4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[meezers]

Until yesterday, I had 4 chooks laying - Elsie hadn't layed for almost 4 weeks. My laying chooks have been very accommodating, laying eggs easily distinguished by colour or shape.

Yesterday Margo had a day off, but I collected 4 eggs from the nest box - one had a rather odd orange tint, I'd seen Elsie go into the nest box so I guessed she'd started to lay again but the orange tinted egg was nothing like the colour she used to lay - supermarket beige, never mind, maybe just a blip while she gets going again.

Anyway, I was at home this morning so decided to 'stake out' the nest box, for 2 1/2 hours I ran out every 10 mins to check who was in which nest box -Elsie, Hattie and Lottie all crammed into the one favourite nest box - no queuing here- must have all been desperate ! no phaffing about for Bluebelle, she had the other nestbox all to herself ( or maybe it's cos she's SO noisy, no-one wants to share with her ! )

Bluebelle finished, I went and collected her large pinky/purple egg. Hattie and Lottie came out, Elsie was left sitting on all 3 eggs. When she came out I went to fetch 1 beige egg ( Hatties ) one small brown egg ( Lotties ) and one large pinky/purple egg identical to Bluebelles !

All I can think is that Elsie sat herself down in the nestbox, peered over the divide and saw Bluebelles' egg and thought ' Ooohh ! I like that, think I'll do one just like it !'

God knows what colour I'll get if she lays tomorrow !

Has anyone else had chooks that change egg colour on a whim ?

[chickenlass]

LOL...Does what they eat affect the shell colour at all or is that just the yolks? Fancy that...A traffic light egg layer.

[FruitandNutCake]

My eggs change slightly in colour and texture, so I guess it is down to what they eat. Although I'm not sure what they eat when they free range! Mine had a few strawberries and blueberries last night, but didn't notice any change in egg colour today - so maybe it has a delayed effect?

[Snowy]

Bless her, maybe it's like changing your hairstyle - some stick to one style and never change, others like to be a bit different every day! One of my gingernuts is like that - sometimes I have to wait until everyone else has laid before I can be certain which is hers - they are always big, but can be different shapes or shades and sometimes speckley!