Monday, April 23, 2007

Egg Colours


I have a variety of chicken breeds, so I get lots of different coloured eggs, ranging from pale beige (almost white) to pale sky blue to olive green to deep brown. Some of the brown ones are so big they don't fit in an egg carton. I haven't figured out yet which of the hens is laying the pretty blue eggs; I think it's one of the hatchlings from last summer. Could it be Turkenstein who's being so clever?

17 comments:

Hege said...

What a fabulous picture! I had no idea there was such a range of colors!

Anonymous said...

I never knew that eggs came in any color other brown or white. Blue and green eggs are very cool.

Anonymous said...

Nice eggs Blog Queen. No cool coloured eggs for us anymore :( I might be taking Mr. Pippin out for some run running this weekend with a whippet breeder here. Call me (or be HOME SOME TIME).

J

Anonymous said...

That was supposed to be FUN running, not run running, which would just be stupid.

Cheers,
Jackie

Anonymous said...

That's really neat! I didn't even know chickens could lay *blue* eggs. My friend Kelly (http://www.lachesis.ca/) also has a "farmlette", and I'm sure will be jealous of your egg coulours and "Turkenstien"!

Val said...

Every day is Easter around here. :-)
I have an order of bantie chicks and Cornish crosses coming (as soon as they're hatched), so stay tuned for more chick pics.

Marigold said...

I love blue eggs! I know the Aurancana (spelling?) chickens lay blue eggs...is that what you have? (should we tell all the non-chicken people that blue eggs taste just like blueberries? ;)

Val said...

I was ridiculously excited when I found that first blue egg, same way I was with the first brown egg, the first green egg....
I don't have any Auracanas, but I do have Ameraucanas and Easter Eggers, and they also lay blue to green eggs. Heritage breed turkey babies arriving mid-May!

Unknown said...

Amazing! Being a farm girl, I knew that they came in a range of beiges, but the blue-green spectrum is an interesting surprise. Do you notice a flavour difference, or would taste be only affected by the feed?

JEANNETTE said...

Howdy blog neighbor! :-) I enjoyed looking at the pictures of all your animals (not to mention your knitting). Llamas! That is so cool!

Anonymous said...

in oz most of the eggs are the brown eggs. it's hard to find the white. when i ask for white ones, i have had people say that they only hve natural eggs. argh! THE BREEEEEED! oh well...

i used to teach at a school where kids bought chicks in 3rd grade and then in 4th when the chickens were mature, they sold the eggs at carpool . the kids loved the blue ones, but we could never figure out which hen/s laid them.

now you have a mystery.

Val said...

No difference in flavour between the different colours. Flavour of the eggs depends totally on what the hens are fed. I am very fond of my hens. They are curious, busy little ladies.

Life's a Stitch said...

Yes, I figured out the system and can leave comments again! Only I can't remember what I was going to say about your lovely eggs.
Li

Sarah said...

It's like an egg rainbow! How beautiful, and probably very tasty. There's nothing like farm fresh eggs.

Quail Hill Knits said...

The two breeds known as "Easter Egg" chickens are the Ameraucana and Araucana.

Both breeds lay eggs with shells colored various shades of blue, have pea combs, and should have red earlobes. Beyond that few similarities exist in specimens meeting the requirements of recognized poultry standards. Perhaps 99 percent of chickens sold as Araucanas (or Ameraucanas) by commercial hatcheries are actually mongrels (aka Easter Egg chickens), meeting the requirements of neither breed.

According to the American Poultry Association (APA), the Araucana breed must be rumpless (no tail) and have ear tufts. Ear tufts are clumps of feathers growing from small tabs of skin usually found at or near the region of the ear openings. This feature is unique in the U.S. to the Araucana breed. This trait is nearly always lethal to unhatched chicks when inherited from both parents. Tufted Araucanas, therefore, are always genetically impure, i.e., they don't breed true and will always produce a percentage of "clean-faced" offspring.

The Ameraucana breed, on the other hand, has a tail and sports muffs and beard in the facial area. These characteristics are true-breeding. Other requirements of both breeds may be found in the APA's Standard of Perfection and in the American Bantam Association's (ABA) Bantam Standard. Hope this help identify your girl.

Carrie Penny said...

We haven't heard anything from you in a while, so I decided that you are going to be tagged!

spininmamma4 said...

Ameracaunas and "easter eggers" will be the ones responsible for your blue and green eggs- I have some and they are only green- I've been dying to get one that gives me a blue egg :-) From what I've read turkens only lay brown eggs. Love all the pics