Most poultry farmers that raise layers have an understanding of white and brown eggs.
But did you know that some chickens lay colored eggs? In these cases, the egg’s shell can be in either shades of pink, blue, and green.
The biggest factor that determines the color of the egg produced by the chicken is its genetic makeup.
Every breed contains different genes, which is why certain breeds like the Araucana, Easter Egger, Maran, Ice Cream Egger, Barred, Dorking, and so on produces colored eggs.
The most notable advantage of colored eggs is that they are visually appealing.
Your customers are much more likely to be attracted to the color of the egg which will increase the sales of colored eggs.
That said, those eggs taste the same and share the same nutrients as the garden variety tan and white eggs.
How Do Chicken Lay Colored Eggs?
Developing an egg takes about 26 hours to develop, and it gets about 20 hours to develop the shell.
At this point, it’s important to note that every egg (regardless of the breed of the parent) will initially start white. This is because the primary mineral used in the process is calcium.
As the shell is developed, the hen will secrete porphyrins from the uterus that give the shell a particular color.
The time of this secretion determines the color of the eggshell.
If a quickly a chick secretes blue porphyrin pigments, blue eggs are blue both inside and out.
If a chick is equally slow will will secrete the second pigment brown. Mixing their secretion from brown and blue will produce a green egg shell with blue inside.
The takeaway point: Chickens that produce white eggs, never secret porphyrins.
Type of Chickens That Lay Colored Eggs
If you want to add a little pizazz to your egg collection ritual, you may want to consider adding these breeds to your flock.
What Chickens Lay Blue Eggs?
In the world of colored eggs, blue eggs probably have the greatest demand. This is simply because many people enjoy the look of blue eggs.
The chickens that will add blue color to your collection include the Araucana, Ameraucana, Cream Legbar, Easter Eggers, and the Whiting True Blue.
Araucana
This chicken breed takes its name from the Araucana region of Chile, supposedly where it originated.
Besides laying beautiful, blue eggs, these chickens have a somewhat pleasing look mostly due to the tufts of feathers closely situated to the chickens’ ears.
They are also rumpless, in that the chicken does not have a tail head. (The gene which causes the chicken to have these characteristics is lethal and is likely the reason Araucana are rare).
It is also important to note, Araucana are the only breed which lays eggs that are consistently blue.
You can either let them roam about or confine them, although it is better that they are free-ranging because they can find there preferred foods.
Ameraucana
The Ameraucana is derived from a genetic alteration of the Araucana, specifically obtained by eliminating the lethal gene responsible for the tufts and rumpless features of this breed (1, 2).
Among the more distinctive features of the Ameraucana are muffs around the ears, and on occasion a beard in addition to muffs.
Like the Araucana, they can tolerate many environments outside of extreme heat.
Ameraucana have an appearance similar to hawks, which deters attack by predatory bird species. In general, they exhibit docile temperament and will not aggress.
Cream Legbar
Originating from Britain, the Cream Legbar is not well-known in the U.S. compared to other blue egg layers.
To date, the breed can attest to its consistency in egg production and it is good natured with its handler.
More importantly, they are always alert and aware of predators so they are less likely to be assailed by eagles or hawks.
Easter Eggers
Most Easter Eggers lay blue eggs (hence the name), but since it is a hybrid breed, some do not.
If you keep this breed, you will likely find some of their eggs will be green, some pink, and even brown eggs in the egg basket.
In addition, their eggs are often larger than other breeds.
Whiting True Blue
This particular breed was developed by Dr. Tom Whiting, a scientist who wanted a rooster with long hackle feathers to use as bait for fly-fishing.
He also wanted to produce chickens that would lay blue eggs.
Interestingly, it is the most prolific blue egg layer; it can lay up to 300 eggs a year.
The breed can begin laying eggs five months after hatching.
What Chickens Lay Brown Eggs?
Brown egg-laying chickens are Brahma, Buckeye, Jersey Giant, Maran, and Rhode Island Red.
Brahma
A lot of people consider Brahmas to be the best breed of chicken, primarily because they are large and weighty (up to 18 pounds!) but also because they are hardy birds.
What is more is that they lay their eggs from October to May, a time when most chicken breeds stop laying eggs because of the cold weather.
This breed comes in three different colors:
- dark
- buff
- and light
Among them, the dark ones are the least common.
Their hens are black and gray with black tails and hackles with white tips.
However, roosters have black and white feathers and a tail tipped with black.
Brahma chickens are very adaptable to cold conditions regardless of whether they’re kept confined or roaming.
Consequently, they don’t do as well in hotter temperatures. However, because of their large body size, they aren’t capable of flying over low obstacles even though they can fly. They are easy to handle!
Fun Fact: Brahma hens yield 220 eggs a year that are medium to large in size!
Buckeye
Among chicken breeds, there are some almost extinct, one being the Buckeye.
The Buckeye was created by a scientist, Nettie Metcalf, who wanted to create a breed that can survive cold weather.
The Buckeye can adapt to many environments and put sometimes prefers to free-range due to their activity level.
They can lay up to 200 medium eggs within a year.
They can assist you in keeping mice down on the farm by eating them and are somewhat like cats.
Jersey Giant
The Jersey Giant is well-known for its friendly personality and develops into one of the largest purebred breeds in theUnited States.
Because it is a large size, they are productive in cold conditions. They like being out of confinement and roaming about to confinement.
This breed averages 260 large eggs annually.
