Marian egg color is getting lighter

[Awonderer]

I have three black copper marans that are 16 months old. Last summer their eggs were very dark brown. In the fall they were a lighter brown with dark flecks. Now they are all light brown. They seem healthy and active. I feed them layer feed, scratch grains, toss in some mealworms, and any leftover fruits and veggies (ok, sometimes I buy them watermelons and strawberries too.) they get free choice oyster shell also. I also put ACV in their water every week (1TBSP per gallon).

Any advice on what I might be doing to cause this?

Thanks!

 

[Chicken Strut]

I read (on BYC) that lack of pigment and uneven pigment can be caused by the following factors:

- Poor nutrition. A deficiency in any of the main nutrients, protein, minerals etc in the hens' diet can influence shell colour and formation. Zinc, copper and manganese are thought to be especially important in transporting pigment onto the shell. It has been suggested that a magnesium supplement can improve shell colour:

- Viral infections. Infectious bronchitis and it's variants, Newcastle disease, egg drop syndrome and avian influenza can cause damage to the oviduct, resulting in loss of shell colour and other problems:

- Internal and external parasites. A heavy infestation of roundworms and or capillaria worms as well as red mites, when present as a heavy infestation, can have an adverse effect on egg quality and may cause pale shells;

- Drugs. The coccidiostat drug, Nicarbazin, if present in feed, can interfere with egg shell pigmentation;

- The hen's age. And older layer will often produce eggs with paler shells, as well as a hen who had been laying intensively over a long period;

- Stress. Physical stresses, environmental stresses or nutritional stresses can all interfere with shell pigmentation;

- Exposure to sunlight and high temperatures can produce a fading effect on the shell.

Anything there seem like a possibility?

 

[Awonderer]

Wow, lots of potential reasons... I have never worked them. I will do that this weekend. They aren't sick and are very active all day. I am in Central CA so it gets hot during the day, but cool at night. And I feed them well. Maybe I will work first and see what happens. Then try adding a vitamin.

Thanks!

 

[Nupe]

A chicken's pigment gland will deplete over time and replenish when the hen takes a break from laying, over winter or during molt. If you're not seeing any other issue, I wouldn't be too worried.

 

[aart]

Did they lay all winter or take a break?
They should be about ready age wise for their first full adult molt, they won't lay while molting and after they start back up the eggs may be darker again.

You may be diluting the balanced vitamins and minerals in the layer feed with the other foods.
Maybe cut back on all other foods so they only total 10% in volume of the layer feed they eat each day.

When in doubt, go back to basics: nothing but a good balanced chicken chow and plain clean water, for a few weeks and see what happens.
Then add the other foods back in one at a time slowly.

 

[torilovessmiles]

I don't have Marans, but, being the darkest laying bird of all, they tend to begin their laying cycle with very dark eggs, which become lighter over time. After they molt, the cycle repeats.
Like Nupe said, as long as you're feeding them a balanced diet, there's most likely nothing to be worried about

 

[Awonderer]

Our winter was pretty wild so they slowed down a little over the winter but were laying throughout it. I won't worry about it then. Maybe cut back on the extras for a while.

Thanks!

 

[One Chick Two]

Our winter was pretty wild so they slowed down a little over the winter but were laying throughout it. I won't worry about it then. Maybe cut back on the extras for a while.

Thanks!

One more thing to consider is a BCM line's egg color genetics. Intense lightening can occur in some Marans lines. If you have your BCM for pets, egg color basket/ colorful eating eggs, or showing birds, egg color cycling won't matter unless you plan on showing eggs. If you have your BCM for SOP breeding or egg color showing, track your egg color.

Some lines can start off laying dark, then cycle much lighter, but, then progressively become much lighter overall the next years. We know people who had hens laying a solid 8, even lighten to a 4 at the lightest point of the cycle, then, start up again at a 7 (or less) the next year, then cycle to a 3, etc., progressively lightening overall over the years. Often, hens with egg color extremes are not bred onward, or are bred to a dark egg line male, with the most cycle consistent daughters are carefully tracked and chosen.

Laying lots of eggs that stay a consistent color is a trait selected for our flock. When we were choosing our SOP breeder pullets, after choosing appropriate SOP candidates, we tracked these girls egg color progress for a few months before using any for test breeding. We kept blown samples of eggs of each pullet's egg progress (1-2X monthly) over a year's time with the date on them in some Cosco's plastic 2 dz egg cartons. This way we could track which pullet had most stable color longer. Also, who was going from dark to drastically light, cycling often, larger eggs, etc. Also, kept records of who was the best egg layer, which girls went on the most breaks, etc.

The hen laying the eggs below show her light starting eggs to her darker eggs over the course of a year.


We found her eggs always had a nice, slick, glossy bloom, cycled little in level from light to dark (and not very often when it did) and max. less than a part of a level or so the course of the next year. She was the best overall layer, so although her eggs weren't the darkest out of all the pullets tested, she became the mother of most of the flock since she was an excellent producer, with most overall consistent color.

This hen's three now, and is still laying a decent colored large egg, 4X (or usually more) weekly. At her peak, laying was 5-6X weekly, with 10 day stretches during some cycles- including some heatwaves of 110 degree heat to 117 without losing much egg color. This gal's a trooper. Many of her daughters cycle exactly like her.

This hen below, although has an ideal appearance for SOP, however, had horrible egg color consistency.

Although she lays often, and her eggs are a nice, round, 2XL in size, she'll never be in a breeder flock. Her eggs have intense speckles (which I personally like) but, started off with perhaps a 2 in color, within 3 months, went to a 3, didn't hit a 4 until June- which remained stable until November, when she finally went to a 5. She shut off by Jan, and went back to a 2.

Too much color swing lows, and didn't want to pass this trait down to the next gen. We keep her in an egg laying flock (as I personally like darkly speckled eggs even when light..). However, no matter how pretty she is, her egg color genetics are too far from consistent- breeding Marans are known for darker eggs.