First egg, not the color I was expecting

[tfleuter]

Hello all! I have a cream legbar hen that is about 16 mo old. I bought her from a local almost 2 months ago. Before purchase, I asked to see the color of eggs she laid (I was going out of my way to buy an adult hen that was already laying eggs so I would know I was getting a blue egg layer). The picture he sent was clearly a lovely blue color. When I came to pick up the hen and she was beginning to molt, along with the cochin I also purchased. Fast forward to today where I have finally found the first egg from her since completing her molt (and lack of sun light). Super excited about the egg but a little disappointed in the color - a light, minty green. Its still a beautiful egg and I'm sure it will be delicious but I bought this hen specifically to have blue eggs. I know eggs can change color, but everything I have read seems to indicate that the color is fullest after a molt and then lightens throughout the year. Is there still hope for a blue egg?

 

[VABeachBRs]

I hate to disappoint you, but I have never experienced a hen's eggs changing color. There is a bit of a difference before they molt, and after -- but never a change in the complete color of their egg. Just brightness and dullness of the same color. Where do you live? We keep all of our blue layers together with a blue-trait male to ensure blue layers.

 

[tfleuter]

That's what I was afraid of. I don't keep roosters and the guy I bought this hen from got her from a hatchery. He seemed very nice and honest but the color egg he showed me was definitely blue and this egg is a very light green. Oh well, I'll just have to add a blue egg layer in the future

 

[junebuggena]

Blue/green eggs don't always photograph well. The lighting, or even what the egg is set on can make it seem more blue or more green than it really is.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Do you have a picture of the hen? Could she be a mix? If you want a guaranteed blue layer, I'm afraid you are going to have to avoid anyone that uses the word "hatchery". A lot of people are using Cream Legbars to cross breed for olive eggers to get the green eggs.


Here is my Cream Legbar when she was young. She is molting right now.

 

[PlanterJeff]

I agree with Happy Chooks stating you probably have hybrid AKA easter egger. Blue eggs are blue from true pigment in the shell. It was recently discovered that this blue gene was the result from a retro-virus that mutated the gene affecting pigments in the chicken. This mutation happened long long ago. Brown eggs are actually just white eggs with a hemoglobin coating (similar to blood). Unlike the blue eggs there is no actual brown pigment in the shell itself. You get a blue green/olive egg when you cross a blue chicken layer with a brown layer. Basically you are getting a blue pigmented shell with that hemoglobin coating. The result is the egg color you are describing. You should try returning her if you haven't grown too attached and it is really bothering you.

 

[chicken pickin]

Blue/green eggs don't always photograph well. The lighting, or even what the egg is set on can make it seem more blue or more green than it really is.

I agree with this. When it comes to blue/green eggs, cameras, lighting, background, individual computer screens etc. can change how the color looks. Also to mention that each person sees blue and green a little differently, so what one person views as blue another might see a green hue and vice versa.

I also want to mention that green is an accepted egg color for Cream Legbar. Yes Cream Legbar are referred to as "blue" egg layers, and yes blue is the ideal egg color that people are hoping to get and also the color some are working towards while breeding, but green is a VERY common egg color within the Cream Legbar breed, while not the ideal color, still very acceptable within the proposed Standard.

That said Im sure you are very bummed that the seller may have mislead you, it may not have been intentional. I hope you continue to enjoy your Cream Legbar they are great chickens.

 

[tfleuter]

Thanks everyone, the eggs are tasty and I like the hen so all is well. I will say that I am disappointed that the seller may have intentionally mislead me. I specifically put up an ad saying I wanted a blue - not green - egg layer and asked him to send me a pic of one of the hen's eggs so I could see that it was blue. He said it was and this hen was already 14 mo old and already laying so the seller supposively knew what she was producing. I'll get a pic up but she looks very much like the cream leg bar hen pics I see online. I'm assuming she's a hatchery chicken, but I didn't specifically ask where he got her from. Oh well, I'll just have to add another hen or two in the future