These are the six eggs I gathered from the hen house this morning. Aren't they beautiful? The jumbo egg in the center is pale celery green, while the egg on the left is a darker jade green. The chickens that lay green eggs (or sometimes blue or pink) are a hybrid variety known as "Easter Eggers." These birds have a small comb that makes them less susceptible to frostbite, and their legs are vaguely green or blue. They have a sweet disposition, which means that they're often at the bottom of the pecking order. Since they're a hybrid, color variations are common. The chicks usually have a wide chipmunk stripe down their backs, which fades as they grow.
Hyacinth is my mature Easter Egger hen. She's been laying eggs for year. I've noticed that her eggs are now much larger than when she first started laying, and they have been growing more pale in color over the last few months. I think this is a typical pattern.
My new Easter Egger is Crocus. She laid her first egg on Sunday, and she accidentally mislaid it in the run area rather than the nest box. Today she was more successful in getting it in the right place. The color is simply lovely. She'll probably lay five or six eggs a week for the next year, and then begin tapering off.
I'm sure there's a Dr. Seuss story in here somewhere, but I'll leave that to you!
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