Eggs changed color HOW CAN THIS BE??

[RoostNcluck]

I have copper morans, were rescued at 2+ yr of age. They were laying med dark brown for first 2 months..then I thought they quit laying..They are in a coop & run with my olive Egger Hens & Rooster. Olive Egger hens were laying very good. After 2 months of zero eggs from these 2 hens, I decided to process them with some others. Imagine my shock when during processing I discovered 1 hen had a devolved GREEN EGG inside her. Now I realize that it wasn't that olive Eggers were laying so many more it was the Morans were now laying a darker shade of green instead of the brown they first started with..HOW CAN THIS BE? I thought they would only be affected in their off spring? Those eggs are darker olive than my olive Eggers hens.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Photos?

From my understanding shell color isn’t really complete until the egg is laid so I would guess some pigmentation would have been added just before it was laid.

Then again there are plenty of olive eggers that are crosses from copper marans who look right for the breed at a glance so maybe that particular bird was a cross?

 

[RoostNcluck]

I'm just so confused I thought their eggs wouldn't change colors..I raise 4 breeds

Photos?

From my understanding shell color isn’t really complete until the egg is laid so I would guess some pigmentation would have been added just before it was laid.

Then again there are plenty of olive eggers that are crosses from copper marans who look right for the breed at a glance so maybe that particular bird was a cross?

I understand about Olive Eggers being a cross ..what I don't get is how can the CM lay a darker brown egg one month then start laying olive colored?

 

[chickachicka12345]

you KILLED them just because they werent laying?!?!?!?!?!

 

[TOMTE]

you KILLED them just because they werent laying?!?!?!?!?!

Some people do. In the case that somebody only keeps chickens for eggs and meat, if a chicken isn't laying, might as well process it for meat, or cull it so it isn't using up resources. Chickens aren't pets for everybody.

 

[chickachicka12345]

Some people do. In the case that somebody only keeps chickens for eggs and meat, if a chicken isn't laying, might as well process it for meat, or cull it so it isn't using up resources. Chickens aren't pets for everybody.

they could have gave them to somebody

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@DemeterAD9 is correct.. The

they could have gave them to somebody

Please remember this is a no judgment zone. If a person chooses to process their birds for meat, that is their business.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

understand about Olive Eggers being a cross ..what I don't get is how can the CM lay a darker brown egg one month then start laying olive colored?

But these green eggs were still inside the chicken, correct? @DemeterAD9 is correct when they say the brown pigment is overlaid on an egg just prior to laying. So it makes sense that while the egg is still in the oviduct it would be green. An olive egg is a blue or BLUE egg with a brown bloom coating on it.

Edited as per @aart
Edited again.

 

[TOMTE]

they could have gave them to somebody

Could have, but who's to say that person wouldn't have also culled that chicken?

You don't have to like it, but you do need to respect that people have different ways of keeping chickens. Some are pets, some are just livestock. What matters is that the chickens are kept happy and healthy while they're alive.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

See Post #8 in this thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-laying-different-color-eggs.1650203/#post-28347651