Green Eggs from a Black Sex Link??

[Shannah]

Hello everyone,

I have adopted chickens that I've had since August and they just started laying eggs. I had one that I wasn't sure of the breed but the consensus was that she is a Black Sex Link (and looking at all the pictures I've been able to find I would agree). Today she laid her first egg, and it's GREEN!!?! Is this normal? I mean it's really pretty but I thought they laid brown eggs?





Also, most of my free range birds have decided in the last week or so that they would prefer to lay their eggs in a pile in the woods instead of in their nesting boxes (really, it's hit and miss as to where they decide to lay because they do get the nesting box about 30% of the time). They're all younger hens but is there any way I can retrain them to lay in their nesting boxes again?

 

[MimiChick]

Most likely one of her "parents" had some EE blood and passed on the gene for blue eggs. So if you want, since she's laying green eggs, you can actually call her an Easter Egger instead of a BSL.

As far as getting your girls to use the nest box, you may have to confine them to the coop for a while, at least in the mornings. And then put fake eggs in the nest boxes to give them the idea. Once they get it, they'll mostly go back to the nest to lay. But some are more stubborn than others

Good luck.

 

[Shannah]

Haha okay, thanks for the tip and I guess I have to update my 'chicken list' of what I have...I didn't know that you could breed coloured eggs into different kinds of chickens but this whole egg saga will make for an entertaining blog post! Are "Easter Eggers" an actual breed or is it more of a gene thing that is developed through breeding?

As for the eggs being laid outside the nesting boxes I will try locking them in their coop (I just feel so bad because we've had such great weather for December and they'll be locked in on really cold days coming up)....I guess that is preferable to wandering through the thick brush next to my yard hunting for eggs! Thanks so much for the advice

 

[salt and pepper]

easter eggers are any chicken that carries the blue egg gene. and you don't need to lock the chickens up in really cold weather, you would be surprised what they will go in!