Heavy bloom eggs are positively stunning and such a unique addition to your rainbow egg basket! The chalky white cuticle (bloom) deposited over the shell as the egg is laid creates some of the most unusual tones in the chicken world. It is what makes eggs appear pink, purple or gray and we simply cannot get enough of them! Here is how to breed heavy bloom egg layers in every color:
How to Breed Heavy Bloom Egg Layers in Every Color
Are you daydreaming of sweet pink eggs or swooning over the lavender and purple shades you see online? Or maybe you have your heart set on the misty gray egg layers? No matter what shade you’re hoping to achieve, the steps for breeding heavily bloomed eggs are the same!
Heavy Bloom Egg Layers Can Be Bred For
You CAN selectively breed for heavy blooms! The best part is that heavy blooms can be reliably inherited from the mother hen, which reduces the stress of trying to locate a heavy bloom rooster. (But if you can find one, for sure use him!) Let’s learn what we need to do to get these gorgeous eggs:
What Are Heavy Blooms?
Heavy bloom refers to the cuticle, which is the outermost layer of the eggshell. It is the last layer applied and appears wet right as the egg is laid, quickly drying within seconds. Hens with heavy blooms have a thicker, generally whitish colored cuticle. But it is possible for the heavy bloom layer to contain a bit of pigment!
If You Want to Begin with Heavy Bloom Hatching Eggs
Your breeding project can begin with heavy bloom hatching eggs you have purchased from a breeder. These are going to be expensive because they are rare. A single heavy bloom hen can only lay 5 to 6 eggs per week so unless a breeder has multiple, you’ll only be able to purchase them in half dozen quantities. Freebies included with your purchase may not be possible.
Heavily bloomed eggs can sometimes have difficulty hatching because they many not lose enough moisture during incubation and the chick drowns after internally pipping. You must incubate heavy bloom eggs by themselves, at a lower humidity, and trace the air cells with a pencil to track moisture loss. Lower the humidity if they are not losing enough moisture.
Heavy Bloom Chicks Are an Option!
You may find it well worth the investment to purchase heavy bloom chicks that are shipped to you. The breeder will have better hatch rates from her heavy bloomed eggs because there will be no shipping damage to them – the fresh eggs will go straight from her pens into her incubator cabinet. Chicks will be straight run but this is perfect because you will want to keep at least one heavy bloom male from the hatch.
As of this writing, no US Hatcheries are offering heavy bloomed chicks in 2024. They can only be purchased from breeders.
Tracking Heavy Bloom Chicks
Breeding for heavy blooms requires good record keeping. Leg banding chicks is one way I suggest tracking the offspring. I use simple, inexpensive orthodontic bands in the 1/4 inch Medium Force size to leg band newly hatched chicks, which fit until 14-21 days old. I frequently add a clear band to identify chicks who hatched from a heavy bloom egg. After 14-21 days old, the chicks get colored zip tie leg bands. I use the 4 inch size zip ties for chickens. I prefer the 14 color zip tie mixes that include clear, pink, purple, 2 shades of green, 2 shades of blue, 2 shades of brown and gray. (Afflinks) If you need more newly-hatched chick leg band colors, you can purchase Medium Size 4 leg bands for day-old standard size chicks in single colors or in 4-color bulk packs.
Understanding How Heavy Blooms Affect Egg Color
A whitish heavy bloom over the egg shell can do interesting things to the egg color. It can turn light brown eggs peach or pink. Darker brown eggs can appear lavender or purple hued. Green eggs can look silvery or misty while olive eggs can appear grayish.
Heavy Bloom on an Egg Creates an Optical Illusion
It is important to understand that heavy blooms over the underlying egg shell pigments creates an optical illusion. While eggs may appear pinkish or purplish colored to our eyes, there are NO pink or purple pigments being deposited on the egg shell. If you get the bloom wet, you’ll see the true egg shell color underneath.
How to Breed Heavy Bloom Egg Layers
Since heavy bloom hens can pass on their tendency to deposit a whitish cuticle coating on to their daughters, all you need to do is breed your heavy bloom hens to the best rooster you can find. It is ideal if the rooster hatched from a heavy bloom egg himself. If you are wanting a specific color of heavy bloomed eggs, you’ll need to breed for both that egg color and the heavy bloom.
Getting Better Heavy Blooms
Heavy blooms can have a multiplying effect – which means they become more opaque – if you continue to selectively breed for them over multiple generations. To do this you will only hatch chicks from heavy bloom eggs going forward. You’ll need to select a male that you hatched yourself from a heavy bloom egg to use as your breeding project progresses.
More Advanced Breeding Help:
Breeding for heavy blooms is considered an advanced breeding project. If you would like more help, I’ve got a 23 page Heavy Bloom Breeding Guide in my shop that can walk you through finding heavy bloom hens, which breeds are slightly more prone to laying eggs with heavy blooms, and how to breed for specific shell colors while also selectively breeding for a heavy bloom:
Are Heavy Blooms Guaranteed if I Buy Hatching Eggs?
While heavy blooms are able to be passed on from mother to daughter, they are never guaranteed. If the breeder you are purchasing from has been selectively breeding blooms for multiple generations, it is reasonable to expect that a significant percentage of the pullets who hatch from bloomy hatching eggs will lay an egg with a bloom. But please keep in mind that an egg can have a bloom and not appear pinkish or purplish – these two tones also require carefully breeding for the underlying egg shell color.
Hatching Egg Buyers: Breeders really do want you to get the most beautiful heavy bloomed laying offspring that hatch from their eggs! But egg color inheritance is complex and heavy bloom eggs involve selectively breeding for more traits than just egg color. You can expect some bloomy and heavy bloom laying offspring but it is unreasonable to expect 100% heavy bloom laying pullets.
Breed the Best Heavy Bloom Egg:
I hope this article has been an exciting introduction on how to breed heavy bloom egg layers! If you’re wanting to add some of these captivating beauties to your egg basket, check out the heavy bloom breeding guide in my shop or begin to search for local breeders offering various colors of heavy bloom eggs!
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