Green egg with brown speckles

[Moxiechick]

One of my EEs, Sassafras, laid this brown speckled green egg the other day. Usually her eggs are a uniform shade. Does anyone know what may have caused the speckling? She is her usually happy healthy self in all other regards. Her very first egg was a darker olive shade, which hasn't been repeated since.
This photo is a little washed out from the flash, but gives the general picture.

On the left is her first egg, then the speckled, and lastly her usual shade.

 

[alicefelldown]

It's nothing to worry about!

Egg Shells come in two colors only - white or blue. Egg shells are made of calcium, which absorbs the blue coloring (caused by the deposition of a liver bile pigment throughout the egg and can be seen on the inside of the eggshell)

Brown / Tan eggs come from brown pigment being applied to the outer shell right before the egg is laid. The more pigment, the darker the egg (Marans, etc)

Olive Eggers (and to some extent, EEs) come from having that blue shell covered with a nice layer of brown pigment. The more brown you get, the darker olive. The less, the more light sage.

Speckles are common in the dark brown laying chickens - think of it as their 'paint sprayer' malfunctioning. The pigment is not evenly applied and can be splotchy, speckled, half and half, etc.

Congratulations on having such lovely eggs from what I'm sure is a lovely EE!

 

[nanawendy]

Sassafras drank too much root beer

Beautiful egg. I would think about blowing it out to save the shell.

 

[looptloop]

I *love* these eggs!!

 

[Moxiechick]

Thanks alicefelldown! I knew some of how the color worked, but not about the liver bile pigment! I'm still curious as to exactly where in the process that the speckles form. How long it takes, why they don't smear, etc. Fascinating stuff!

nanawendy -I did blow out both her first egg and the speckled one! No way was I going to crack that beauty!

looptloop- Thanks!