Why do I have so much variation in egg color?

[black_cat]

I have one white leghorn, who lays white eggs, as expected, and three red sex links, who lay brown eggs, as expected. However, there's so much variation in their egg colors that you'd think I have five different breeds that lay different browns! We can make a full gradient in an egg carton and the only ones that aren't RSL eggs are the white ones. Is this a problem? Is there a reason for it? I can post a picture later.

 

[HappyDuckie]

My RSL lays different shades of brown too. It could be just as the laying season goes on, the color changes. My EE eggs, especially the blue ones, vary in color a lot throughout the season.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Different hens of the same breed can lay different shades, and the eggs from a single hen will vary a little bit from day to day. I bet if you pay attention you can identify which hens lay your darkest and lightest brown eggs.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

My flock for the first few years of chicken keeping were all either golden comets or red shavers, and there was definitely a variation in the depth of colour between a lot of the eggs from one hen to the next within the single breeds. I always wrote it off as they're all individuals. Of course the colour would fluctuate as the seasons went by as well, but there was always a few that didnt match up with their sisters. Possibly just a minor difference in family genetics?

 

[black_cat]

Different hens of the same breed can lay different shades, and the eggs from a single hen will vary a little bit from day to day.

Ok!

I bet if you pay attention you can identify which hens lay your darkest and lightest brown eggs.

I don't see them laying the eggs, so I have no way to tell which hen lays which.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Ok!

I don't see them laying the eggs, so I have no way to tell which hen lays which.

I get curious, so I end up hanging out in my coop with a cup of coffee on weekends. We call this "chicken stalking".

 

[U_Stormcrow]

RSL are hybrids. While there is always some small variation in color within a breed, anytime you talk hybrids, the range of potentials is much greater.

You are NOT alone. Part of the difficulty I have in my breed project is telling mamas apart based on shell color - for most of my birds, its just not possible. The Comets were the only ones I could identify, and as of this AM's photo evidence, that's no longer the case - some of their mutt offspring are laying VERY similar shades of color.

 

[black_cat]

My flock for the first few years of chicken keeping were all either golden comets or red shavers, and there was definitely a variation in the depth of colour between a lot of the eggs from one hen to the next within the single breeds. I always wrote it off as they're all individuals. Of course the colour would fluctuate as the seasons went by as well, but there was always a few that didnt match up with their sisters. Possibly just a minor difference in family genetics?

Maybe! It's just that within a week, we have a full gradient from 'poorly bred BCM' color to 'BR that just started laying' color, but it sounds like there isn't an issue.

 

[HappyDuckie]

Maybe! It's just that within a week, we have a full gradient from 'poorly bred BCM' color to 'BR that just started laying' color, but it sounds like there isn't an issue.

One of my RSL used to lay eggs that could pass off as BCM eggs too lol. Though mine have never fluctuated to as light as a BR egg. A picture would be interesting!

 

[black_cat]

One of my RSL used to lay eggs that could pass off as BCM eggs too lol. Though mine have never fluctuated to as light as a BR egg. A picture would be interesting!

I don't have one right now but I will get one later. I also have pinkish ones in there that look kinda like wyandotte eggs (I've heard that wyandotte eggs are pinkish brown?)