Very Strange Egg-First Egg (I think) of 2-3ish year Old Copper Maran + Other Egg Color Questions!

[balletchickenmom]

Hi! Many questions here about egg color So I am relatively new to chickens; we started our flock last June-ish. We ended up purchasing 4 older chickens to start, 3 barnvelders and 1 copper maran—Harriet Sr. (We now have 9 chickens, 4 older hens and then 5 pullets. The older hens all started their molt fairly quickly into the summer last year (around August/September) we live in Nashville so it stays very hot until about October. These hens stopped laying around then and haven't laid all winter. Last week, our older Copper Maran Harriet Sr. who we assuming is either 2 or maybe 3 years old laid this egg which is entirely different from her normal dark colored egg. (I've included an image of her egg color from this past summer which is next to a Barnvelder egg for reference). Is it normal for an older chicken to lay an egg that looks like this very tan beige egg, that has some sort of fading of the OG color at the bottom? This is her normal egg shape, just not her normal color. I thought the color was always the same for chickens. Is it normal for older chickens to lay a weird colored egg their first time after a while note laying? She has not laid since this egg but seems otherwise fairly healthy. Our weather has been in what we call "fake spring" so it's like 60 degrees and then goes back down to 30 degrees the next week.

We also have another maran but a pullet who just started laying for the first time about three-ish weeks ago (Harriet Junior). Her eggs have been all the same color, but the hues slightly change (All the same shape though). I included a picture in the green egg crate for reference. Is it possible we have another pullet laying? We have a buff brahama who is about to start, and we have found some random eggs in weird spots in our run/under a roost post from the evening, as if the chicken didn't know they were laying.... but we think right now it is only one pullet laying.

All of these chickens also got a preventative round of Corrid about 4 weeks ago—can corrid cause discoloration in eggs?

 

[Mrs. K]

No, they are not exactly the same color, there is a trend, but variances are not uncommon. Spots and rough spots also show up. People tend to expect perfect eggs, if they have always had grocery store eggs - those eggs are highly sorted, with the blemished eggs being sold to companies or restaurants that use them. There is nothing wrong with the hen or the eggs.

Do follow the directions on the corrid - but if it is for chickens, it should not affect the egg color. If your chickens are NOT actively sick, I do not give them medicine, but to each his/her own.

Mrs K

 

[balletchickenmom]

No, they are not exactly the same color, there is a trend, but variances are not uncommon. Spots and rough spots also show up. People tend to expect perfect eggs, if they have always had grocery store eggs - those eggs are highly sorted, with the blemished eggs being sold to companies or restaurants that use them. There is nothing wrong with the hen or the eggs.

Do follow the directions on the corrid - but if it is for chickens, it should not affect the egg color. If your chickens are NOT actively sick, I do not give them medicine, but to each his/her own.

Mrs K

I figured variances would occur but I see a lot of comments on here of due to genetics color will always be the same—so I was feeling slightly confused, it makes sense!

We did a round of Corrid as a precautionary measure because we had just purchased 3 pullets from a backyard breeder and their living conditions were questionable. We don't normally do it as preventative.

Thank you though!