Lindy Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Great excitement, just got home from work and the boys ran out to meet me shouting "We've got an egg!" Amazing! We've had Blanche (Sussex Star) and Stella (Speckled Star) for nearly 6 weeks and although they are clearly fit and healthy we hadn't had any eggs yet and wondered if we were going to have to wait until the spring. Having said that, Blanche's comb has certainly grown a lot and is bright red (whereas Stella's is still on the small and pink side). So here's my question for you clever Omleteers out there: Omlet's info sheet says that Sussex Stars lay white eggs and what we have here is a slightly narrow but otherwise beautifully-formed 60g BROWN egg! The evidence suggests it must be Blanche's - could Omlet's info sheet be wrong? Anyway, the boys are about to have what they call their Friday night fry-up, so the egg will be fried and split 3 ways between them - I'm doing ordinary supermarket free-range fried eggs too, so it will be very interesting to compare them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Speckled Stars lay brown eggs! Well done Stella. One of my chooks has a small comb but lays lots of eggs. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Oh congratulations! How Egg citing! Perhaps this will spur the other one on to lay too! Enjoy the egg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine C Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Hi Not so sure this is a clear cut Stella egg! - sorry Martin! Now I've heard that a light sussex lays a tinted egg. Assuming that a light sussex and sussex star are roughly the same sort of breed, the egg should be tinted or beige. Athough I havn't got the latest from omlet re sussex stars, a recent introduction I think because of chook shortage. I think a speckled star, if a based on a speckeldy, would lay darker brown eggs. So the question is how dark is the brown egg? If beigeish (not a proper word!) then I would say Blanche is the egg layer. If darker then could be Stella. But with the bright red and bigger comb, my moneys on Blanche! I guess the only way of knowing for sure is to lay (sorry!!) in wait to see who is the mystrery egg layer Whoever it is, well done that chook E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Congratulations on the egg. its great when they lay isnt it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 The speckled stars egg should have speckles on. I'm pretty sure the sussex will lay a white egg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kannie Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I don't know about the breeds of hens you have, Lindy, but as it's a first egg it could be a slightly different colour anyway! Maisy's eggs are usually darker than Matildas, but when Maisy does bigger eggs they get lighter in colour! And if she has a few days off, then the next one is darker! Its almost like she has a pot of colour that gets used more or less sparingly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Great excitement, just got home from work and the boys ran out to meet me shouting "We've got an egg!" I can remember doing this - what a fantastic feeling!! Congratulations on your first egg!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine C Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 I don't know about the breeds of hens you have, Lindy, but as it's a first egg it could be a slightly different colour anyway! Maisy's eggs are usually darker than Matildas, but when Maisy does bigger eggs they get lighter in colour! And if she has a few days off, then the next one is darker! Its almost like she has a pot of colour that gets used more or less sparingly! Good point about egg colour. It does vary. Although I can usually tell between Cleo's (gingernut) being darker brown and Ella's (pepperpot) being paler sometimes Cleo's are lighter and Ella's are darker. I have not related this to the size of the egg though but will bear this in mind. Usually, if in doubt with shell colour I can usually tell which egg came from which girl by the shape. Ella's long and pointy and Cleo's short and dumpy Martin - I'm still farily convinced that the sussex lays a tinted rather than white egg. Told this a by a supplier back in august when I was looking for a white egg layer so suggested as an alternative to a full blown white egg layer. But then again I guess the speckledy should lay a speckled egg. So at the momment could be blanche or stella So Lindy, to set our minds at rest you will need to keep a look out over the weekend to see who is laying E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 Thank you everyone! I agree, we need to keep a close eye on things to try to spot who's performing. We'll keep a vigil over the weekend and report back. The egg was absolutely delicious. Poor husband is abroad for work at the moment but hopefully we'll have one for him to taste when he gets home next weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 yummy eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 These are my girls eggs - on the three 5 egg days I had last week. The white eggs are from my Sussex Star and the darkest brown from my Speckledy. Following this display of amazing laying ability production has slowed to the point that I got one white egg today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Sorry Fee, but I think that photo should be in the competition section - what a brilliant sight! All those eggs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Snowy, I did get really excited, hence the photo, because not only did they all lay, they were all different and I could finally tell who laid what! This week its gone from a few 3 egg days ,to 2 and today 1. I've put it down to the constant rain and howling wind and the girls looking miserable 'cos they're not getting out but i suppose they deserve a wee rest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 After producing that little lot, they deserve one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocchick Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 I found this which would put Sussex as tinted It sounds a bit like Blanche just because of the red comb. Does she squat for you too? Does she lurk by the eglu door occasionally when you are watching, walk a bit funny (that one's a joke), or look put out if you are collecting eggs through the egg port (I'm sure I get looks and occasionally have a chicken behind me like they are being protective*). I think they sometimes get big poos or slightly different ones when they start laying. My Amber stars are nearly white and lay beige "farmhouse"eggs with brown speckles. The brown gingernut lays beige ones. *I'm sure Susannah hasn't forgiven me for collecting "her" nest of eggs when she went broody and I collected eggs from the other two P.S. It is a good photo feemcg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellekatz Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 My sussex star lays beige eggs though we havent had her that long (formerly the naughty Daisy!!) My gingernut is the next darkest and the pepperpot lays the darkest though not really a dark brown. Still waiting for a blue one rfrom my Cream Legbar who is 28 weeks now but I guess that may be spring! She has a red face but only a small comb and has been like that for weeks - she isn't squatting though - just squawks and runs away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted November 26, 2006 Author Share Posted November 26, 2006 Thanks again to all you wonderful Omleteers for all your help. And Fee - WOW! What a superb photograph - well done! I THOUGHT that I'd got things sorted out because I emailed the lovely Paula of Paula's Poultry (from whom we got the chickens) and she said that no Sussex Star of hers had ever laid a white egg; she said that they lay tinted/light brown eggs and that Speckled Stars' eggs are much darker brown. So that seemed to confirm that we were right - that the egg was Blanche's - and that (shock!horror!) Omlet's info sheet was wrong. However! Now I've seen Fee's photo and in it are white eggs laid by her Sussex Star - so I'm back to square one. Maybe this quest is a bit daft, I suppose it doesn't really matter who laid the egg - but I WOULD like to know! I'm sure it will all become clear when the other one starts laying. No eggs yesterday but a beautiful one today, almost identical in size, shape and colour to Friday's. We'll keep watching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Thanks Lindy, though I may have confused things! Maybe it depends what the Sussex Star hybrids are being crossed with along the breeding lines that determines the egg colour - I'm not quite sure how it all works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 You'll know soon enough. If you see one of them on the nest box, rush out when they get off and examine the egg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
