First EGG! But who done it?

[maralynn28]

I have 10wk old red sex, EE...know it wasnt them.
16wks Favorelle and 18wk EE.
Looks like the right color and size for Favorelle but isn't she a bit young?
Was expecting first egg from EE, but shouldn't hers be blue or green?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Pullets often begin laying at 16 weeks. With 4 weeks plus in a month, a 16 week old pullet is potentially at point of lay. Our 4 week months has 30 days on average not 28 days like in a lunar month. With a true 4 week month there are 13 months in a year plus one day. Considering that your 4 month old pullets are over 17 weeks old (on average) I don't think there is anything unusual about it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had pullets start to lay at 16 weeks. It's not that normal but it happens. But the problem is with your assumption of the egg color for the EE. An EE is a mix. They might lay a blue or green egg. But they could just as easily lay a white, pink, or any shade of brown egg. There is no guarantee what color egg your EE's might lay.

I don't know which one laid that egg. You can look at their vents for a clue but even that is not definitive. A small dry vent means the chicken is not laying. A large moist vent means either the chicken is laying or is ready to lay. You can check the width between pelvic bones, two fingers she is not laying but three fingers she is or is about to. Bright red combs and wattles as opposed to pink combs and wattles are a sign that she is laying or about to. As I said these are clues, not a sure thing, but they may help you to narrow it down.

 

[maralynn28]

I've had pullets start to lay at 16 weeks. It's not that normal but it happens. But the problem is with your assumption of the egg color for the EE. An EE is a mix. They might lay a blue or green egg. But they could just as easily lay a white, pink, or any shade of brown egg. There is no guarantee what color egg your EE's might lay.

I don't know which one laid that egg. You can look at their vents for a clue but even that is not definitive. A small dry vent means the chicken is not laying. A large moist vent means either the chicken is laying or is ready to lay. You can check the width between pelvic bones, two fingers she is not laying but three fingers she is or is about to. Bright red combs and wattles as opposed to pink combs and wattles are a sign that she is laying or about to. As I said these are clues, not a sure thing, but they may help you to narrow it down.

Thank you! This is going to sound silly now, but does the color stay the same or does it change evg to egg in an EE?
I'd also heard that their ear lobes match their eggs color, she has bright blue ears.

 

[Nupe]

Here's how I understand eggshell color (someone can correct me if I'm wrong):

There are 2 basic eggshell colors. White and blue. Your EE will most likely be blue and the others will be white. Now the hens also have a pigment gland that "spray paints" the egg with various shades of brown, depending on breed they will be solid, spotted or a variation between the two. White eggs can turn various shades of cream, tan and brown (or not at all) and blue eggs can turn to varying shades of green. The basic color of the egg will never change but the pigment gland will go through varying stages of depletion and replenishment so you will get varying shades of their original color.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Thank you! This is going to sound silly now, but does the color stay the same or does it change evg to egg in an EE?
I'd also heard that their ear lobes match their eggs color, she has bright blue ears.

Chickens either have white ear lobes, or brown. EEs lay blue eggs, but they have red earlobes. A White Leghorn lays white eggs and has white earlobes...

 

[Ridgerunner]

There is no genetic link from ear lobe color to egg shell color. I have EE's that lay blue or green eggs. Some have red ear lobes, some have white. I've had hens with white ear lobes that laid brown eggs. Most purebred chickens follow that red lobes/brown eggs and white lobes/white eggs, but only because the people that developed the breed wanted it that way. Penedesenca is a breed that lays very dark brown eggs but have white ear lobes. The Holland and Crevecouer breeds have red lobes and lay white eggs. They are not common breeds but they exist and there are more. But EE's are mixes and when you start mixing chickens about anything can happen.

This is not a great shot but it shows a pullet's first egg on the left and an egg from an EE that has been laying about a year. When she started her egg was small and dark like the pullet egg. As they lay the pullet eggs gradually get larger. The first eggs a pullet lays or the first eggs after a molt are as dark as the eggs will get. It's normal that the longer they lay after they start or after the molt the lighter the egg becomes.

Nupe got it right. There is one gene pair that determines the base color of the egg, either blue or white. Since blue is dominant if even one of the two genes at that gene pair is blue the hen will lay a base blue egg. Brown and green eggs are just brown added to the base color. The way it generally works (there is one exception, with chickens there are always exceptions) is that the egg shell consists of the base color, but the brown is laid on during the last half hour or so on top of that base color. If you break and egg and remove that internal membrane you can see the base color. That will be either white or blue. The exception is that there is one gene that can cause the base egg shell to be tinted instead of white.

The brown is laid on during the last half hour after the egg shell is basically finished. If something causes a hen to lay the egg early, before all the brown has been applied, you can get a really light egg. That happens, we are all entitled to an oops every now and then. But it is pretty rare.

 

[maralynn28]

Wow that's amazing! Thanks for clarifying. I'm thinking it is the EE, so with as light as her eggs are now, they may stay creamish or become white, right? I read about vents and yes, lifted their skirts for inspection (sorry girls). EE was large and moist, Favorelle was hard to even find! So I guess no easter egg from my EE. Now counting the weeks until my little 10wks pullet lays to see if she will give me some.