Are EE's eggs always blue?

[CrazyTownChick]

Hello, my 6 month old girls have been laying eggs for 5 weeks now. I have 13 mixed breed hens and all but the two EEs started laying at week 20. We are now getting 11-12-13 eggs every day! Yippeeee, it's fun. We do keep a light on in the coop for about 10 hours a day.

Anyway I have a question about my two EE's. Pepper started laying about 2 weeks after the Isa Browns, CA White Leghorns, Golden Sex links, RIR. I believe that EEs are usually late bloomers. Her eggs (with the exception of one day) are always a beautiful blue/green. She lays about every other day. Zippy, the other EE just started laying last week, about 2 weeks after Pepper. Her first egg was round, very small, whitish beige, It's the first "almost white" egg I've seen out of all our Isa Browns, CA White Leghorns, RIR and golden sex liks. It looked a little odd. However, we did eat it and it was fine inside.

Today I saw Zippy in the nesting box (both EEs take a very long time in there) and then when I went out later to find her egg, it was nice , small size and looks good -- except again, it's not blue, it's light beige. Here's a pic of Zippy's light beige egg and Pepper's blue, for comparison.

So do EE's sometimes lay beigey eggs rather than blue? Is that a nutrition deficiency that I should look into? Might it be a temporary thing or is she probably going to be a beige egg laying EE? How normal or abnormal is this?

The other factor that makes me wonder, is that both Zippy and Pepper are near the bottom of the pecking order and are picked on regularly by the CA White Leghorns -- I've seen it when I give them their daily treats and at other times. A few of the Isa Browns peck at them too. Could it be that Zippy (not so much Pepper) is NOT getting the full nutrition she needs to lay blue eggs? I kind of doubt that's why, because they have free access to Flock Raiser, Grit, and Oyster shell all day, and water of course. No shortage of good food, greens, chicken scratch, and snacks. We only do supervised free ranging once a week (in winter now) because of the hawks and predators.

The basic question: do EE's, even mixed breeds, lay different color eggs other than blue? Is there anything, any health issue, I should be checking for?
[edit: the blue egg is actually more blue/green than it looks here.]

 

[HeatherKellyB]

It's completely normal for Easter Eggers (which are mixed breeds) to lay blue, green or brown eggs. Congratulations on all those eggs! That's wonderful

 

[ReseisCL16]

It's completely normal for Easter Eggers (which are mixed breeds) to lay blue, green or brown eggs. Congratulations on all those eggs! That's wonderful

Yep, I'd definitely agree. The pigment just varies sometimes in the EEs, because they are hybrids. The chicks from the feed-store are especially unreliable in pigment; breeders' birds are a little more consistent.

If you are concerned about nutritional deficiencies, the texture of the shell, not the color, is the best indicator. A healthy hen with all her vitamins in will lay eggs with smooth, hard shells. If you start getting eggs with super thin or abnormally thick shells or eggs whose shells have little calcified bumps on them or feel grainy to the touch, then the birds may have a mineral deficiency. Oyster shells or crushed red granite grit are the best sources of minerals for birds that are lacking, so if you are concerned, just mix some crushed oyster shell into their feed.

That being said, I don't think you have a problem with any sort of deficiencies! Those eggs look healthy and beautiful to me!

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Completely normal! EE's can lay colors including but not limited too brown, tan, green, blue. My Easter Egger Scary lays light tan eggs too.

 

[FuzzyCritters]

Easter eggers can lay any color egg. Egg color has nothing to do with health and nutrition, it's a genetic trait. Zippy just didn't get the gene for blue eggs and that happens fairly often in EEs.

 

[B-Goock]

Everything with EE's can vary. Beards, muffs, combs, egg color, leg color, etc, or not. Like a box of chocolates. Lol.

I've still been looking in my area for a good blue egg layer like an ameraucana or cream legbar to cross with my blue marans to get olive eggers.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So do EE's sometimes lay beigey eggs rather than blue? Is that a nutrition deficiency that I should look into? Might it be a temporary thing or is she probably going to be a beige egg laying EE? How normal or abnormal is this?

EEs can lay almost any color, it's all a matter of genetics from the bird's parentage. Whatever color a chicken lays, that's the color she'll always lay (with some minor tint/shade differences from day to day).

 

[CrazyTownChick]

EEs can lay almost any color, it's all a matter of genetics from the bird's parentage. Whatever color a chicken lays, that's the color she'll always lay (with some minor tint/shade differences from day to day).

Fantastic - good to know, thanks! Mine are all mixed breed girls so we get what we get! So happy to be getting all the eggs!

 

[CrazyTownChick]

Everything with EE's can vary. Beards, muffs, combs, egg color, leg color, etc, or not. Like a box of chocolates. Lol.

I've still been looking in my area for a good blue egg layer like an ameraucana or cream legbar to cross with my blue marans to get olive eggers.

Thanks! Many variables!

 

[CrazyTownChick]

Easter eggers can lay any color egg. Egg color has nothing to do with health and nutrition, it's a genetic trait. Zippy just didn't get the gene for blue eggs and that happens fairly often in EEs.

Thanks! Good to know! ❤