Purple Eggs?

[EggWalrus]

Anyone ever have a hen or pullet lay purple eggs? I know Easter Eggers can lay blue, green, brown, white, tinted, and even pinkish eggs, but I've never heard of purple eggs. I have 3 EE pullets I got from TSC back in the spring but none of them are laying yet and I keep them penned up till at least noon before letting them out.
I found a Leghorn mutt that can't be caught and penned, in an outdoor nest singing the egg song. When I looked in, I found another purple egg, this is the 4th one I've found in there. It's light purple and about medium sized.
I'll upload a pic later.
Anyone else ever heard of purple eggs?

 

[N F C]

Ooh, I gotta hang around and see that picture! Maybe others have seen a purple egg but I haven't.

 

[EggWalrus]

Ooh, I gotta hang around and see that picture! Maybe others have seen a purple egg but I haven't.

I haven't either till now.
I'll try to get some better pics.

 

[N F C]

I haven't either till now.
I'll try to get some better pics.

Interesting! Definitely a lilac tint to that!

Do you know what she's mixed with (you mention Leghorn plus what?).

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've heard of purple eggs from another species (I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't chickens. I think Tinamous?) and occasionally people will mention purplish eggs from their birds. I do have a Marans hen who on occasion layers on bloom thick enough to give her chocolate eggs sort of purplish in tone. Let me dig around my computer and see if I have a picture. They're much darker than the one you posted.

Have you tried running water over them to see if it's bloom or the actual shell color?

 

[Sneebsey]

The purple tone is indeed caused by bloom; the white layered on top of the brown pigment dulls it to that lilac colour, or a more deep mauve on darker eggs. I have a Marans who does it, as well as several of my lighter egg-layers. I believe that the purplish tone is actually required in Langshan, though I have never kept them; from pictures, the eggs look like plums.

 

[EggWalrus]

Here is the other egg that was right next to the purple one in the nest. Looks like some purple got splashed on it. If a pullet was producing excess amounts of bloom/cuticle could it be purple? I thought bloom was clear.

I'm not sure the color is showing correctly with this cheap phone.

 

[EggWalrus]

I've heard of purple eggs from another species (I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't chickens. I think Tinamous?) and occasionally people will mention purplish eggs from their birds. I do have a Marans hen who on occasion layers on bloom thick enough to give her chocolate eggs sort of purplish in tone. Let me dig around my computer and see if I have a picture. They're much darker than the one you posted.

Have you tried running water over them to see if it's bloom or the actual shell color?

I haven't washed it but I will.

 

[EggWalrus]

The purple tone is indeed caused by bloom; the white layered on top of the brown pigment dulls it to that lilac colour, or a more deep mauve on darker eggs. I have a Marans who does it, as well as several of my lighter egg-layers. I believe that the purplish tone is actually required in Langshan, though I have never kept them; from pictures, the eggs look like plums.

You're right! It looks more plum instead of purple.

 

[N F C]

The purple tone is indeed caused by bloom; the white layered on top of the brown pigment dulls it to that lilac colour, or a more deep mauve on darker eggs. I have a Marans who does it, as well as several of my lighter egg-layers. I believe that the purplish tone is actually required in Langshan, though I have never kept them; from pictures, the eggs look like plums.

Your post made me wonder...I went to do a Bing search on Langshans and found this image of the eggs:

Interesting, I've never checked out Langshans before. Thanks for mentioning them!