Someone is laying a really dark egg

[littledel]

And I don't know who. I have 5 Black Australorps, 1 Barred Rock and 2 Americauna hens that are laying. I know the egg is not coming from the Americaunas because I get one green and 1 light blue egg from these two. But I don't know who lays the dark egg. It is like a 4 on the marans chart. Maybe I need to separate them to find out. Any ideas on this.

 

[Break an Egg]

Maybe the barred rock is a cukoo maran:

eta:: does your barred rock have yellow legs, or white ones like in the pic??

 

[littledel]

Don't know, I will have to look when I get home. The barred is somewhat darker that those my dad owns. But it is a pretty young hen and only about 5 pounds or so, not real big. What color should her legs be if she is a barred or what color if a marans. I have no idea.

 

[Break an Egg]

barred rock hen: yellow legs

cukoo marans hen: white or pink legs

they look very similar

 

[littledel]

Ok, checked the hen and she has white legs, so Iguess she is a marans or at least part. She must be the one that is laying the dark egg I have been getting. Right after I first got her, a neighbors dog chewed her up pretty bad, but she still layed an egg the next day. It was not very dark, but I imagine she was pretty stressed from almost being eaten. She is doing much better now and her feathers that had been torn out are begining to come back.

 

[cdbailey59]

Tex I bought a hen at a flea market and the guy told me she was a barred rock. She has the white legs though and looks more like the cuckoo maran. You think she's a maran? Any other way to indicate? Also, someone told me that the color of a bird's legs is an indicator of their age. The more yellow the legs, the younger the bird, and the older birds will have whiter legs. Is this true? I am a beginner, so I still don't know too much about it.

 

[pulletkeeper]

OMG!! I have been getting REALLY dark eggs from my Barred Rock (that is what the previous owner said she was) and now I know the truth!

She definitely does not look like the Barred Rock in the pic above; She looks like the Maran. Hmmmmm............

 

[littledel]

My little barred, now marans, has been laying a really nice dark egg almost daily. I may put her in with my bc marans, as soon as she gets her feathers grown out more. LOL

 

[Break an Egg]

Aww, that is so cool. I would love to have a maran hen. They never seem to have any at the feedstores around here.

 

[Illia]

That's really funny, because most people who look for Cuckoo Marans get ripped off by being sold Barred Rocks. Guess you guys got it the other way around!

How dark were the eggs? This dark, or much lighter?

We need pics of your eggs!