Hi! I found my FIRST egg on Thursday night when I locked the girls up for the evening, and have gotten one every night since! So today was egg #3, and it is a darker shade of brown than the first two- is this likely from a different hen, or can there be a variation in color with the same hen? My 3 girls are Chanteclers-I am pretty sure the egg layer is the buff, as she is a little older, but now I wonder if one of the partridges are starting?? Thanks in advance!
One hen's eggs can vary in shade or have speckles one time and not have them the next time. Generally, their egg shape is more consistent than their actual shade. Many times the first couple eggs are either lighter or darker than they will be afterward. And as they get closer to their molt, the egg color will lighten up considerably. Could be the same hen or a new layer.
What Cyn said is absolutely correct. I would guess though that a different hen laid the darker egg. With my Ameraucanas, when they first start laying the blue is vibrant... and like she said, just before molt they're almost slight blue to white.
Like you, I got my first three eggs from the same chicken the last three days, I am certain it is her, and each egg has gotten a little larger in size and a little darker each egg (but probably only noticeable if you hold them next to each other.) - she is a black australorp
