Help identifying eggs!

[BLG0617]

So none of my ladies have started laying yet, with the exception of one olive egger for about 2 weeks now. I was sure of which hen it was too, until now. I go out to collect my daily egg, and suprise suprise its not little olive egger in there. It was one of my midnight majesty marans. I thought marans laid super dark brown eggs but her behavior made it seem like she had just laid this egg. Not broody at all, just like oh shit I've been caught, RUN!! Could the maran have laid any of these eggs? I though for sure they were all coming from the same OE but now I'm not sure.

 

[WIchickMama]

Is it possible she was just hanging out in the nesting box checking it out and they aren't her eggs. They typically lay darker chocolate brown eggs---but if they are new layers they could lay lighter eggs that get darker with time too.

 

[Yardmom]

Sometimes a hen will sit in the box off and on before their first egg. It might be that she is getting ready to lay. If she is a pure Marans she will lay a dark brown egg.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So none of my ladies have started laying yet, with the exception of one olive egger for about 2 weeks now. I was sure of which hen it was too, until now. I go out to collect my daily egg, and suprise suprise its not little olive egger in there. It was one of my midnight majesty marans. I thought marans laid super dark brown eggs but her behavior made it seem like she had just laid this egg. Not broody at all, just like oh shit I've been caught, RUN!! Could the maran have laid any of these eggs? I though for sure they were all coming from the same OE but now I'm not sure.View attachment 2935526

Your Marans could have laid these eggs. The midnight majesty Marans are a hatchery hybrid and their egg color can vary. What other birds do you have that could have laid these eggs?
Even a purebred black copper Marans egg color can vary depending on if they were purchased from a hatchery or a breeder that focuses on egg color.
Egg color generally starts out darker and gets lighter as the laying season progresses.

 

[BLG0617]

Your Marans could have laid these eggs. The midnight majesty Marans are a hatchery hybrid and their egg color can vary. What other birds do you have that could have laid these eggs?
Even a purebred black copper Marans egg color can vary depending on if they were purchased from a hatchery or a breeder that focuses on egg color.
Egg color generally starts out darker and gets lighter as the laying season progresses.

Yep, I got them from a local feed store that uses Townline. My hens consist of 2 light brahmas, 3 olive eggers, 2 midnight majesty marans, and 2 pearl star leghorns. The OE and Brahmas are 5.5 months old, the marans about 4.5 months old, the leghorns about 3.5 months old. I know the brahmas definitely aren't laying yet, I originally thought okay maybe they are KIND of brownish but to me they definitely look like OE eggs. So I started watching and I know forsure which OE was laying because I followed her out when I seen her head to the coop a few mornings in a row after finding eggs. But then today, maran sitting in one of the boxes with this egg

 

[aart]

Good thing to learn as pullets come online laying:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I found "Mystic" Marans on Towline's site, along with this comment. "This hybrid was developed in Czech Republic by crossing Black Copper Marans and Barred Rocks." I'm not sure if these are a straight cross, it sounds like they did some selective breeding after they made the cross. It sounds like they were selecting for darker eggs.

The only "Midnight Majestic" Marans I could find were from Hoover Hatchery. These look like they are a cross between two distinct breeds.

Not that any of this matters. These are marketing names, not really breed names. Whatever they are they are not a pure Marans but are crosses, you don't know exactly what you will get as far as egg color. As mentioned above, even if they were pure Marans you can still get a wide variety of brown egg shade depending on how much attention the person selecting the breeders pays attention to that.

All those eggs look like they have a green coloring to them. From your breeds and marketing names these eggs could only come from an OE.

It's not unusual for a hen or pullet to spend time in a nest and not lay an egg. I see that all the time. When I want to see what egg a specific hen or pullet is laying I lock them in a nest that has no other eggs in it. I only do this when I catch them on a nest laying. Several times I've seen a hen on a nest. When she comes off I see that the egg left behind isn't hers, it's not the right color. She didn't lay that egg, it was already there.

 

[BLG0617]

I found "Mystic" Marans on Towline's site, along with this comment. "This hybrid was developed in Czech Republic by crossing Black Copper Marans and Barred Rocks." I'm not sure if these are a straight cross, it sounds like they did some selective breeding after they made the cross. It sounds like they were selecting for darker eggs.

The only "Midnight Majestic" Marans I could find were from Hoover Hatchery. These look like they are a cross between two distinct breeds.

Not that any of this matters. These are marketing names, not really breed names. Whatever they are they are not a pure Marans but are crosses, you don't know exactly what you will get as far as egg color. As mentioned above, even if they were pure Marans you can still get a wide variety of brown egg shade depending on how much attention the person selecting the breeders pays attention to that.

All those eggs look like they have a green coloring to them. From your breeds and marketing names these eggs could only come from an OE.

It's not unusual for a hen or pullet to spend time in a nest and not lay an egg. I see that all the time. When I want to see what egg a specific hen or pullet is laying I lock them in a nest that has no other eggs in it. I only do this when I catch them on a nest laying. Several times I've seen a hen on a nest. When she comes off I see that the egg left behind isn't hers, it's not the right color. She didn't lay that egg, it was already there.

Yep I'm thinking like others have stated, shes just getting very close to POL and is probably just checking things out. Her comb and wattles have really gotten bright red over the last week or two, even more so then her sister so I'm thinking any day now I could start getting eggs from her. Hard to check her pelvic bones as she's not one that likes being handled much but I'm thinking all the signs are lining up.

 

[aart]

Hard to check her pelvic bones as she's not one that likes being handled much

I do all my exams off the roost after dark, wearing a dim headlight.

But even pelvic spacing, like squatting, won't tell the whole tale,
Sometimes you've got to stalk the nests and catch them in the act.

 

[BLG0617]

One of my brahma hens started laying today, her eggs are so beautiful and pinkish! Can't wait until the rest start laying for more variety in my basket.