Who's Egg is It?

[ninnymary]

One of my 3 pullets has been laying for a couple of weeks now. But I don't know which one. The egg is a nice brown color. The pullets are my speckle sussex, silver laced wyndotte, and a red sex link.

I have checked the nest boxes throughout the day to see if I see one of them in there. But I never see any one of them even close to the boxes.

The pullets are around 20 weeks old if that helps.

Mary

 

[baymule]

Red sex link lays a big brown egg. A pullet may lay a small egg to start with or a double yolker, either one, until she gets going good. A Silver Laced Wyandotte lays a medium sized, light brown/cream colored egg. Sussex, I don't know, never had any of them.

 

[ninnymary]

Thanks Bay, it's definitely not light brown so that rules by silver laced wyndotte out. I thought it might be the red sex link because they are supposed to be egg laying machines but I don't know their egg color. So maybe it's my sussex?

Mary

 

[canesisters]

My speckled sussex-es-s..s (hard to say)lay light brown eggs - almost pink.

 

[ninnymary]

Oh wow Canesisters. I would love a light pink egg. Do you know if they are always that color?

I hope to hear from others who have these three breeds.

Mary

 

[canesisters]

I've had Sola and Nova for 2 years and their eggs are consistantly very light brown and very round.
I've never 'caught' anyone laying an egg. But my original flock was: 2 silver laced wynadottes, 2 speckled sussex and one easter egger. Once they all got going, I usually got (an assortment of) 2 medium brown oblong eggs, 2 light brown round eggs, 1 very dark brown egg. When I added another wynadotte I started getting 3 medium brown oblong eggs.. SO - I figured that the little 'pink' ping-pong balls were the sussex's.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mary, you need to get up close and personal with those pullets. When a hen is laying her vent is big, soft, and moist. When she is not laying the vent is small, hard, and dry. Part of the problem with this method though is that when a hen is getting ready to lay her vent gets big, soft, and moist. If you see a vent that is hard and dry, it ain't her. If you see more than one with a soft moist vent it is one of them. So maybe you can narrow it down while you are checking for mites and lice.

A trick I have not tried, but you can put some food coloring in the vent, different colors for different hens. If you see colored streaks on the egg shell, you have nailed the culprit.

I'm not a great believer in the different breeds being that consistent in the shape and size of the egg. I've had different hens of the same breed lay a variety of shades and shapes. Each is an individual. Still, I had two Speckled Sussex from Cackle several years back and their eggs were relatively light colored. You can't tell how big an egg will be when they are pullets and just starting to lay, but those two tended to lay more medium sized eggs than large.

 

[Nyboy]

A hens egg color will also lighten up with age.

 

[baymule]

The comb of a laying hen will be bright red. When a hen goes into a molt, her comb will fade to a light red or pink color.

 

[ninnymary]

Ridgerunner, I think I'm too much of a city girl to go around checking vents but maybe I'll try with my sussex. She is the only one that I can pick up without too much trouble. I don't think I'll tell my husband what I'm doing.

bay, I'll check the combs also.

Mary