How do you tell whose eggs are whose?

[wordgirl]

I'm trying to collect eggs for hatching, but I don't know which eggs belong to who. I am trying for two Barred Plymouth Rock eggs and three Gold-Link eggs, but I can't figure out which ones are which. I have a mixed flock of Barred Plymouth Rocks, Gold Links, Black Sex-Links, Australorps, and Orpingtons.

Any advice?

 

[donnie]

well you could seperate the birds by breed since they all seem to lay brown eggs from my understanding ...... or you can just set the eggs that are layed and just be suprised when hatching times comes , i think that would be more fun anyways since your raising a mix flock ,

 

[Gypsy07]

I suppose if you had any idea what time of day they usually lay, you could hang around and watch them at it...

I've also seen pictures of nesting boxes that have an entry door that shuts over each time a hen goes in to lay. I think they're called trap boxes maybe. The hen lays her egg but can't leave the nest. When you check the box, the hen is in there with her egg. The disadvantage to this is that you'd have to check the boxes very frequently I suppose...

 

[jenjscott]

You can catch the hen and put a couple of drops of food coloring in her vent. I've never done it, but I think it lasts a couple of days.