To achieve this, you will need to add extra feed from minerals and vitamins.
Maran
Maran eggs are a favorite of many chefs because of their tastiness.
This species is available in color variations, including:
- black
- black copper
- black-tailed buff
- birchen
- Columbian
- cuckoo
- golden cuckoo
- wheaten
- white
One of the most well-known colors associated with breed types is the black copper Maran.
Some Marans are winter hardy due to being a breed of marshland origin.
This trait, of course, is completely missing from some breeds by what could simply be called a bad rapid breeding program.
They have several key description features, such as orange eyes, dark barring in their feathers, and white skin. They will also have white soles.
They can produce approximately 150 large eggs in one year.
Important note: The first few months they lay eggs will be dark brown, but the colors will vary over time, as leathering will occur.
Rhode Island Red
The Rhode Island Red is one of the most successful breeds of chickens in the world mainly because this breed tolerates all climates. Their combs, however, are at risk for frostbite in extremely cold weather.
They are low-maintenance and practical for the small-scale farmer because of this.
This breed can lay up to 200 eggs in a year, or about 2-4 eggs a week.
What Chickens Lay Green Eggs?
Many green egg layers are considered new breeds and are not yet widely accepted by poultry farmers.
As we reviewed before, green eggshells occur because of the mixing of blue colorant and blue porphyrins.
The blue color pigments seep through the eggshell so that the green eggs are blue on the inside.
Some green egg-laying breeds include Favaucana, Ice Cream Bar, Olive Egger, and Silverudd Blue.
Favaucana
The Favaucana chicken is a hybrid of the Ameraucana and Favorelle chickens.
This breed is good in cold weather; though it is not comfortable in hot weather.
It is best to keep them in a nesting box and allow a few hours of roaming around daily.
In terms of breeding, these birds have beards, muffs, and feathered feet.
They also possess pea combs, which aid them in cold winter weather. They also look like hawks and will make them less susceptible to predators.
Under the right conditions, this breed can produce 260 eggs every 365 days. The eggs will be, essentially sage or seafoam green.
Ice Cream Bars
Ice Cream Bars are a hybrid between the Cream Legbar and Silverudd Blues.
Just like their parent breeds, this chicken breed is rare. They can be found in different colors, but they all have beards and red combs.
If you want this breed to be productive, it’s best to let them run free.
In this way: You will get at least 180 – 200 eggs a year.
Olive Egger
Similar to other green egg layers, the Olive Egger is a hybrid of Ameraucana and Maran.
Olive Eggers typically lay up to 200 eggs annually, although being a hybrid, that won’t be consistent.
They are an amiable breed–friendly towards their handlers, whereas, the rooster can be overzealous in protecting their flock.
You will want to consistently feed them as they have quite the appetite.
Silverudd Blue
This variety gets its name from its creator, a Swedish monk named Martin Silverudd. He had a fascination with auto-sexing chickens that laid colored eggs.
To date, this is the only purebred breed that lays green eggs.
Normally, Silverudd Blues are very docile and friendly.
This changes if you poke the bear. They become very aggressive and defend themselves, especially the roosters.
They do well in all climates, whether hot or cold, and lays 150-200 eggs per year.
These eggs come in many shades of green; sometimes they are speckled brown.
What Chickens Lay Pink Eggs?
The chicken breeds that lay pink eggs include the Barred Rock, Dorking, Faverolles, and the Light Sussex.
Barred Rock
Barred Rock chickens are named after the way their plumage looks.
They have a gray barred pattern to their feathers that resemble the shadow of rocks. Their body looks more like a triangle shape, and they have a single red comb on the top of their head.
Interestingly, male and female birds have a differing tolerance for weather.
Hens can survive in cooler conditions, but roosters are prone to frostbite. However, that said; both would prefer you not to keep them in hot temperatures.
You may either let them roam or keep them in a confined space, however, it would be better to let them wander.
A healthy Barred Rock hen can lay close to 280 eggs a season.
Dorking
Dorking chickens have a rectangular shaped body and short, five-toed legs, which is how farmers identify them from other breeds.
They come in five colorings:
- Cuckoo
- Dark
- Red
- Silver-Gray
- White
Because of their good cold tolerance, these chickens will lay year-round including in winter or when other chickens have ceased production.
On average, they can lay up to 190 medium eggs per year.
Faverolles
The Faverolle chicken breed comes from the Normandy region of France.
The Faverolle chicken breed has feathers that make it appear larger than it is.
They have red eyes and pink-tipped beaks. The roosters are most often black, while hens have grey fluff and salmon-colored feathers.
This breed tends to lay 180 – 240 eggs each year.
They are especially liked because they are friendly to people.
Light Sussex
Discovered over two hundred years ago, the Light Sussex chicken is one of the oldest breeds in the world.
This chicken breed is ideal for a beginner farmer because it is easy to care for.
All variants have large, red earlobe, a single comb and white legs.
They are a good cold climate egg producer, fresh eggs all year from this breed with up to a max of 250 if the conditions suit.
They do like cooler days, not hot.
Wrapping Up
To someone who is not familiar with several breeds of chickens, colored eggs may seem odd.
But there is a scientific basis for it from genetic differences in chickens.
Some of those colored eggs were even bred by poultry scientists!
Although colored eggs are not usual, the taste and nutrient levels are the same as regular eggs.
The nutrient levels can vary slightly, based on the health and diet of the chicken, but that is not usually the case.