Welsummer egg?

[SusanD]

Hi,

Is this what a normal welsummer egg looks like? I'm curious, because this is the first time I've seen a speckled egg (and I think, the first time my welsummer pullet has laid one ). Also, my Dad said that it cracked after he brought it in. Assuming that's the case, is it safe to eat or would we be better off throwing it away?

Thanks,

Susan

 

[dheltzel]

Welsummers are known for speckling on the eggs, though not all their eggs are speckled. My Welsummers lay much darker eggs than that as a rule, but there is an occasional one that is light like that, so maybe they will darken soon.

As for eating cracked eggs, I toss out any that are oozing, but if the membrane is not broken, refrigerate it quickly and eat it first.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welsummers are known for speckling on the eggs, though not all their eggs are speckled. My Welsummers lay much darker eggs than that as a rule, but there is an occasional one that is light like that, so maybe they will darken soon.

As for eating cracked eggs, I toss out any that are oozing, but if the membrane is not broken, refrigerate it quickly and eat it first.

X2 on dheltzel's post.

 

[SusanD]

Hi,

My Welsummer is currently laying white eggs (slightly paler that my RIR). Does that just mean that she doesn't have the gene (genes) for making dark eggs (in which case she might not be a purebred) or is is something to be concerned about? Her eggs seem perfectly normal otherwise (and are even starting to get larger - less like beginner eggs).

Thanks,

Susan

 

[Michael OShay]

Hi,

My Welsummer is currently laying white eggs (slightly paler that my RIR). Does that just mean that she doesn't have the gene (genes) for making dark eggs (in which case she might not be a purebred) or is is something to be concerned about? Her eggs seem perfectly normal otherwise (and are even starting to get larger - less like beginner eggs).

Thanks,

Susan

You're welcome. If your pullet is laying white eggs then it's not a pure Welsummer and possibly without any Welsummer in it. Light Brown Leghorns are colored much like Welsummers and people often confuse the two breeds. The main difference is that Light Brown Leghorns have white earlobes whereas Welsummers have red earlobes. Take a look at the earlobes of your pullet and let us know whether they are white or red. Also, if you can get a pic of your pullet posted, we would be happy to take a look at her for you.

 

[SusanD]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad it's not a health or feeding issue. Here is a picture of her. She is the brown colored one.

Thanks,

Susan

 

[junebuggena]

She looks more like a Partridge Rock than a Welsummer. She's got penciling on her chest. Welsummer hens usually have a solid, rosey colored chest.

 

[Michael OShay]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad it's not a health or feeding issue. Here is a picture of her. She is the brown colored one.

Thanks,

Susan

She does have red earlobes and looks like a hatchery quality Welsummer. Probably at some point in the past, the hatchery infused some Leghorn into their Welsummer stock to boost egg production. It's a fairly common practice with hatcheries which are more concerned with egg production than with preserving SOP standards and likely accounts for the lighter egg color.

 

[Michael OShay]

She looks more like a Partridge Rock than a Welsummer. She's got penciling on her chest. Welsummer hens usually have a solid, rosey colored chest.

After enlarging the pic, it does appear that there may be some penciling in the feathers although it's not very clearly defined. Either way it's a hatchery quality bird.

 

[SusanD]

Thanks for the input. I think she will make a good pet. I expect you might be right about the breeding for production, as she has been a pretty consistent layer.