Just for kicks, I'm going to guess they're Welsummer eggs. I'd like to know what breed of chicken they come from too, very pretty!
Store Bought Eggs
Rhode Island Reds or one of the crossbreds would be my guess.
I was thinking any of the reddish sexlink breeds because I know they are used for commercial layers. But the eggs are so huge. I was told the sexlinks are not such large birds so wondered if they could possibly manage such a large egg. As far as RIR, I never considered getting any. But if they lay eggs like these, I would quickly change my mind on that.
Annie- I doubt there is any chance of buying Welsummer eggs in the big chain supermarkets around here.
My golden comets lay eggs that big and they are on the darker side
I love my RIRs.. In my opinion, they are the best of all layers.. giving double yolkers often, sometimes 2 eggs a day, and a regular huge egg you can depend on. Not as dark as some, but nice.
I've never seen RIR eggs that have the brown speckles those eggs have.. so I'm inclined to go with Welsummers too. They are famous for the speckled eggs. I'd think the other breeds that usually lay the speckled eggs are not as popular as Welsummer.. Humm good question! Our Barnevelders laid speckled eggs..
As far as taste? I'm on the fence there.. I went without fresh eggs for months.. and when I finally got some.. I was in heaven.. but to be honest, part of that was mental.. I'm sure. Texure? Ewww! I have had to buy eggs many times and it's all I can do to cook them.. runny and pale.. Eww!
Rhode Islands crossed with New Hampshires are called Production Reds because they are such good producers. They may be what laid those eggs.
Are RIR known for being calm and friendly? Since I can only add 5 or 6 chickens for next year I'm going to skip the marans after all and go with a breed that is known for prolific dark brown egg laying and calmness. Whatever that might be!
Rita, is the company name on the carton of eggs? Maybe you could call them and ask what breed of chickens they have?
My RIRs are/were completely loving as chicks.. but when they are grown, they do come to me, but could care less if I don't have goodiez.. They are very calm in my opinion.. After all the breeds I've had.. for eggs, my favorite is RIR.. hands down.
That's saying a lot coming from you Z.
The Brand name on the eggs is BR Family so I looked up their website. I clicked on the contact us form and tried to e-mail them with my question of what type of hens they are using. But the darn form would not go thru no matter what I did. So was not able to learn anything that way.
I did surf around on their website. On the cage free page there is a picture of what looks to me to be a RIR (or it could be a production type red). But the eggs are have are from caged birds so I am not sure if they would be using the same type birds or what.
Here is the link for the website if anyone wants to see for themselves-
http://bffamily.com/
I don't think my store carried these before the egg recall. Then during (after) the egg recall those egg displays were at least half empty. Now they are full again. I think the store (chain) might have simply looked for new suppliers that had nothing to do with the recall. But thats just my thinking.
Green- Your comment about your Golden Comets just reinforces my thinking that the sex linked breeds are the way to go for me. Red Stars are top of my list for wished for brown egg layers. I am not sure if the Golden Comets and others such as ISA Browns are exactly the same things or not but I know they are all very similiar in that they are sex linked redish brown or redish buff crossbred birds made for egg production.
Porkpal- Do you think the Production Reds are very different from the regular RIR?
The Production Red is a cross of the Rhode Island and the New Hampshire Reds so I would expect them to share the characteristics of each breed. I've never owned any myself. The Rhode Islands are known to be excellent layers; the New Hampshires may not be quite as productive.
Thanks, ZZ. I guess I could do without the chicken love as long as they weren't meanies to the other hens.
My Girl's were Slackers today! Neither of the BO's laid an egg, very unusual, and there were only 5 from the ten EE'ers! Guess they were too busy working in the flower gardens.
I want Easter Eggers too. When I get this hatching thing figgured out I will get easter egger hatching eggs for sure. :-))
You are so funny Rita. :) How many chickens are you going to have in your garage? :D
If my daughter will get her life straightened out, I want to get a little coop built that I can walk in and some major runs. That would be so awesome.
This may only happen after I go to glory.
Well none actually. I need to do major work to build a coop and thats the only place. But like I said, major work and not going to be done until next year. So chickens will have to be in the house until then. You guys DO realize that I have NO IDEA of what I am doing. I do not believe that I have EVER seen (in person) a live chicken walking around in my entire life. I just can't grasp the idea of livestock type animals. Nore can I figure out how big they really will get.
All I have ever had in my life were animals that were actually pets even though there were lots of birds like parrakeets, finches, parrotts, cockateils, grass parakeets and others thru the years. Cats and dogs too as well as afew corn snakes, many leopard geckos (don't like reptiles was my husbands idea). Hamsters, raised african pigmy mice for awhile. Well, you get the idea. These things were always in the house. I mean, dogs were taken outside but were house dogs and pets.
LOL Annie! The only hen I have ever had that didn't take a day off was a RIR. I had some NewHampshires, but they were a bit more aggressive, so that's out.. I don't have mean birds.. if they don't get along, they get along on out of here. LOL
Cindy swears by her Comets.. She gets a good egg count I believe..
Yes, definitely need some blue eggers! It is still a treat to gather a blue egg.. :)
I have raised lots of birds, including lots of production reds, and production blacks. The very best and consistient layers in my opinion, along with calmness is the RIR and the Australorp. I have welsummers and they are ok, nice eggs but they are so clutsy I'm always wondering whats in their water...LOL, No really they are goofy clutsy. I like the dark egg of the marans but when push comes to shove I just don't think anything out produces the RIR and Aussie. I have always heard so many say the RIR's are agressive, but I have never had that experience...Hay
I have read that hatchery RIR are meaner than the ones from good breeders of gold fashioned RIRs.
Rita you are becoming one of the chicken experts.
Ha, chicken expert. Too funny. I have no idea of what I am doing here with my hatching and chicks. I am just muddeling along.
I have been reading about the different chicken breeds because I want to decide which are the ones for me.
I still want O'Shamos. lol They are so ugly and mean looking they are cute.
I'll be the Silkie O'Shamo lady.
I want Red Stars and I want Easter Eggers. I know I will be able to buy hatching eggs for easter eggers but can't seem to find a way to get hatching eggs for Red Stars (sex links at McMurry's hatchery) .
Al this time I have no interest in buying live birds including just hatched chicks. I really want to just doing the hatching. The hatching gives me something to fuss over which helps in my chicken addiction.