When you buy chicken eggs at the market or farm, they usually come in white, right?
What if we told you that there different chicken breeds that lay different colored eggs?
No, we are not talking about white eggs that have been painted with different colors.
These chickens actually lay beautiful eggs.
We’re talking blue, green, and even red.
Why does this happen?
Let’s talk chicken DNA.
The eggs they lay are white but they have certain pigments that turn these eggs into blue, brown, or green eggs.
The eggs will retain their color over time but can lighten as time goes by. They taste the same as white eggs so long as your chickens are healthy and getting proper nutrition.
Let’s meet the heritage hens.
First, there’s Brahma.
Brahmas are the kings of the poultry kingdom. They’re big with lots of energy and strength.
During the colder months, they can continue laying eggs even when other chickens have slowed down or stopped.
Because they are the kings of the poultry world, Brahmas look majestic, as well. They have a white base, black tail, and black hackles.
Brahmas lay large cream-colored or brown-colored eggs that weigh around 1.95 to 2.25 oz (55 to 65 grams).
Light Sussex
Light Sussex chickens have been around for centuries. They’re mild-mannered and require low maintenance, which makes them the best choice for first-time poultry farmers.
These broad-shouldered chickens lay pale pinkish eggs.
Ameraucana
The Ameraucana is a hybrid chicken from the result of cross-breeding Araucanas with other chicken breeds.
They produce relatively healthier chickens, especially since Araucanas have a lethal gene that kills eggs before hatching. They produce around 200 blue eggs per year.
Isbar
The Isbar breed is a rare poultry species and they’re the only purebred chicken that naturally produces green-colored eggs.
As long as their conditions are favorable, they can produce up to 250 eggs per year. Calling Dr. Seuss!
Maran
This French breed produces deep brown-colored eggs. They can lay up to 200 large eggs per year, ranging in colors from dark brown or chocolate or deep reddish-brown.
The hue of the color depends on the age of the Maran. In fact, younger Marans lay darker-colored eggs than older Marans.
Egg lovers have also shared that these are the most delicious and unique eggs in the world.
Olive Eggers
Olive Eggers are actually crossbred between Araucanas and Marans and they lay dark green eggs.
They lay 200 eggs per year and the colors can range from dark green to brownish-green eggs.
Ayam Cemani
Ayam Cemani’s are also called the Black Egg Chicken. Everything about this chicken is black from its beaks to their feather and even its bones.
Are its eggs black, too? No, they’re cream-colored. So if you see a black egg in the market, it’s been painted.
Easter Eggers
Easter Eggers can lay different colored eggs, depending on their crossbreeds.
Ameraucanas or Araucanas breed with another chicken breed that lay brown-colored eggs to give birth to Easter Eggers.
They haven’t been fully recognized as a chicken species because of the different genetic make-up of each chicken.
That’s why you’ll see one Easter Egger lay blue-colored eggs while another Easter Egger will lay green-colored eggs.
This mixed bag of breeds is responsible for the exceptionally vibrant cyan-blue color we see below.
Dongxiang
These black-feathered birds can only be found in China.
While they do have black feathers and a red comb and wattles, they produce bright blue eggs or, on some occasions, pink eggs.
Yokohama
This German chicken breed is usually bred and grown for decorative purposes. They’re known more for their long, beautiful feathers than their ability to lay eggs.
With that said, they still produce about 100 milky pink eggs per year.
Arkansas Blue
The Arkansas Blue chickens are bred from White Leghorns and Araucana chickens, but they don’t produce white eggs like the Leghorns do.
Instead, they produce blue eggs due to a pigment they have called oocyan.
This pigment makes their eggs blue both inside and out.
Araucana
It is said that different-colored eggs came from Araucanas, which were believed to have been first bred in Chile.
If you see blue eggs that didn’t come from an Araucana chicken, that chicken still has Araucana ancestry.
Have you ever seen such richly colored naturally occurring eggs before?
Learn more about the fascinating world of heritage breed chickens in the video below!
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