If you’re aiming for a colorful egg basket and a flock full of variety, you’re in the right place. With the right combination of breeds, your daily egg collection can look like it came straight from an Easter basket.
This guide will talk about common egg colors and the breeds of chickens that lay them. It will also explain why the colors are different.
Want to know which chickens lay the most eggs and in what colors? Watch the video above.
Curious about adding exotic breeds to your flock and bringing more color to your carton? Keep reading.
As a backyard chicken owner you’ve likely dreamed of opening your coop to find a rainbow of colorful eggs nestled in the nesting boxes. While you won’t find any purple or pink eggs chickens can lay eggs in shades of blue, green, brown, and cream. With the right breeds, you can have an egg basket bursting with color.
So what chicken lays colored eggs? Let’s take a look at some of the top heritage breeds known for their pigmented eggshells
Ameraucana
The Araucana, a Chilean breed famous for its blue eggs, is where the Ameraucana breed comes from. But in the 1970s, Ameraucanas were bred to get rid of the genes that kill Araucana chicks in the shell.
These fluffy-cheeked, bearded chickens come in a range of color varieties. They have pea combs and lay blue or green eggs. On average, you can expect around 200 tinted eggs per year from each Ameraucana hen.
Easter Egger
Easter Eggers aren’t a true breed. A blue egg layer, like an Ameraucana or Araucana, was bred with a brown egg layer to make this flock. This genetic mix results in a variety of egg colors.
While each Easter Egger hen will only lay one color, you may get blue, green, pink, or olive eggs if you have several hens. These chickens have sweet personalities and lay about 200 eggs yearly.
Marans
Hailing from France, the Marans is a heritage dual-purpose fowl prized for its deep chocolate-brown eggs. The exact shade varies from hen to hen, with younger birds laying darker eggs.
These birds are calm and make decent layers, producing 150-200 eggs per year. Chefs consider Marans eggs some of the best tasting thanks to their darker yolks.
Welsummer
The partridge feathers on this Dutch breed are beautiful. They are chestnut, black, and beetle green. Welsummers lay about 160-250 speckled, terracotta-colored eggs each year. They’re intelligent foragers that do well in cold climates.
Cream Legbar
Developed in Britain in the 1930s, the auto-sexing Cream Legbar sports a cute chipmunk face and lays blue or green eggs. They’re active birds that lay up to 200 lightly tinted eggs per year. However, they’re somewhat scarce in the U.S.
Olive Egger
A brown egg layer and a blue egg layer were crossed to make the Olive Egger. These hybrid chickens lay olive green eggs that range in color from dark forest green to sage green with brown spots. They’re docile and lay about 200 eggs annually.
Barnevelder
This historic Dutch breed comes in stunning double laced black, blue, and buff varieties. Barnevelders lay roughly 150-200 chocolate brown eggs per year. They’re calm, tolerant chickens with a decent laying capacity.
Sussex
The speckled Sussex is a backyard favorite that comes in eight color varieties. Sussexs are docile birds that lay about 250 light brown or pinkish cream eggs each year. They’re also decent meat birds. Sussex hens are hardy and lay through the winter.
Araucana
With their tail-less, tufted appearance, Araucanas are certainly eye-catching. They originate from Chile and lay about 200 blue or green eggs annually. However, their lethal genes make them difficult to breed successfully.
Isbar
This Swedish chicken resulted from crosses between Barnevelders, Cream Legbars, and New Hampshires. Isbars are autosexing and lay about 200 light green eggs per year. However, they are still quite rare in North America.
Which Breed is Best For Colored Eggs?
When selecting your rainbow layers, keep your goals in mind. Docile dual-purpose breeds like Barnevelders, Welsummers, and Sussex produce nicely colored eggs while also supplying meat.
For the widest variety of egg colors, a mixed flock of Easter Eggers brings plenty of surprises. Ameraucanas, Cream Legbars, and Olive Eggers offer the most vibrant blue-green eggshells.
While exotic, Araucanas and Isbars can be difficult to obtain and have lower egg production. No matter which breed you choose, a quality layer feed with adequate calcium ensures your hens lay strong, colorful eggs.
With the range of heritage breeds available, collecting colorful eggs can be an eggciting adventure. Let us know which rainbow chicken is your favorite!
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What Chickens Lay Blue Eggs?
Perhaps the most vibrant of chicken egg colors is the blue egg. Chickens lay blue eggs because they have a dominant blue gene for their shell color, which was caused by a retrovirus that altered the DNA sequencing in the hen.
The blue color is created by a substance called Oocyanin in the hen’s liver. This blue coloration extends from the inside of the egg to the outside, making it blue throughout.
Hens that lay blue eggs include:
Which Chicken Breed is Best for Which Egg Color?
This largely depends on your needs for your flock. If your primary concern is the color, here are the best breeds for each:
- White: White Leghorn
- Blue: Cream Legbar
- Chocolate Brown: Black Copper Maran
- Brown: Rhode Island Red
- Green: Isbar
- Plum-Croad or Purple: Langshans
- Pink: Orpingtons
However, if temperament, the number of eggs laid per year, egg color, and egg size are all considered, this list may vary. In our blog, you can learn which top egg-laying chickens lay which color eggs to get a better idea of which to add for the number of eggs & egg size.
5 Best Colorful Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds | Discover Vibrant Hens on Your Farm!
FAQ
What breeds of chickens lay colored eggs?
Several chicken breeds lay eggs in a variety of colors, including blue, green, brown, and even pink.
Are brown eggs healthier than white eggs?
No, brown eggs are not inherently healthier than white eggs. The nutritional value of an egg is determined by the hen’s diet and living conditions, not by the color of the shell, according to multiple sources.
What kind of chicken lays purple eggs?
While no chicken breed lays eggs that are naturally a true, vibrant purple, some breeds can produce eggs that have a purple-ish hue due to a heavy bloom or a dark brown color with a reddish tint that can appear purple according to crosshatch farm. Cross Hatch Farm says that the “Purple Copper” line of Black Copper Marans is known for laying eggs that are deeply purple-red and have a lot of bloom, which can make them look purple.
What breed of chickens lay blue eggs?
Ameraucana: The All-American Blue Egg Layer The blue eggs they lay can range from light blue to greenish-blue, adding a lovely variety to your egg basket. And they’re hardy birds, making them a popular choice for backyard flocks.