Off white, white leghorn eggs

[Nick]

One of my very fine looking White Leghorn Pullets has just started to lay.
Rather small eggs (to be expected) but oddly not perfectly white - very pale, but not the white colour of the egg she hatched from.
Was her mother putting it about, or can they start off a little tinted, but end up pure white?

Cheers!

Nick

 

[Cab]

First few from a hen can be a bit odd, could be these are slightly small and thin shelled so it looks a wee bit off colour. Or, as you say, there may be something else in her ancestry. Time will tell

 

[chrismahon]

We have a young TNN hen who has just started laying slightly pink mottled eggs after her moult. They are supposed to be white as well and were before the moult. So I guess the colour can change almost to suit their mood or perhaps their physical condition. Early days yet Nick and she is laying in Winter so there will be a sunlight deficiency which may factor in.

 

[Nick]

I was surprised she started laying now - but I guess the Leghorn gene just won't let her wait!
thanks for the answers - I'll cross my fingers…
Nick

 

[valeriebutterley]

Hello Nick,
my Whitstar used to lay the largest pure white eggs I've ever seen.
I now have a most beautiful purebred Leghorn, and I have to say her eggs are not pure white either, a bit of of a dingy white.

 

[Nick]

She hatched out of a beautiful big, perfectly white egg so I know her mother at least was a White Leghorn. The place I got her from is pretty reliable, so I trust them that the Dad was a WL as well..
It will be interesting to see. I think the latest eggs are a little lighter than the first one. She is laying one a day, so at least she has the Leghorn egg production gene!

 

[Marigold]

The important thing is what's inside the egg, and how often she provides it.

 

[Nick]

Very true!

 

[valeriebutterley]

I know my beautiful girl is a purebred white Leghorn, too, - she just lays a dingy egg!!

 

[Cab]

For what its worth my white leghorn lays what should be a most gorgeous white egg. And then she likes to stretch out for a bit, maybe take a dump before she gets off the egg

 

[valeriebutterley]

Hi Nick and happy Christmas!
Yesterday "Summer" my white Leghorn laid a perfectly white egg. The drawback was muddy feet, and rolling it around a bit, so you can imagine the contrast and why I noticed the colour change from dingy to white. Hope your girl does the same for you.
Have a great new year.