Colorful Egg Layers

Looking for a bit of variety in your egg basket? White eggs are wonderful, of course — after all, supermarket shelves contain carton upon carton of beautifully uniform white eggs, and countless backyard chicken keepers collect white eggs from their hens every day. But if you're craving more of a kaleidoscopic effect in your egg basket, look no further than this assortment of chicken breeds that lay colorful (think: blue, brown, green and even pink!) eggs. Here's what you need to know.

The Breeds You Need

Let's start with the basics. If you want colorful eggs, you'll need chickens with the genetic capability to produce colorful eggs. Don't worry — this doesn't mean that you need a deep understanding of genetics and biology. To start, you just need a basic understanding of which breeds produce eggs of which color.

Here's a quick overview to get you started:

Blue:

Araucana - This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Araucana's recognition by the American Poultry Association. Araucanas are widely known for their beautiful blue eggs.

Ameraucana - Developed in the U.S. from the Araucana, the aptly named Ameraucana also produces blue eggs and is known for its good disposition.

Cream Legbar - A blue-egg-producing descendant of the Araucana.

Easter Egger - You never know what you'll get when you get Easter Eggers. Some hens may produce blue, some may produce green, some may produce pink … but they'll all be beautiful!

Green:

Easter Egger - See above.

Olive Egger - These birds produce simply gorgeous, colorful green eggs.

Tinted (Cream to Pink):

Easter Egger - See above.

Dorking (occasionally) - A beautiful heritage breed originally from England, Dorkings are known for their gentle dispositions.

Delaware (occasionally) - As you might surmise from its name, the Delaware breed originated in America, and it's a delightful dual-purpose heritage bird that produces light brown (and occasionally pink) eggs.

Faverolles - Named for the Faverolles village of France, this heritage breed arrived in the U.S. at the beginning of the 20th century. It produces tinted and sometimes pink eggs.

Silkie - Egg color ranges widely in Silkies and cream and pink eggs are often possible.

Plymouth Rock - Before the egg industry moved almost exclusively to the Leghorn, the Plymouth Rock was a popular choice for commercial operations because of its abundant (brown) egg production.

Light Brown:

Australorp - If you were developing a chicken breed in Australia using Black Orpington chickens, what would you call the resulting new breed? The Australorp! These stunning birds produce beautiful brown eggs.

Buff Orpington - A historic dual-purpose breed, the Buff Orpington is a fast-maturing breed that produces lovely light brown eggs.

Jersey Giant - It will come as no surprise to discover that Jersey Giants are very large birds. It's a dual-purpose breed that weighs more than 10 pounds at maturity.

New Hampshire - Developed in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the early 1900s, this breed is dual-purpose and descends from the Rhode Island Red.

Wyandotte - This heritage breed was formerly considered endangered, but its population has subsequently rebounded, and it's no longer listed on The Livestock Conservancy's Conservation Priority List.

Cochin - If you're looking for an extremely gentle breed with a fascinating history, look no further than the Cochin.

Rhode Island Red - A popular and prolific choice, the Rhode Island Red can produce up to 300 eggs per year.

Plymouth Rock (can be pinkish) - See above.

Brahma - These are big birds that produce well even when temperatures begin to plummet in early winter.

Dominique - Known as America's first and oldest chicken breed, dating back to the 1750s or earlier. The breed was nearly lost by 1970, but dedicated efforts from The Livestock Conservancy and devoted enthusiasts have helped the population recover.

Java - If the Dominique is the oldest American breed, the Java is the second-oldest. Eggs from Java hens range widely in color.

Dark Brown/Reddish:

Marans - Well-known for its gorgeous, dark-brown eggs, the Marans is also well-known for being cold-hardy.

Barnevelder - A very old Dutch breed, Barnevelders produce dark reddish-brown eggs.

Penedesenca - Do you live in the South? The Penedesenca might be the perfect choice if you'd like a brown-egg-layer that thrives in warm climates.

Welsummer - They produce brown eggs with speckles! Need we say more?

Variables, Misconceptions & Truths (Oh, My!)

As with most things, however, variables can occur in egg color. Take the Buff Orpington, for example. Buff Orpingtons produce brown eggs, but the exact shade of the eggs varies from hen to hen, influenced by a variety of factors from bloodlines and age to health condition and even stress. You could conceivably have ten Buff Orpington hens producing eggs of slightly different shades of brown even though they are all the same breed.

Misconceptions abound when it comes to colored eggs. Some people mistakenly think that the rooster is responsible for determining the color of the egg. In truth, the rooster and hen both contribute genetics that influence egg color. Another misconception? That the chicken's color can be indicative of egg color. These colors are actually controlled by different genes. Some people say colorful eggs are tastier than white eggs (this hasn't been proven) or healthier than white eggs (Michigan State University says that's not the case) or that blue eggs are lower in cholesterol (they aren't). One oft-repeated tidbit is that the color of the chicken's earlobe can indicate the color of the eggs they produce. This one holds true in many cases, according to the South Dakota State University Extension, but there are, of course, always exceptions.

Now here's something that is NOT a misconception: there's a good market for colorful eggs and you may just find a sizable demand for the colorful contents of your egg basket at farmer’s markets and other venues. All you need to do is choose a breed (or breeds) and begin!