AbbyFabby
In the Brooder
We have one Rhode Island Red, and three Buff Orpingtons. They came home in October. Relevant to my concern - shortly after they came home, one of the Orpingtons started showing signs of stress, which we generally chalked up to a rough moult (there was a feather storm in their run while we weren't looking, which was one big indicator). Poor Banzai spent most of the winter looking less healthy than her sisters, but not exhibiting any particular signs of illness (we did discuss this with our neighbor, the vet, who agreed she seemed fine, just slightly stressed). As we were heading into the darker time of the year, we didn't worry much about who was laying or not, but we got at least one egg a day from the four of them.
As we're now in Spring, we're getting more eggs...apparently one a day each, as of a few days ago (yay for summer!). This is making it easier to figure out whose eggs are whose.
Our RIR lays every day, a consistently huge, beautiful sienna colored egg. They're very easy to identify, as they're as unique as she is.
The Orpingtons are laying smaller, paler eggs...they're probably closer to "medium", and tan in color.
However, twice now, we've had white eggs. The first I found sitting in front of the door to their run - about 12 lateral feet and 3 vertical feet from the nesting boxes inside the coop. The second was from this morning's lay, but it was at least inside the nesting box.
In general, I am attributing these eggs to Banzai, based on the fact that she's sorta the odd-hen-out.
That said, we have a camera in the coop now, and I'll try to keep better track, to be sure we know what's going on.
OK, all that said...Do I need to worry about the health of the hen, or the edibility of the egg? Is this normal? What might cause this random change?
As we're now in Spring, we're getting more eggs...apparently one a day each, as of a few days ago (yay for summer!). This is making it easier to figure out whose eggs are whose.
Our RIR lays every day, a consistently huge, beautiful sienna colored egg. They're very easy to identify, as they're as unique as she is.
The Orpingtons are laying smaller, paler eggs...they're probably closer to "medium", and tan in color.
However, twice now, we've had white eggs. The first I found sitting in front of the door to their run - about 12 lateral feet and 3 vertical feet from the nesting boxes inside the coop. The second was from this morning's lay, but it was at least inside the nesting box.
In general, I am attributing these eggs to Banzai, based on the fact that she's sorta the odd-hen-out.
That said, we have a camera in the coop now, and I'll try to keep better track, to be sure we know what's going on.
OK, all that said...Do I need to worry about the health of the hen, or the edibility of the egg? Is this normal? What might cause this random change?
