A friend of mine recently started keeping chickens in her backyard. She bought them from a farmer, and they were young and healthy. After a few days, she phoned me and was shocked; her chickens had laid blue eggs. She thought her chickens were sick, but I assured her she probably bought a breed that lays blue eggs. It had her wondering what chickens lay colored eggs.
In chickens, it’s the breed, not the feed, that determines egg color. The following breeds lay colored eggs; Araucana chickens lay blue eggs; Barred Rock chickens lay light pink eggs; Barnevelder chickens lay rich chocolate-colored eggs, and the Easter Egger chickens lay various colored eggs.
My friend was so relieved that there was nothing wrong with her chickens. It spurred us to research the different breeds of chicken that are known to lay colored eggs. We found that contrary to what most people think, the color of chicken eggs has to do with breed and not the kind of food the chicken eats. Here is more on what we found.
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What Chickens Lay Colored Eggs?
Surprisingly, some chickens lay colored eggs, well, not all the colors of the rainbow but colors other than the typical brown or white eggs we commonly buy. The color of the eggs and how many eggs the chickens lay per year have everything to do with the breed. In the section below, you will see some breeds lay chocolate-colored eggs, light pink eggs, and green or blue eggs.
1. The Araucana Chicken – Blue Eggs
The Araucana chicken was bred in Chile, also called the “rumples” or “tail-less” chicken, as they have no tail feathers. This breed is popular to keep on small farms as they are confident and can lay up to 200 bright blue eggs (per chicken) per year. Most breeds that lay blue eggs have Araucana in their lineage.
2. The Barred Rock Chicken – Light Pink Eggs
The Barred Rock chicken is a very popular backyard chicken, and they are prolific egg layers. They tend to lay around 300 light pink eggs annually (around four eggs per chicken each week). These chickens have been kept on farms and backyards for over 100 years. They are calm, docile chickens that have black and white feathers.
3. The Barneveld Chicken – Rich Chocolate Eggs
The Barneveld chicken was originally developed in the Barneveld area of Holland by crossing native Holland breeds with Brahmas and Cochins over two centuries ago. These beautiful chickens have dark black and white lace feathering. They are great for small farms or backyard flocks and produce around 175-200 rich chocolate-colored eggs annually.
4. The Favaucana Chicken – Sage/Olive Green Eggs
The Favaucana is a designer chicken developed by crossing Ameraucanas with Faverolles. They are a hearty breed that is great for backyard flocks or keeping on small farms as they like to forage. These chickens can handle cold weather and have stunning plumage.
Their owners describe them as having a sweet disposition. They are bigger chickens and can weigh around 8 pounds when fully grown. They are great egg layers and produce between 230-240 sage or olive green colored eggs each year.
5. The Croad Langshan–Light Purple/Brown/Pink Depends On Bloom
The Croad Langshan chicken is an intelligent, robust chicken that matures quickly. They are originally from Northern China and were introduced to Britain in 1870. These chickens became more popular as time went on and were a hit in America by the late 1960s or early 1970s.
They are heavy chickens that can weigh around 7.5 pounds when fully grown. They are great for beginner chicken keepers and do well in a backyard flock. They are usually black colored and lay around 150-175 eggs per year. Depending on the egg’s bloom, their eggs can be brown, light purple, or light pink.
6. The Old English Game Chickens – Cream Eggs
The Old English Game chickens were developed in Britain in the 19th century and have always been bred to fight. These days they are kept for meat or eggs. They are a robust breed that has not changed much over the last 100 years. They are great for small farms and produce around 175 cream-colored eggs annually.
7. The White Leghorn Chicken – White Eggs
The White Leghorn chicken is a prolific egg layer and has been around for over 100 years. These chickens are great for small backyard flocks and for small homesteads. They need lots of space but don’t like being held or picked up. They are quite nervous around humans and like to perch on high roosts. They are great egg layers and will lay around 190-290 white-colored eggs each year.
8. Easter Egger Chickens – Various Colors
Easter eggers are popular with backyard breeders and have a unique characteristic. Each chicken will lay a certain color egg their entire life, but they are all the same breed. For example, some will lay green eggs, but only green eggs, and some will lay light pink or cream-colored eggs.
The first egg the chicken lays will determine what color egg it will always lay. So maybe if luck is on your side, you will find different colored eggs in the coop each day, much like easter. The easter eggers are hybrids of various breeds, including the Araucana, so many will lay blue eggs. Easter Eggers are good egg layers and can lay between 240-250 eggs yearly.
What Is The Rarest Colored Egg?
The rarest colored chicken egg is charcoal grey. The reason it’s so rare is that you can’t predict what breed will lay a grey egg. It can be some of the breeds that are known to lay blue eggs or Easter Eggers. Sometimes the egg will look more purple and have a heavy bloom, while other times, it will be light to charcoal grey.
Conclusion
Having chickens that lay colored eggs is great, especially if you find a breed that is a great egg layer. Some of the best egg layers that produce colored eggs are the Easter eggers, the Favaucana, which lays green eggs, and the Araucana, which lays blue eggs.
Remember to check on the needs of any breed of chicken before buying them, so you are sure they will thrive in your climate and living conditions.
