what colour eggs?

[Nicos]

My grandmother had chickens for many years and as a child she would say this riddle to me...If white hens lay white eggs, and brown hens lay brown eggs, what colour eggs do black hens lay? I always presumed it was brown...and then I saw blue eggs in the shops (not duck!), and started wondering about all that.

[Lorna]

black hen

Nicos,

My black hen - a Scots Grey - lays white eggs well very near to it anyway, with proportionately huge yolks. True to form the brown lays brown eggs - huge ones

Lorna.

[nick the grief]

Auracana's lay blue eggs, they are a south american breed which probably went into the make up on Cream Legbars as these do to.

[poultrychat]

Cream Lebgar's lay true blue eggs, the original mix I believe was Araucana x Barred Plymouth Rock and then at a later date Gold Legbar was added to the mix. My Black Rocks lay brown eggs

[nick the grief]

Hi PC,

Yes If I remember right the Araucana was a black job so crossing with a barred rock will give you the sexlink cross (I've got it somewhere is it black hens & barred Cockerels ?).

Years ago I used to keep Welbars & played around with crossing them to Welsummers & back again in the hopes I could get them to lay better, then they all got knicked!!! so I gave up. Still got all the feeders though just in case. I also had a Maran Cockeral that was a Vicious brute calle Gregory Peck

[poultrychat]

ntg, I breed most of the 'varieties' of autosexing breeds including the Welbar, I also have Maran hens and they are very gentle

[nick the grief]

Hi PC,

I had a quick look at your site - brings back memories ! I got my welbars as hatching eggs from two places, 1 was an advert in Home farm mag (whatever that's called now) & some from David Appelgarth. He wrote an article about them in HF mag so I got some! I kept 1 cockerels and put them with the other lot if you see what I mean so they were unrelated then just bought a new cockerel every now & then.

They were great characters & the kids used to rush down in the moring to get the eggs - they don't rush anywhere now just lol in front of the telly

I really missed them when they first went, but I don't think I'd have anymore as they tie you down more than my two greenhouses !!

[Jaxom]

So what colour are the hens that lay those nice foil wrapped eggs that come from Bornvile village?
Jax

[Lesley Jay]

Chocolate brown!

[andrewo]

I once went to a small holding where the guy had old english game cocks and old varieties and they had light blue eggs - he gave me one and I carried it home in my hand via a 100 mile trip on the train.

[Mucky Lizz!!]

Shetland = Blue / Green eggs

Hi,
I keep Shetland Bantams, these hens lay a bluey green egg (they are of aracuna blood somewhere in the bloodlines) I have a good lay off the two I have, and have had a great hatch rate (still hatching under broodies)
Heres photos of my hens and cockerels.

[poultrychat]

They look lovely!

[Birdie Wife]

Hi Liz! Where did you get your Shetland Bantams from? I'm looking at getting a few hens for eggs and maybe some meat too and I was thinking of Black Rocks. Your hens look like hardy souls (with a name like Shetland Bantam, who's going to argue?!), how big are the eggs?

[nick the grief]

They look Hardy enough Liz. I guess with the winds they get in Shetland they lay the same egg twice

They do look good, I'm almost tempted to get a few chook myself again

[John]

The only connection I know for egg colour is that hens with white ear feathers always lay white eggs!

John