Monday, November 12, 2007

Don't it make my brown eggs blue

This spring, we added a couple of Ameracauna chicks, Ramona and Ruby, to the ranch. While I chose my Buff Orpingtons because they are known for having excellent, calm temperments, the Ameracauna claim to fame is laying blue and green eggs. I've been waiting all year for some blue and green eggs. Egg production had stopped while the girls were molting, but started again a few weeks ago. Lots and lots and lots of brown eggs, including lots of cute little eggs. Brown, brown, and brown.

So, I came to realize that we had defective chickens, or that in fact our Ameracauna chicks were mixed-breeds which produced lovely small BROWN eggs. Sure, I still like Ramona and Ruby, but no denying I was disappointed.

Until yesterday. In one of the nests were a large brown egg, a small brown egg, a delicately blue egg, and one barely celadon. The photo doesn't capture the subtle shading very well, but here they are, finally!

5 comments:

Amy said...

hooray! they aren't mutts after all! Island Seed & Feed is safe from the wrath of the Queen!

SantaBarbarian said...

May I challenge you to a little "blogger" challenge?

http://cookiesinheaven.blogspot.com/2007/11/holiday-challenge.html

George said...

Perhaps they have to warm up to blue--you know, get over their young naive ways and suddenly realize what the world's really like. Then presto, blue eggs.

Anonymous said...

What a great picture ... put a smile on my face this morning!

Chryss said...

Thanks, Pierhead! I really like George's theory about how chickens get the blues. Blue eggs from chickens with the blues, maybe green eggs from more environmentally sensitive chickens, or raging chickens laying red eggs... in fact, it would be even cooler if chickens had color-shifting "mood eggs," kinda like mood rings...