Bought Hatching Eggs

My Buff Orpingtons lay light brown eggs of various shades, most slightly darker than your pictures but not much.

I guess I was just flat out wrong. I know I have seen it said many times that Buff Orpingtons lay brown eggs and so I just assummed without asking that that would be a darker color than this. I also didn't take into consideration that since I bought lavendar Orps that the eggs might be much lighter. After all, this is not an accepted color of Orpingtons so were referred to as project birds.

These lavendars are very pretty in all the pictures I have seen and they are supposed to be excellent layers.

In any event for your candeling experiments lighter is better!

Orpington eggs are not supposed to be "dark" brown.

Check the Henderson Breed Chart for information on the color and number of eggs to be expected from each breed.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Here's another site with information on egg color
http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/egg_shell_color/egg_shell_color.php

Susan

This message was edited Oct 3, 2010 9:35 AM

Thats true. I do need to learn what I should be seeing at different stages of development so the candeling will continue.

I had taken one of the Marans eggs out about a week ago that it was obvious there was no development. I cracked it open nothing looked too unusual compaired to a regular egg that you crack to eat except the white dot thingy that is were the chick starts was large and runny. So this one aborted really, really early.

Hey, thats a great and intersting chart. I bookmarked it to have for future reference. Not too sure about all the information about which is a great layer or not.

I only noticed two breeds with 6 eggs shown. I am guessing that is there highest score. Leghorns and RIR.

Rita, Here are my orp eggs. Flopsie didnt lay yet, she usually does about 6 in the afternoon, her egg will be just a tad browner than the others. the ones at the bottom are a sandy brown not white as they appear in the photo! Maybe not DARK brown eggs , but orps are very reliable layers!

Hey, thanks yours look pretty much like mine except it looks like they have a touch of pink in them. Could just be from different cameras and lighting conditions.

I learned at least with my camera, I need the natural daylight to get actual color. Even if inside, needs to be by the window. The pictures I posted of my new eggs set yesterday are very accuate to the real thing. At least it is so on my moniter.

I was looking for a brown egg layer when I got these as I have not yet considered anything that I knew was white eggs. Not compairing these to white. But I think these are just what I need at this time so that I can easily see development (or not).

I have no interest in getting Leghorns myself. I figgure there are enough cheepo Leghorn white eggs in the stores that I don't need any. And the breed sounds so unappealing to me. Flighty and such. I don't like white chickens anyway. Not in any breed. I just don't like them with just white color. White with something else (like black is good, it can be very striking. But white alone, not for me.

Except a white Silkie.. LOL They even stay clean in the mud! and oh how cute!

Yes!! Cute Cute Cute!!!! Love 'em!

Ha, not even a white silkie for me. Don't care for white. I would be looking for another color.

OOoooooh but have you ever seen those cuties Tie dyed with Food Coloring? A friend of mine used to tie dye her pet Silkie and dress her up, Bows and all!! LOL!!!

Rita I have the BO eggs today and no camera! I couldn't find it yesterday and just noticed it out on the patio - after two days of rain - it's sitting in front of a fan right now but I have little hope of it surviving. I hate when I do stupid things!

Its been really raining here also. Seems like its been raining since last week. Don't get in a panic. Get pictures when its convenient. I am not going anywere.

Isn't it getting close to lock down day? How did the switching to the other incubator go?

The memory chip in the wet camera seems to have survived. Here are some of the Girl's working in their flower beds. They've done a beautiful job of weeding, turning the soil & mulch and fertilizing too!

Great pictures, lovely girls :-))

I had set my eggs at 7 PM so yes, its going to be lockdown this evening. I am going to transfer to the Brower, which is all set up and waiting. Will post later on how it all went. Have to wait until dark.

Annie, how did you teach them which are flowers and which are weeds?

Lock down, how exciting! I'll be watching for your update tonight!

Wow, my camera survived the 2 days of rain, yahoo!! I put it in front of a fan for 24 hrs and then on top of the tv to finish drying it out. Just took these pics with it. Here are the Buff Orpington eggs, as you can see each one lays a different egg, top one's are shiny, the bottom are a dull mat finish. I just love the temperament of the BO's.

LOL Parkpal, I didn't! So far I've been really LUCKY. They could decide at any second that the perennials are just as delicious as the weeds. Or, maybe daylilies and cone flowers just taste bad?

