egg color

I want to know what eggs from different chicken and duck breeds look like. I've been searching the web trying to find sites with pictures as well as egg descriptions but I'm having no luck. If a site tells me that Barnevelders lay coppery eggs, or Cayuga ducks lay dark purple eggs that leaves so much to the imagination....does anyone know of a good site with pictures? or could everyone take pictures of there eggs and we could make our own directory? What does everyone think?

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

henderson's is pretty good when lookikn into breeds, although nothing can replace a picture..

thet would be interesting to see the chickens next to their eggs.
-joe-

The Backyard Chicken has a breed chart that shows actual color photos of eggs for many breeds.

Thanks Porkpal! That's what I was looking for!

It would also be interesting to learn if the descriptions are generally accurate---Delawares are described as having "rich brown eggs" but all the ones I have seen lay a weird pinkish taupe....Welsummer, Barnevelder and Penedesenca all seem to lay eggs pretty close to their popular descriptions--at least from what I've seen.

what we need is a Daves garden directory, like the plant files except for poultry breeds. Then everyone could post pictures of eggs, hens, roosters, chicks, and info.... It would be a great reference point. Who do we ask to get it??

Don't know, but that's a cool idea.

I wrote the moderators to ask how to go about getting it....I'll keep you posted :-)

I was told, its a grate idea and we should just add poultry breeds to the bird files! so, I'm starting on it right away!!!

pinkish taupe... a curious color.

couldn't resist.
-joe-

i have been to BYC and prefer dave's - sounds like a logical addition to daves. if dave's will move on it, i will be of what servirvice i could offer.

Blue Marans eggs. I have Blue, Splash and Birchen Marans

Wow! Those eggs are beautiful. How big are they and what do the chickens look like?

Hi Shellimac: Love the eggs, I used to live up on south hill in puyallup way back in 1968. Sure has grown up since then huh.

Very impressive eggs!

Thanks for the compliments on the eggs. I've been working for 2 1/2 years on egg color. I sell off the bottom end of chickens that don't lay dark enough and only hatch out the darkest eggs. They are an average large egg except some of my year and a half old hens can lay extra large at times. I've gotten some eggs even darker than these. I'll post a picture of the chickens these came out of.
Hey there, Haystack, small world. I live in South Hill off 80th Ave between 112th and 128th. Costco just down about 6 blocks. I've been here 10 years and growth has been tremendous even in the 10 years.

Looks like your egg-color project is a success! Beautiful chickens too.

Thanks so much.

Shellimac: Thats just outrageous, You live just two blocks from where I lived. What a small world. I also raise the marans, but mostly black coppers and wheatens. People around here go nuts when they see my dark eggs. LOL. I also raise Seramas and really adore them. I started with six from ZZ's here on D G. just a couple months ago and have hatched six babies and have hen's that will hatch around eight or nine in three day's if all the eggs hatch. So from six to approx twenty in just two months. Then I have a large flock of about 110 right now that I keep for spring selling and eggs to sell. Keeps me out of trouble. Have a great day.

Well, too bad you don't still live here. That would be cool to have a chicken buddy close by. I keep my Marans over at my aunt's house because there is a lot more room.Here in South Hill I keep my Mottled Cochin bantams. I love those little guys like you love your Seramas. They are all such little pets. By no stretch of the imagination are the Marans pets. I usually keep two incubators revved up at all times. Hatched throughout the last winter. This year I'm going to give it a break, though. Cleaned up and put away my two incubators. I have about 36 Cochins here, 16 Marans at my aunt's house and Call ducks both places. Butterscotch, Snowy, and Blue fawn pied Calls.

your marans are gorgeous! I'd love to get some but it seems marans that actually lay dark eggs don't exist here in Canada. (I've been searching for some time) :-( I've heard its not that difficult to import birds from the states tho, so maybe I'll try that in the spring.

