How is this possible?!?! Egg changes color!

[HorseFeathers]

Yipes! Ophelia, our Welsummer, has previously laid light brown eggs. We have caught her doing it, and she has been laying for MONTHS now. Now today we find a perfect terra cotta egg in the nest box! So pretty, that was really the reason we got her (good thing too, she turned out so sweet). So what's going on? I know it is possible in the first few weeks of laying, but many months???
Her egg yesterday is to the right, and the one from today is on the left!

(colors slightly off in pic)

 

[citalk2much]

Wow that is a huge color difference.

 

[gritsar]

Don't know what's causing it, but I've had the opposite problem the last few days. The hens were mainly laying light brown eggs, with a few dark ones mixed in. Now I'm getting all light eggs, with the pinkish tint that is suppose to be common for the brahmas.
It'll be interesting to read the responses you get.

 

[patandchickens]

I don't know the reason but my ISA Browns (and *probably* my current sussexes but it is hard to be 100% certain) would each usually lay a certain color egg but very occasionally throw in a pale one. I don't know if it went thru the assembly line too fast or what, but, it does seem to happen from time to time.

Pat

 

[hcammack]

This may come when an egg gets stuck in the "paint tube" in the hens duct and stays their longer then normal I think thats just for dark egg laying breeds though. Beautiful egg

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
That makes sense! Since my girls are all laying now and have been for awhile, things are probably moving alot faster at the ol' egg factory.

 

[SussexInSeattle]

Are you 100 % certain that no other hens can get to that same nestbox? What other breeds do you keep together?

EDIT, could it be possible that you caught her in the box investigating the light egg a few times and that maybe she just started to lay?

 

[ole-crone]

Hens that lay dark eggs normally go through a cycle.

The eggs start dark, and gradually get lighter. They molt, and start over again the next year.

Maybe she went through a cycle and is starting over?

Or maybe she had a clogged duct that released the liquid that colors the egg?

or or or?????

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
I am 200% sure, as she is our only dark-egg layer.
And no, I have actually caught her LAYING the light eggs. they are nearly a year old now too.
She didn't lay today, so the paint tube theory may or may not be correct....
ole-crone, that sounds good, but there was nothing gradual about that! We'll see, I guess...

 

[Jenski]

Must be global warming.