Who layed this egg?

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Here is a typical dozen eggs from my hens. The dark brown eggs are from my Wellsummers, the light blue ones are from my Easter Eggers. The pinkish tan eggs are from the White Plymouth Rocks and Barred Plymouth Rocks and the sort of orangish tan eggs come from the Freedom Rangers.


But I haven't been able to figure out who lays these tan eggs with the purplish spots. Any ideas folks?

 

[Kirklandchick]

Do you have any other breeds besides the ones listed? We get an egg just like that, and the only breed we have that you have is the Barred Rock, and I'm pretty sure it is not from her. Our barred rock are the pinkish tan also and they have a weird ridge in the middle of the egg. I don't think it's from our Rhode Island Reds either, which leaves the choice of Black Australorp or Speckled Sussex in our flock. Do you have either of those?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I think you can get a hen from almost any breed that will have speckles on the shell.

We have:
RSL and BSL
1 Wyandotte
EEs
1 Buttercup
Leghorns
Tetra Tints

You'd think the brown eggs would be pretty much uniform, but they're not. We get about 6 speckled eggs a week, so probably there's a RSL or BSL in the flock laying a speckled egg, which you wouldn't expect from those hybrids.

 

[Chicken5ooh]

I get speckled eggs too, the other day I got a green speckled egg from one of my aracouna (sp)... After reading post here and doing my own research other places I think the specks have to be diet related.....my girls free range some, but they get meal worms, cracked corn and purina chicken start daily. Most of my speckled eggs are brown though and I've had only the one green egg with specks

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Do you have any other breeds besides the ones listed? We get an egg just like that, and the only breed we have that you have is the Barred Rock, and I'm pretty sure it is not from her. Our barred rock are the pinkish tan also and they have a weird ridge in the middle of the egg. I don't think it's from our Rhode Island Reds either, which leaves the choice of Black Australorp or Speckled Sussex in our flock. Do you have either of those?

Nope, all the breeds I have I listed in the first post. I figure it has to be either a Barred Rock (I have 2) or the solitary White Rock. Usually I can guess which type lays which pinkish tan egg, because the White Rock's eggs are darker and a little bit rounder than the Barred Rock eggs, but since both Barred Rocks went through their moult this fall, it seems their eggs are not only darker but rounder too. Maybe that's where the speckles are coming in.

I do so love being a chicken-keeper and I think as long as I own chickens I will keep a flock with as colorful eggs as I can because every day is like an Easter Egg hunt.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

...I think the specks have to be diet related....

That could be it. While my flock only gets to free range about an hour a day (too many predators to let them out without supervision) but I do suplement their diet with all sorts of peelings and parings from salad makings. I even froze several large bags full of turnip and beet greens from this summer's garden as well as collecting pumpkins from friends after Halloween to add variety to their diets during the winter months.

I think I will just assume that my hens love me and work extra hard from time to time to present me with a unique and beautiful egg!

I tell you the Welsummers are very artistic; sometimes laying a medium-dark egg with huge chocolate chip spots, sometimes a medium-dark egg with very fine dark sprinkles, sometimes just a really dark egg or occasionally one that looks like it has been dip-dyed. Such clever girls!

 

[Cindy in PA]

It could be any of those chickens, but I get a few of those from my Welsummers that don't lay dark eggs.

 

[Kirklandchick]

I think I will just assume that my hens love me and work extra hard from time to time to present me with a unique and beautiful egg!

I tell you the Welsummers are very artistic; sometimes laying a medium-dark egg with huge chocolate chip spots, sometimes a medium-dark egg with very fine dark sprinkles, sometimes just a really dark egg or occasionally one that looks like it has been dip-dyed. Such clever girls!

Your flock sounds so much like ours! We have 6, and from those 6 we get a real light almost white pinkinsh/tan egg , the tan with dark speckles like the one you show, a tan with white speckles, a couple medium brown eggs, and two really dark eggs that also look like they were dip-dyed! They are usually almost a purplish color on the bottom and dark brown at the top, usually with some speckles, more sore at the top of the egg. Makes for a very pretty carton full!

 

[nakstk]

That looks just like one of my Welsummer eggs. They are the only ones I have laying right now.

These are both eggs from my Wellies.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I would say that the one on the right does look very much like my mystery egg...other than the fact that my Welsummers have come back from moulting with really dark brown eggs.