Which chicken laid this egg???

[deekay04]

So our chickens have just started laying eggs. Today saw my araucana and Rhode island red in the same box together. A little while later went to the coop and found the first blue egg and then a med brown with dark speckles all over it. I do have black copper marans, but haven't laid their chocolate eggs to my knowledge. Unless this is the first one. Pictures below are of the egg next to a leghorn that's been laying for a few weeks for color/size comparison. This white egg is smaller than the other leghorn's egg.

Without camera flash:

With camera flash:

You can see the speckles better in the flash photo.

I also have isa browns, one barred rock, and several wyandottes.

Please help!

 

[MontanaChickenLady]

So I'll take a shot at this. I think your brown is from your RIR and the speckles are blood. If you run the egg under warm water and gently keep rubbing at it and then dry with a paper towel......the speckles come off. This is what I've experienced with all 3 of my brown egg layers....and they are all different breeds. I was surprised to learn this. I don't get speckled eggs all of the time from them though.

 

[Tracy the chick]

Omg ive been eating loads of eggs with speckles on them....if its blood does that mean the hen is bleeding? And will i be ok eating bloody eggs? Tracy

 

[Emptywagon2]

I'm not so sure that is blood... but it is normal. I have to brown egg layers that give me speckled eggs every now and then. It is just extra pigment...the same that give the egg the brown shell to start with. One of my brown egg hens lay white specked eggs ( not sure what the white is). Don't worry there is NOTHING wrong with your hen.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

It isn't blood.

that is your Marans egg, the eggs don't get color until just before being laid. Some hens don't lay an even color on the shell. Some will lay spotted colored eggs and they are just fine. It's her unique egg look. Congrats on the new eggs, enjoy them.

 

[deekay04]

Thanks for all of the comments! Maybe ill wipe the egg just to make sure the spots aren't blood. Or maybe it is just a regular brown egg with specks. I had a silkie egg with specks on day one then not again yet. I guess the specks aren't as uniform as shell color is.

 

[moodlymoo]

Thats not blood its your BCM laying...congrats. It may even out as she gets her painter working better

 

[debid]

Quote:
x2! Uneven "paint" is commonplace for the first few eggs. Some remain spotted. Oh, and you can wipe some of the bloom off but that still doesn't make it blood. Blood tends to be little smears down the egg's surface IF there is any. Only one of my 5 bled and it was just a tiny speck on the first egg.

 

[deekay04]

Well...mystery solved! It was a bunch of blood specks on that egg! It was hard to rub off with a paper towel and turned the white that tell-tale rust color when blood gets wet. Luckily I work at a vet clinic! I had to use the scrubby side of a dish sponge to gently get it all off under cool water. We don't usually wash our eggs, but once it started coming off, I kept on going. It is still a beautiful medium brown egg. Darker than my other ones, but some are the same color. Also, no chocolates yet. Soon, real soon

 

[JenniferNgo]

That is not blood! I'm sorry but I really have to jump in here...

The only TRUE colored eggs are the blue/green and white. As in the egg is manufactured with that color through and through. The brown is sort of .... dyed on the way out. Like the wax spray you get when you run your car through the car wash. Those are just speckles as her ink jets work out the kinks, and yes, all brown eggs can be scrubbed to a white or almost white color. It is absolutely positively not blood.