Friday, September 20, 2013

Feathered Friend Friday: Pretty Pullet Eggs

Our spring chicks are over five months old now, and nearly all of them have begun laying. We've raised several flocks of chicks, but I always get so excited when I first discover their miniature eggs in the nesting boxes. Female chickens are called "pullets" until they reach one year of age, then they are known as hens. When pullets first begin to lay, around five or six months of age, their eggs are about half the size of eggs laid by older hens. These tiny practice eggs are known as "pullet eggs" and are just the cutest little things!


Out of all our spring chicks, I was most excited to see our Welsummer's eggs, since I'd heard they would be a lovely dark brown color. I have to say, Summer didn't disappoint! Her eggs are a dark reddish brown color with adorable little speckles all over.


Summer is our first Welsummer chick, and has made me fall in love with the breed. Their eggs are gorgeous, but they are also stunning girls with such beautiful feathers.


I am kind of becoming obsessed with having lots of different colored eggs from our flock, so in the future I hope to add some Ameraucanas (they lay blue eggs) and some black copper marans (they lay the darkest chocolate-brown eggs of any breed). I think a carton of eggs with all different colors is just about the prettiest thing in the world!

Do you have any chickens that lay unusually colored eggs?

~Tammy

Shared with From the Farm Blog Hop, Down Home Blog Hop  

39 comments:

  1. now you have me craving chocolate... :)

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  2. Those sure are nice looking eggs! So glad that they new chicks have begin laying for you guys :)

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  3. Beautiful! I love the richness of the dark speckled eggs, really complimented by the blue color of that enamel!

    I haven't posted yet (need to add photos), but I typed up my Friday post late last, including that our 3rd pullet layed her first egg yesterday!
    It's a little lighter than those we're getting from the two buffs, and I'm thrilled with the idea of having a collection of different colored eggs. I agree - that would be the pretties thing.

    I've been very surprised that our girls are laying really good sized eggs.
    My sister saved for us the first egg they got from the this batch of chicks that they hatched & raised themselves, and it was so tiny & cute!
    Ours have been nearly the same size as a store bought egg, just a bit smaller.
    I was very surprised yesterday when Chiquita, who is half bantie, layed a much larger than expected egg, too!

    Now we just have Bandita left to lay. They are all the same age, but Bandita has not developed a crop at all. I'm very curious about her, mysterious chicken that she is. :)

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  4. Oh Tammy, what a beautiful post - I feel your heart and love for the chickens and the different colored eggs etc. I think I am going that way too - I have only had chickens for two weeks and I even love cleaning out the bird house!
    Thanks for sharing, I am learning pretty quick about chickens this way and the different breeds. Have a lovely weekend!

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  5. Wow those Welsummer's eggs really are beautiful and unique looking. I like the tiny freckles on them. Have a wonderful weekend :)

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  6. I think you'd enjoy some Americaunas. WE really liked ours. Sweet, shy little hens.

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  7. Lovely eggs photos!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  8. Awwwwww, pullet eggs are SO sweet! Yours are such a beautiful deep brown color too. Your girls are becoming little ladies :)

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  9. I am really wanting some different colored eggs, too. We are hoping to expand in the future and build a second chicken house - I am thinking I want that chicken house to be full of colorful layers! It would be really neat. :)

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  10. Those are some beautiful eggs. We don't have chickens where we live and the closest the kids have been to one is at the petting zoo. I actually have a picture of my 12yr old who was about 5 at the time holding a chicken at the zoo. I've never seen a "blue" egg before. Looking forward to seeing that. Have a fab weekend.

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  11. Cool eggs, and Summer is a beautiful chicken.

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  12. You do have lovely eggs!! And I bet they all taste delicious!! Awesome!!

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  13. I agree...it's just a lot of fun to have an egg carton holding a bunch of different colored eggs!
    We don't have any unusual colored eggs. But I love that I know who lays what. Still working on the pullets new eggs...I have to catch them in the act! I know our RI Red pullet is laying and she has very pretty dark brown ( well, dark brown compared to our other hens) eggs. They really are the cutest things! Summer is a very pretty girls and I adore the speckled eggs!

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  14. I have to admit Tammy I like this little obsession you have with different coloured eggs:) Awesome photos. Hug B

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  15. I love the different colours of eggs! The brown with speckles are stunning. The Ameraucanas sound awesome! I would love to see pictures of those eggs.
    xoxo

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  16. Aren't they sweet. Love the enamelware too.

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  17. We had some Aracaunas...only the ones we had didn't have the best temperament compared to the other girls. But maybe that's because we didn't raise them from chicks.

    Randomly, I thought of you the other day. There's this retired guy who has oodles of exotic chickens. He sells them for his retirement project. NOt that you're looking for a retirement project, by Our Neck of the Woods' Feathered Friends could be in your future business ventures. :)

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  18. The brown eggs with specks are pretty, aren't they.
    We have two Aracauna pullets in our flock this year
    they haven't started laying just yet.
    Last time we had Arucaunas we got aqua colored eggs !

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  19. So pretty - I love the way those eggs look and your photography captures them perfectly! Well done!!!

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  20. It must be so exciting so see the pullets lay their little colored eggs! I never get the chance to see the different colored eggs.

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  21. no chickens (yet) in my garden but i sure love the look of those beautiful eggs~!! we do get locally laid eggs when they are available and not only are they pretty but they taste SO good.
    i'm curious to know if you eat the smaller pullet eggs?

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  22. Wow, lovely speckled eggs. Having only 3 hens that lay, and all laying different coloured eggs (pure white, soft brown and pale green) makes it easy to know who's doing what! S:)

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  23. They are pretty eggs.

    The pics are comfy. I bet your place is nice to visit, and people just feel comfy when they come over(that's a good thing). You have such a cool appreciation for things a lot of us take for granted, it's nice. :)

    Happy weekend to you!

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  24. I get giddy at seeing your girls and thieir eggs!!!

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  25. A carton of different colored eggs would be so much fun - very country pretty!

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  26. I love that dark brown color. Grace, my Ameraucana just started laying a couple of weeks ago. I was excited for blue eggs. She lays a pinkish beige egg. It is definitely a lighter color egg than the Buff Orps lays.

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  27. Tammy, Summer is a pretty hen! And I love all the different egg colors and speckles. I am learning so much from your post. Hoping you are having a great weekend, have a happy day!

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  28. I've learned so many things from your stories, Tammy! I had no idea they were called pullets. Those eggs are beautiful. I haven't seen blue eggs, I'll be looking forward to see those.

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  29. I love those dark brown speckled eggs! :)
    I have one old Ameraucana left and she lays bluish-green eggs, the rest of my girls are Buff Orpingtons. I have four pullets that should start laying pretty soon.

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  30. love the color of the eggs against the blue enamel, so pretty! is that little chicken getting any rest? ;)

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  31. I used to get colored eggs but with my girls now who are all Rhode Island Reds, I just get the browns. I do love a brown egg I have this thing about white eggs, just not as exciting LOL. But colors are fun. Those eggs are lovely! I showed a friend once visiting from China my blue eggs (when I had more hens) and she thought I dyed them that color, it was hilarious :)

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  32. Oh my gosh! Summer does lay the most beautiful eggs! I am seeing slightly different shades of brown this year, and I do love the variety also:)

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  33. Wow those pumpkins look amazing, I can only aspire to such quantities in our shady garden, maybe 4 max!! It's spring over here so I better start planting!!

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