Fading Egg Color

Ok help me out here if I didn't get this straight.
As a hen progresses in her lay cycle, or if she has been through many cycles, the color of both the egg and her earlobes? will fade. The amount of fading expresses how many eggs the hen might have laid. Here's where I'm getting itchy n scratchy, I've noticed that many people ask for Marans eggs that have good dark color. Is this request only because the prospective buyer is looking for hatching eggs that have maximum vigor, having been laid early in the lay cycle? Is this request based on the belief that a well colored but faded egg will only beget faded eggs? Is this request based on a desire for absolute proof of dark egg laying ability? Am I totally out to lunch here(yes, true,..but nevermind) or will a faded Marans egg contain the genes that produce dark eggs?

Hmmm.....very interesting. I have no idea, but might make something up anyway.

I think the colour of an egg, whether it is deeply coloured or slighlty faded, does NOT affect hatchability. Whetehr or not your hen has recenltly been exposed to a rooster affects hatchability, whether egg laid near start of cycle or near end. That's my opinion anyway.

We do have genetic experts here, I am not one, just like to hear my self type, but I think people want to hatch the darkest eggs possible to guarantee they get the darkest egg layers possible. But I don't think this is a correct assumption because like you said, egg colour is genetic and if the hen lays very dark eggs when she is fresh into lay, so should her offspring. But people don't think that far ahead when they see slightly lighter eggs, they assume the genetics are not in place when in fact, it is the natural result of a hen's spray paint booth getting depleted. So one could say, "Don't judge an egg by its shell."

Have you personally noticed a drop in colour intensity in your birds as they lay? I have such a variety of shell colours to begin with that I have never noticed changes in hue and tone or depth.

I think it may be because different lines of marans can have quite a difference in color darkness, and people are looking for the hens that lay the darkest eggs.

Yes, I have seen the effect of this fading. There is quite a dramatic difference between the beginning and end of the lay cycle...dark chocolate to very light milk chocolate colour. I understand people's reluctance to purchase them based solely on the name Marans, but how much of this fear is really unjustified? I have a friend that refuses to sell perfectly viable eggs only because people talk too much without thinking first, this is very crafty on the part of the buyer, not only do they get perfect color they get the best eggs with the most vitality, as opposed to vigor which only refers to growth rate.
I wonder how the fading earlobes play into all this, they are on the other end of the spray booth???

Oh man, what a bunch of stuff to ponder this morning here, Rennegaide, smiling. The older hens make much better babies, in that the older the hen the more natural immunity to "things" those chicks receive, younger hens don't give these "gift" in such great amounts as a hen that has "been around". Is this one of the points you were trying to make. Personally, I do absolutely not like the dark brown chocolate looking eggs, I think they are awful looking, I like the lighter brown. Now I have a cochin gal, ever since time beginning with her, has laid a very smooth and kind of shiney dark brown egg, not as dark as a dark, dark marans, but it is a pretty deep shade. As she has been aging, and she is now 3, her eggs are huge and getting more darker brown. I really should take a picture of this gal's eggs, hers stand out like a sore thumb. Hmmm...wonder where that sore thumb expression came from anyways. Anyways, good topic and I will be listening. Beautiful days, CynthiaM.

The fading of the ear lobe relates where a hen is in the laying cycle but is due to the yellow pigment going into the yolk. They will also lose pigment in the beak, shanks , around the eye. There is a predictable order. I find it interesting that you can guesstimate how long a hen has been in lay or out of lay by the bleaching of certain body parts. Had to go to my "bible" so get the proper sequence which is: vent, eye ring, ear lobe, beak, bottom of feet, shank, hock.

It always seemed to me that a really productive layer would probably make a poor show bird because of the amount of bleaching that occurs in a high producing hen. My most prolific layers shanks go from a lovely yellow to very faded pale greyish yellow.

As far as the genetics of fading eggs goes, I have a theory

If Henrita orriginally laid dark eggs, she has the genes to code for that. IF her fading eggs were "genetic" (ie, the buyers chicks would lay the faded eggs) the "dark eggshell gene" would have to mutate. Mutation is unlikely, because it appears to be an issue in a majority of the population.


It would appear that the gene is still present, and attempting to express itself (otherwise you would get eggshells with no pigment?) but the 'ingredients' required for dark shells have been depleted. Thats an environmental/physicall factor, not a gentic one.

I have no experience with Marans, if they went broody and completed the natural lay cycle, do their eggs return to their dark brown colour??

uno wrote:Hmmm.....very interesting. I have no idea, but might make something up anyway.

I love it Uno; this makes me laugh. Reminds me of ..... ME!

Swamp Hen wrote:
It would appear that the gene is still present, and attempting to express itself (otherwise you would get eggshells with no pigment?) but the 'ingredients' required for dark shells have been depleted. Thats an environmental/physicall factor, not a gentic one.

I have no experience with Marans, if they went broody and completed the natural lay cycle, do their eggs return to their dark brown colour??

The way I understand it every organ function has only so many miles in it, so to speak. The heart only has so many beats, pancreas can only produce so much insulin, Everything wears out sooner or later. I believe this could be influenced by genetic inheritance. The spray booth wears out, or runs out of material like you say producing light colored eggs but I have a hard time believing that the pullets hatched from such eggs will lay light colored eggs. I dunno for sure but Im gonna spend the next two years observing this to find out.

I'm curious about this as well, always learning new things. I notices some of my ISAs eggs go from dark brown to nearly white and then back again, so I'm certainly waiting to hear more!