need to research/understand how bile and hemoglobin make the dyes to best figure out nutrients that might enhance colour. The water suggestion made perfect sense the more I thought about it, the birds need to be hydrated for the egg laying process and body fluids to be at prime to produce the dyes. The shade suggestion may or may not be true, I have some thoughts though... on one of the other threads someone discovered their hen's blue egg turned greenish instantly when exposed to a colder temperature so temperature could effect eggs and thus exposure or lack of exposure to light on the egg could be a heat source or simply a bleaching effect on the egg's dye (museums use special lights to prevent bleaching dyes in an exhibit's artifact), also the hen's body might be responding to sunlight by producing less "dye" in bright light because in that environment dark coloured eggs would stand out more in a bright environment but in a darker environment then darker eggs would survive better... but I have no idea if the hens do in fact produce more or less "dye" because of light conditions.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I just read something interesting at this website: http://www.chickensforbackyards.com/aboutus.sc

Q. Why would my egg colors vary?
A. In general egg shell tint will change throughout each hen's laying cycle and go from darker tint brown chicken eggs to a lighter tint. However, the most noticeable lighter tint change is generally due to lack of Vitamin K in the hen's diet. Add Vitamin K to the hen's diet to darken up the natural shell tint. You will usually see results in 7 days.

I can't find anything to confirm that. Does anyone know if it's true?

Okay I hit the net:

First how Viti D and K2 are important to you, how grains don't cut it to max K2 level in your eggs and a few other industry tricks to make the store eggs look yummer (I can not vouche for the source, I am sure you are suppose to buy Vities for you after reading this, but food for thought none the less): http://www.bigpictureagriculture.com/2013/08/k2-423.html

Next a very good article on Viti deficiencies in poultry and symptoms and more. I also think it confirms K supplements improve egg colour (I am going to have to read it a couple times myself so much info): http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/poultry/nutrition_and_management_poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Also this is interesting as it gives general feeding charts to hopefully prep your bird to be a layer also it looks like it has other cool chicken info: http://www.poultryhub.org/nutrition...nutrient-requirements-of-egg-laying-chickens/

One thing the article points out but did not explain well is different breeds may need different levels of nutrients to be at their healthiest.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

A nice article on egg genetics right at my level of understanding: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/gms1-genetics-of-egg-color/

And also http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/gms2-breeding-for-blue-eggs/

Well only 1 gene to worry about white, and blue but 13 for brown eggers Wow

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

More on egg colour: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/gms3-breeding-for-other-egg-colors/

 

[aart]

Genetics makes my head spin...I'm just not sharp enough to grasp it.

 

[enola]

Genetics makes my head spin...I'm just not sharp enough to grasp it.

Me too, but after reading and rereading over and over I think I am getting a grasp.......

Some chickens have 2 genes for blue eggs - they lay the bluest eggs.

Some chickens have 1 gene for blue eggs - their eggs are lighter blue.

So......when I breed my Araucana rooster to my brown leghorns the pullets that hatch all lay blue eggs. This means he has 2 blue genes?????? His pullets lay blue eggs so they have 1 blue egg gene???????

Am I on the right track?

 

[ladycat]

More on egg colour: http://scratchcradle.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/gms3-breeding-for-other-egg-colors/

I have a little trouble believing those pink swirls are for real.