Blue chicken eggs

[BarleySugar]

I was wondering if anyone can recommend any hens that lay blue/green eggs. To start with we are probably going for 4 hybrids, those will be chosen from the free range flock we are going to visit. I want brown and white layers though, so I will choose last to make sure we get the 'right mix'. However, now the run is much bigger, and I've chosen the coop Eco Chicken Loft, we will have room for a couple more. I would be looking for hens with a good temperament ideally, and was wondering if people could tell me their experiences. All the other girls will have been used to each other, so these would be the 'strangers'.

[chris]

Hybrid or pure breed? Cotswold legbar is a hybrid blue egg layer, then there's the Araucanas, and cream legbars. Olive layers escape my mind at the moment- but Araucanas can lay olive shades too, like other blue egg layers iirc.

Edit: sorry I didn't read your post properly. VVG has a cream legbar, ibthink RH does too, or at least did . mikey wills has a Cotswold legbar. They may have further info on the individual temperaments

[kathyd]

I have 2 'Shetland Chickens', which are apparently descended from or somehow related to araucanas and which lay blue eggs. I believe that pure bred araucanas are the only ones to lay eggs where the shells are blue all the way through, most blue eggs are 'painted' on the outside and are white inside. But mine are blue all the way through, so that's probably just a myth . They have quite a nice temperament - quite confident and friendly, happy to be picked up and poked around when de-lousing etc. One of them leads the others astray, teaching them how to fly over the electric fence, and wander off into the farmer's field, and roost on the roof of the coop instead of inside... don't know if mischief if part of the breed, or just the individual. They definitely like attention though . Oh, and they're both quite assertive (bossy??), so may be OK as the late arrivals as long as you have two together.

[petal]

We have a 'skyline' who lays lovely blue eggs and has a fantastic personality. cream leg bars are great too. I found araucanas a bit too flighty- they disliked cuddles too.

[RichmondHens]

I keep cream legbars and araucanas - both breeds good solid layers who lay stunning eggs 6 days out of 7 but dislike close confinement and being handled.

[VirginVegGrower]

Cream Legbar lays blue green eggs. I love my little screamer Sage

[squibbs]

I have araucanas and cream legbars - they are very interesting birds, but certainly aren't into cuddles and are impossible to get hold of unless you sneak up on them whilst feeding. Mine all lay pale blue eggs. I think the green-ness of the eggs depends on the heritage - personally I don't like green (Sam I am) so will avoid them.

Owly, who lays the green eggs was a bit of an accident - a welsummer-araucana cross - I had separated the breeds for 3 weeks when I collected eggs for incubating, however some of Bob the welsumer's little wrigglers must have been hiding somewhere!

[di]

I have two Cream Legbars, like RH's, they really don't like being handled....and make for a particularly viscious broody when you try to retrieve eggs from under them (thankfully, they only last a couple of days before giving up)

I've also got a beautiful Cream Legbar crossed with Buff Orpington, she is fairly friendly, stunning to look at AND lays an olive green egg. (she's one of the two I sat up for an entire night, picking out of her shell when our incubator broke...I'm so pleased I persevered)

[jps]

we have 2 skylines which are a hybrid i beleive.

one lays blue, the other a sort of ivory colour.

[vicky]

I've two cream legbars that lay pale blue eggs, they're pretty looking birds but you can't get near them as they're so skittish. I have to sneak up on them at night to clip their wings, they won't roost in the henhouse but in a tree next to it - and can still get up there despite the wing clipping!

[SMS6]

I have a hybrid who's father was a cream leg bar and mother a legbar cross I think - mother lays blue eggs and ours lays green

[BarleySugar]

Thanks everyone, I'll think carefully about these. I'm not sure escape artists are a good idea with the dogs that live next door

[petal]

its a pity buff orpingtons don't lay blue eggs, they would never escape anywhere! They are too fat!!!

[RichmondHens]

I thought my Orps didn't move far until my son's football landed in their enclosure - then they managed a good height, sailed over the fence and took ages to round up and put back, bloomin' great balls of fluff!

[chris]

Bump.

Just ate one of my blue egg layers eggs. It's blue all the way through - I remember someone mentioning something about it in this thread.

Pretty cool to look at, but im guessing this isdown to a trait?

Do Araucanas lay blue right through the shell?

Would love to what what the parents of. The Cotswold legbars are... ESP as they breed true an are auto sexing!