Black Australorps laying VERY dark eggs

[sunnie7]

So I have 2 of these girls that were purchased from Rural King, clean legs no feathers, no brown what so ever and a lot of green shine in the feathers....however I’m so confused because they are laying these dark eggs and I didn’t think Black Australorps lay this dark of an egg...

I’ve never hatched any of my own eggs before so I know little about chicken genetics but if I hatch out these eggs and my rooster is an EE shown in phtotos what color eggs would their offspring hens possibly lay? Olive?

 

[Hucklekree]

I don't know much about Australorps. I do know thay pullets will lay very saturated eggs at first and they will fade over time and age.

I do know that if you cross blue and brown egg laying chickens there is a good chance you will get a hen that lays olive eggs.

 

[sunnie7]

I don't know much about Australorps. I do know thay pullets will lay very saturated eggs at first and they will fade over time and age.

I do know that if you cross blue and brown egg laying chickens there is a good chance you will get a hen that lays olive eggs.

It would depend on if my rooster happens to carry a certain gene right?

 

[Percheron chick]

It would depend on if my rooster happens to carry a certain gene right?

Ccorrect. He could just as easily contribute another brown egg gene so you would end up with brown eggs.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am of no help but wanted to say those are beautiful eggs and a very nice looking rooster.

 

[sunnie7]

I am of no help but wanted to say those are beautiful eggs and a very nice looking rooster.

Thank you! We are putting in 60 eggs in the incubator tonight from my mixed flocked with him as my rooster, my neighbors mixed flock with a RIR rooster and a mixed dozen of Olive Eggers, BCM and Lavendar Orpingtons. I’m sooooo excited! We will only end up keeping maybe a trio of the BMC and LO if I get that and 4 mixed breeds at most but I have a few friends wanting some and gives my kids something to do while hone doing e learning until January and the kids make all our profits into their savings accounts! All good excuses right!!!!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you! We are putting in 60 eggs in the incubator tonight from my mixed flocked with him as my rooster, my neighbors mixed flock with a RIR rooster and a mixed dozen of Olive Eggers, BCM and Lavendar Orpingtons. I’m sooooo excited! We will only end up keeping maybe a trio of the BMC and LO if I get that and 4 mixed breeds at most but I have a few friends wanting some and gives my kids something to do while hone doing e learning until January and the kids make all our profits into their savings accounts! All good excuses right!!!!

All excellent reasons! Do post a hatching thread please.

 

[WVBirdsAndBees]

2 of our 4 australorps started by laying dark speckled eggs like that. They have gotten a bit lighter since. Beautiful eggs.

I'm not a genetics expert but here are the egg color basics for your situation. If your rooster has 2 blue egg genes, you'd get olive or green eggers - 1 blue from dad, 1 brown from mom equals green eggs. So if the roo has 1 blue and 1 brown egg gene, you'd have 50% chance for brown and 50% chance for green/olive depending on which gene they get from dad. It's hard to tell what he carries without growing a few of his chicks out and seeing what they lay. Being EE, should have at least 1 blue but not guaranteed.

Definitely agree on a hatching thread. Good luck with the hatch!

 

[sunnie7]

All excellent reasons! Do post a hatching thread please.

Here’s my hatching thread!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...tor-and-5-under-broody.1409192/#post-23132463

 

[3KillerBs]

Ooooo!

If Rural King gets their Blue Australorps from Hoover like the store I got mine from I could have dark eggs in my future!

*happy dance"