I just took this pic of them, every where I go, they follow, talking all the way. Of course it helps that I always bring treats!

OOp's on the eggs, the TOP ones are the dull mat finish, bottom eggs are shiny.

Oh good, I thought I was the one upsidedown.

LOL

Well, shiney or matt finish, those Orp eggs are soooooo much darker than mine are. Oh well. It must be because mine are Lavander Orps.

Looks like all the girls know were to come to get the goodies. I see some easter eggers and a buff orp (I think). I don't know what the brown ones to the very left and then way back are.

On the left is a buff Silkie, in front of her is a Welsummer, to the right are Buff Orpingtons and EE's are all around!

Looks like you have more easter eggers than any other one type of chicken. You know I will just have to get easter eggers eventually. They always look so pretty (love yours) and of course I want those colored eggs.

Yes, there are 10 EE'ers, 1 Silkie, 2 Buff Orpingtons & 2 Welsummers. Now I need a few dark brown egg layers.

Annie, your brood is really good looking! Color coordinated! LOL

I thought Welsummers did lay dark eggs..? Not chocolate like a BC Marans, but nice and dark right?

I got 2 new babiez today.. One white and one black.. Serama... I'm all softy today. :)

Congrats on your new babiez.... pictures?? Not much is cuter than a tiny Serama fuzzy butt!

Thank you! The Welsummers aren't laying yet. I think they're just 4 - 4 1/2 months old. They don't look like they're even considering sitting in a nesting box yet. I hope they do lay a nice dark egg, with speckles too! I'm thinking about getting 4 or 5 more in the spring.

I switched the eggs. I tried to candel before I set them in the hatching incubator but no way. They were really totally dark and it was like trying too look thru a brick wall. So we will just have to wait and see. Saturday night will start day 21 which is supposed hatch night. I am not very confident in anything happening but we will just have to wait and see.

No, I won't get pics for a couple days.. I'm sorry.. She is a new mom and I'm reeeeally hoping she hatches one egg I stuck in there 2 days late... It's from a different pair and I'm dying to see those babiez. If not.. It's okay.. I got a silkied serama baby from her last hatch... I wonder what I got this time!

I will get some pics in a few days.. I love mom and baby pics!

Good Luck NYRita.. I hope all goes well. Don't give up till at least Monday!

Oh I have incubators on my brain and thought you hatched them! I love the mom and baby pics too so I'll be patient LOL Maybe there will be an updated pic of the silkied serama too? That was one cute baby!

Rita, I'd be going nuts if I were you! If I couldn't candle I'd probably have to get a stethoscope so I could try to hear something, anything, going on inside the eggs! I'm sure that isn't safe during the lock down though. I'll be watching for pip announcements from you!

Got the new Meyer Hatchery catalog today, they now have BCM's (limit 10). So maybe I'll get one after all.

I will definately leave the eggs and see. After all I have nothing to loose by waiting and I would be very upset if I opened an egg and then saw that there was a live chick.

I am now using an autoturner in the Genesis. When I set the second set (those Lavendar OrpEggs) I had put in the turner that I bought. I now do think its better as I just don't have to open the incubator as much. I do look in there as many times I day as I used to though before I had the turner.

By the way so far I absolutly love, love, love the Genesis. Do not like the Brower at all. If I had seen one set up in person before I bought mine I would never had bought it. Its big, its clunky and I can't be sure I have the temp adjusted correctly.

I won't get pics at all... :( Something killed her and the babiez. I'm sick over it, cause AGAIN it was my fault for not locking up.
There was a pipped egg that was cold... and covered with ants.. I opened the egg and the baby made a move! I washed all the ants off and held it under a heat lamp for over an hour. I got it to breathe 4 different times! but it finally went to sleep all the way in my hand.
I loved Lois my Serama hen.. she was my favorite. I was stupid to take a chance with her safety.

So sorry about your hen and babies, ZZ.

Awww, ZZ, I'm so sorry to hear that! Don't beat yourself up over it. It gets dark so much earlier now and evenings can be so hectic, it could happen to anyone. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Tonight when it gets dark I am going to candle the Orp eggs in the Genesis incubator. Tonight will be eight days. I want to see inside as these are light enough that I shouldn't have any problems.