Egg colour as a predictor

[Eoghan]

Looking to build up a wee flock of Marrans. The rule of thumb is that you hatch dark eggs to get dark laying hens. That said all the eggs we hatched were dark and we now have one of the hens laying a light speckled egg.

Would I get an odd dark laying Marran from a light egg?

[Scarlet]

So has she laid dark eggs before? If she has always laid light eggs I wouldn't set them them.
They often get lighter through the laying season?

[Eoghan]

laying hens

I have two laying hens one seems to give a dark egg the other a lighter dark egg. Either that or I have one of the two laying who can't make up her mind.

Only getting one egg every other day so I will need to collect and then hatch once I have enough.

[Scarlet]

Maybe wait a little while? It's still very early days to set eggs, ideally wait until they are laying every day. The chicks will need to be kept somewhere warm until they are feathered up too so delaying a couple of weeks would help there.

[veggiechicken]

I have two laying hens one seems to give a dark egg the other a lighter dark egg. Either that or I have one of the two laying who can't make up her mind.

Only getting one egg every other day so I will need to collect and then hatch once I have enough.

I assume you have a cockerel?

[Eoghan]

We kept one cockerel from the hatching eggs I bought at auction

[veggiechicken]

You have 2 hens and one cockerel - yes?