Want more egg colors

[BoCRon]

I got nice speckled eggs from my previous Welsummers. The Barnevelders egg colors stayed a nice dark brown without much fade. The Marans I had (10 years ago) had a nice brown that did fade but not much. I now have a Cream Legbar that lays a nice blueish egg.
This is a pic from years ago before I had the Marans.

 

[sealer39]

You could get a couple of white leghorns to make your other colors stand out more.

 

[bantamluv]

Thought I heard that Marans and Welsummer eggs are dark brown only at the beginning of the laying season and that they loose the dark coloring as the season progresses.

well, sort of. as the hen ages, the overall size of the eggs increases, but the amount on pigment deposited on the shell stays the same - meaning that the eggs' color will appear ever so slightly lighter in color. same idea!

 

[bantamluv]

that’s the two which I have though of but wanted to see if there are other options which I have not considered.
Also I keep reading that many black copper Marans lay eggs not much darker than what one of my BO lays. (The egg at 3 o’clock on the picture)

gotcha. and yes, BCMs lay very dark, coppery eggs. most have darker speckles. they're quite the addition to an egg basket!

 

[Ponte]

they will stop laying in winter, even in FL.
It's about the change in daylight hours, as well as the duration.

Thanks, did something I have always taught my kids not to do, assumed.
The BO layed her first egg in September so I assumed that with the exception of molting, they would lay throughout the year.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

My Welsummer eggs are big, beautiful chocolate speckled eggs. The hen herself is also my favorite of the bunch. My partridge penedesenca lays a beautiful dark red/chocolate egg but it is a smaller egg. Black copper marans are supposed to be good too but I can't personally vouch for them! I also recommend sage or olive eggers and no rainbow basket is complete without a white egg too!

 

[Ponte]

Received lots of great ideas.
had not thought of adding a white laying but that is now a distinct possibility.
So know am thinking of definitely an Olive Egger, leaning towards Welsummer over CPM, and a white egg laying breed.

Which breed of white egg layer is the calmest and quietest ?

 

[mandi427]

If you want to go with more colored eggs (my personal favorites) - cream legbars lay blue, Whiting's true green and true blue lay either green or blue, salmon faverolles lay a cream or pink egg.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Received lots of great ideas.
had not thought of adding a white laying but that is now a distinct possibility.
So know am thinking of definitely an Olive Egger, leaning towards Welsummer over CPM, and a white egg laying breed.

Which breed of white egg layer is the calmest and quietest ?

A lot of silkies lay white eggs and they are big babies! They aren't the greatest egg layers though. I think a lot of white egg layers you are choosing from either production or disposition/show qualities without much overlap. I have an exchequer leghorn and she lays teeny white eggs 4-5 days a week. She isn't friendly but she has plenty of personality and is fun to have around.

(not my picture, but this is what she looks like)

 

[sealer39]

When you said you wanted to add ‘two’ chickens, that was part of my reason for suggesting white leghorns. That would give you two white x-large eggs per day. They rarely take a day off. Most people claim they are skittish but I’ve found that they just don’t want to be petted or picked up. They are the quietest hens I have. Since they have matured into hens I don’t hear them doing the egg laying song anymore. There are plenty of white egg layers to pick from though.