Thanks, batflower. If memory serves me, Ontario is on the east side of Canada. ( Been a LONG time since I was in school.) There are some Marans breeders on the east coast that could help you out with chicks, eggs if you figure out the logistics. Too bad you aren't in Vancouver. I have a good friend that goes to Canada all the time. Surely she could fill her pockets with eggs/chicks, LOL

Hi, I would like to get some Marans. I thought that they made good pets. Is that not true? Would one not get along with my girls? I only have four, two brown egg layers and a blue/green. I would love dark brown eggs!

Marans are not the kind of chicken one would generally make a pet of. They can be friendly if you spend a huge amount of time with. And they can and generally are quite a bit more expensive than most other birds. The roosters generally are pretty aggressive and hens a bit flighty. There are other breeds that lay a dark egg that might be more suitable as a pet as well as dark eggs. Just a thought. Welsummers, come to mind as an excellent breed. Haystack

I agree with Hay about the personality of the Marans--I've had some hens that were sweet--but shy and not that interested in interacting with people. The roosters were muy macho and very bold. They do say with Marans that it can be very much strain dependent--with some friendlier than others.

Welsummers lay a dark egg, but it is sort of coppery coloured. They are much more placid than Marans.

Penedesenca lay very dark eggs--but they are extremely flighty and nervous....more like a Leghorn.

Welsummer eggs are very nice.
they're a rich coppery brown with darker flecks, one of my favorites. I strongly recommend them.....I've herd that Penedesencas had dark smooth eggs, usually about a 7 on the maran scale but I've never seen any, Does someone have a picture?

I've never seen any Penedesencas either - not listed on any of the breed charts that I know of. Pictures?

Here is a site. I had Wheaten and they were very nice--just a bit flighty and wild. I still have a Nankin Penedesenca cross--and it is also much flightier than a pure Nankin.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Penes/BRKPenes.html

good link catscan! thanks. They're really nice, wouldn't mind adding a few to my growing chicken family :-)

Catscan to the rescue, yet again! Thanks.

I like the blacks.

Batflower maybe I've got you all wrong, but you just come across as one who would really be in need of a couple seramas. Trust me you would love them and they would adorn your garden and make you feel like your in the land of Mary Poppins. LOL...Seramas anyone!!! They weigh in at a whopping half to 3/4 of a pound.

This message was edited Nov 17, 2009 8:08 AM

My goodness that's small. Even Twinkle, my bantam hen is bigger than that. She looks like a pigeon standing next to the regular sized chickens. LOL

Thank goodness for you guys. I was looking at the images on Backyard chickens.com. They listed the Marans as Friendly
Easily handled and Docile. I like the Welsummers eggs!
I don't know where I can get just one! I am looking for two more chickens. (I know, not in the big leagues!)

Okay, I'm lloking (so far unsuccessfully) for some input. Believe it or not, I have no white egg layers. I planned on White Faced Black Spanish, but my "standards" are obviously Bantams. So, I'm going to lok for something for spring. Now, they can't be just ordinary chickens. No production birds, no leghorns, unless as a last resort.
I'm looking at La Fleche. Any thoughts?

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/LaFleche/BRKLaFle.html

If I remember correctly, La Fleche are a bit nervous...but very interesting looking.

For white egg producers, I LOVE my houdans. They're really friendly, so cool looking, supper good layers....just awesome birds. I think they're my #1 favorite birds at the moment. My houdan hen Spidergirl is the only chicken I own that my 5 year old can pick up without help

sorry, forgot the link
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Houdan/BRKHoudan.html

Oh and Hay, believe it or not your the second person today to offer me seramas. They're sweet little birds, The roosters have the most jolly crow I've ever heard. but if I brought one home, I'm sure my cats would have it for breakfast. So, I'll have to pass. lol

Bingo!! Thank you Batflower, they'll cover the crested wish as well:)

Of course, the La Fleche may inexplicably appear as well......

OK Batflower! first things first, right, so how bout I send something over that will eat the cat for breakfast and then we can talk SERAMAS ok. Sounded good to me. LOL...Hay