Egg shell color change.

[lagrange chicks]

I have 1 easter egger and 5 bared rocks. Last fall they all stopped laying do to molt and short daylight. Now they all are laying again but 1 bared rock is laying a white egg, I don't see any problems with any chicken and eggs are fine also. Easter egger lays a green egg almost daily, so I know it's not from her. Is this normal? Anything I need to watch for? They get allflock and oyster shells and grit on the side.

 

[nuthatched]

Are you sure it's a barred Plymouth Rock?

 

[lagrange chicks]

Yes. They are 3 years old and always laid a darker egg.

 

[FernwoodHollow]

I have 1 easter egger and 5 bared rocks. Last fall they all stopped laying do to molt and short daylight. Now they all are laying again but 1 bared rock is laying a white egg, I don't see any problems with any chicken and eggs are fine also. Easter egger lays a green egg almost daily, so I know it's not from her. Is this normal? Anything I need to watch for? They get allflock and oyster shells and grit on the side.

All eggs start out white because the shells are made from calcium carbonate. They get their color from the hen's genetics as the egg forms. brown pigment is added at the end of the laying process, issues in the hen's reproductive system can cause a lack of pigment or also sometimes if a hen is stressed or just coming out of a molt or just getting older it can lay a lighter colored egg while its system reregulates. Or maybe her last few just had less bloom? If it went from like really dark to White that's got to be some sort of reproductive issue but if it went from like a very light tan to a more creamy color it may just be she's depositing a little less shell color at the end of the process. Out of sheer curiosity I would be interested in seeing differences if you have pictures of both

 

[Tahai]

My barred rocks in my old flock gave me random white eggs every now and then.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I have an issue I try to determine if it is a flockwide issue or if it is only a single chicken issue. I don't want to mess up the flock by changing something that is a single hen issue. If the other eggs are fine I would not change anything you are doing for them.

With brown egg layers like barred rock, the brown typically goes on in the last half hour in the shell gland, as mentioned above. The brown pigment is manufactured by the hen's body with the raw material being dead red blood cells. The red blood cells are always wearing out and being replaced so there is no shortage of raw material.

It sounds like she is being consistent with this, it is not a one or two egg issue. If it is not consistent I'd just consider it a glitch. I think all of us are entitled to an occasional oops as long as we don't make a habit of it.

For eggs to come out white or much lighter than usual one of two things are going on. Either she is laying the eggs earlier than normal or something has happened to her internally that changes how those dead red blood cells are converted to brown pigment or how the pigment is applied. As long as she is acting normal and not acting sick and her egg shells are thick enough I would not worry about it. I don't know how it would affect her health or her eggs. It is just pigment.