Keeping Chickens

[poiuytrewq]

Sorry I know its not horsey but lots of horse yards have resident hens!

Ive just got 5 hens and am a little confused as to their egg laying.
We have four whitish with grey/chestnutty bits and then one black with brown round her neck.
The first day one of the white ones escaped into the hay shed and layed a blue egg. We had a few more blue eggs (like duck eggs) so I assumed the white hens layed blue eggs. The black hen lays regular brown eggs.
However today (the third day of having them) Ive had 3 brown eggs and one blue so I don't think me theory was correct!
Why would hens who look the same lay blue or brown eggs?
The brown are bigger and wider where the blue are narrow longer eggs. It just seems not too make sense too me!

 

[WelshD]

It depends on who the daddy is!

The simplest answer is that the black hen was the one laying blue eggs

If that isnt possible then it is possible the others lay different eggs despite looking similar

for example if you have a group of blue egg laying chickens and a group of brown egg laying chickens and the cockerel from one group mates with the hens from another you could end up with similar looking offspring who each have a very high chance of inheriting their egg colour from their fathers genetics - obviously things can get more complicated than that and you can get green or olive eggs too but it is possible it could occur and a lot depends on the breeding

If they are random cross breds then the chances of a more predictable outcome are reduced.

The 'blue' egg laying commercial hybrids only have an 80% chance of laying a blue or green egg so if they are hybrids I wouldnt be concerned

But pure breeds should breed true and lay the right colour egg for the breed so if yours are supposed to be pure breeds there is a problem!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Ah ok that makes sense, I really couldn't figure it out but love a scientific answer!
Well the white one that got loose was definitely the one who layed the first blue egg and I just assumed the black hen layed the first brown one as she was sat on it.
Sadly I didn't go with my o/h to collect them so have no idea on breed or anything like- which is a shame as id quite like to know what they are.
Thank you for your reply

 

[WelshD]

no problems

If you ever get any pics post them and I could tell you what they are

(probably )

 

[poiuytrewq]

no problems

If you ever get any pics post them and I could tell you what they are

(probably )

Perfect! They live at my yard so will take a few tonight when I go back to feed. They are probably cross breeds, We got them from a commercial egg producer.

 

[Nosey]

We had some aracunas who laid lovely blue eggs..people always loved them..v pretty!

 

[juliette]

Leg bars also lay lovely blue eggs. Sounds like you have some cross bred hens, lucky you getting blue eggs.

 

[cremedemonthe]

We had our first egg yesterday from our Araucana x old cotswold legbar