egg shell color

[prairie winds]

hi everyone long time looker first time to post our girls are brown egg layers they get milo& corn in small amounts mixed in with 16% protein lay pellets they get to free range on oat pasture their shells were med dark brown they are now getting lighter sor of an beige color now we have a light on them they get a total counting daylight hours of 14 hr am just wondering if anyone might know why this is happening thanks in advance

 

[A.T. Hagan]

How old are they? Are they nearing the end of their lay cycle?

It's normal for brown egg layers to gradually lose shell color as the birds approach the end of a lay cycle. You notice more with birds that lay darker colored eggs. If they haven't yet molted they should return to a normal color once they have and begin laying again.

 

[donrae]

What A. T. said.

I've noticed my green egg layers getting progressively lighter as they age. I have a variety of brown egg layers of different ages so can't tell it that's also the case. I do remember hearing from a friend that the dark brown breeds give the best color their first year, don't have them so can't verify that personally. I don't think it's a problem.

 

[streetglide]

Mine just started laying the day after Thanksgiving. The colors are all over the place! Some very dark, some very light, and a whole range of sizes to match! A few of them are so different that I know who layed them.

 

[prairie winds]

the hens won't be a year old until March was wondering if it could be something lacking in their diet that would make the shells lighter