Marans Egg Color..Free Range vs. Confinment, Is there a difference?

[Doctim]

I have a small flock of FBCMs. They have been in isolation the last several months for hatching purposes. They are about 10 months old and have been laying since the first of the year. When they began their cycle their eggs were in the 7-8 range and then became lighter (4-5) the last 2 months. Sounds like the normal course of things from what I have read. This is my first flock of marans.

I returned them to range last week and this weekend I started getting eggs in the 6-7 range again! Can the variance in food impact the color of the egg?

Tim

 

[emys]

Yes, I have heard that diet does contribute to egg darkness. I do not know all the factors, but I think that certain bugs can have that effect.