once in a while , those new to poultry keeping — and those living near fledgling flock owners — are surprised to discover that some chicken can lay an egg in colouring material other than lily-white and beige . That ’s correct ! moody brown eggs are not just dirty , and green eggs are n’t rot .
An entire raiment of eggshell colour live in the nest boxwood that rarely make it to the market . It ’s an centre - popping epiphany for citizenry habituate to supermarket eggs . alternatively of snowy white and sandy tan , eggs can be sky blue , pastel pink , olive green , pale icteric , even cocoa brownness !
We can accredit the firmly - working chickens lay our daily dozens for all these unlike egg colors . As each orchis journey through the oviduct , layer of pigment are deposited on it , exchange the shell from white to blue , brown and beyond .
The actualcolor of an shell depends on the breed of the henlaying the bollock . There may be slight variation within a strain . Our Orpington wimp place eggs that change in colors , from a pallid tan to a rosy ecru . Our Ameraucana hens , however , lay similar shades of sky blue .
A biddy is not a Pez dispenser . She can not set a greenish eggs one day and a pinkish one the next . The pigment acquire by her shell secretor stay the same throughout her life .
What you see is what you get . The depth of shell colour , though , can be influenced by a hen ’s years and environmental stressors . A bountiful palette of eggs can be yours , but you ’ll have to be after for it .
To see to it your orchis solicitation basket ’s contents turn back a stove of colors , consider raising the follow chickens .
take more : hold back out the purple - speckled eggs at May Blooms Acreage !
Blue
In the United States , puritanic eggs are repose by three master breed of chicken : theAraucana , theAmeraucana , and theCream Legbar .
The Araucana and Ameraucana trace their origins — or at least an ancestor — to ablue - egg - put South American bird . Both breed are highly prized for their sky - down in the mouth eggs as well as their unusual forcible characteristics .
Unfortunately , the Araucana hasacute issues with reproductive memory . And the Ameraucana is not widely bred . As a result , observe true Araucanas and dependable Ameraucanas to add to your flock may be a minute tricky .
contact lens these breeds ’ national clubs and ask for referral for private stock breeder in your expanse . mind that many hatcheries and farm - supply computer memory mislabel hybrid doll as “ Ameraucana ” and “ Araucana . ” This leads many backyard flock owners to believe they are in reality raising these rare fowl when they ’re in fact lift the Easter Egger crossbreed .
Cream Legbars have begun to gain popularity due to their adorable baby - blue eggs . A numeral of home hatcheries now offer Cream Legbar dame for sale to flock owners . A fun fact about the Cream Legbar : thechicks autosexso you may tell the cockerel ( lighter with a yellow nous berth ) from the pullet ( darker with a dark back stripe ) .
Green
Thanks to Dr. Seuss ’ iconic book , many crybaby possessor are eager for green eggs from their very own hens . The easiest way to execute this is to add anEaster Eggerto your flock .
An Easter Egger is a intercrossed volaille , one with an Ameraucana or Araucana root that was crossed at some point with a brown egg level . These crossbreeds get drear eggs overlain with brownish pigment . This results in shellsin sunglasses of jet .
Easter Eggers are readily available for purchase through hatcheries and at farm - supply stores . But be aware that they may be mislabeled “ Ameraucana ” or “ Araucana ” ( if the chick is price at only a span of dollars , it ’s an Easter Egger ) .
An Easter Egger hen may have Araucana in her background . But she most by all odds is not one , as she will promptly prove by the abundant telephone number of bird she will hatch if given the chance .
Here ’s an interesting fact about Eggers . The darker the orchis acquire by the dark-brown - nut stratum , the more olive the ensue eggs from the intercrossed offspring . eld ago , we bred our Copper Marans hens to our Araucana rooster to get “ Olive Egger ” crossbreed .
dark-green bollock are also bring about by theIsbar , a Swedish breed not yet widely usable in America . First imported into the U.S. in 2011 byGreenfire Farms , the Isbar ( pronounced ICE - bar ) is a single - combed , wintertime - intrepid razzing that lay arresting moss - green testis .
If you ’ve get your heart set on Isbars , you may bump them through secret breeders . The price , however , may be jolly steep ( about $ 30 per chick ) .
Read more : Produce a rainbow of egg colors by supply these chickens to your flock .
Pink & Yellow
While no chicken breed really put down a pink egg , some brown ball layer amongst theOrpingtons , Speckled SussexandCochinsproduce rosy-cheeked - brown ballock that can almost pass for pinkish .
And then there ’s theEaster Egger(again ) . The name of this hybrid says it all . It can produce many eggshell shades , although green is the most common . Depending on when the blue egg gene was introduced in the Easter Egger ’s pedigree , the pigment bring about by the hen may be light enough to make her shell pastel pink or pale white-livered .
Our Easter Egger biddy , Agatha , position pallid pink eggs . But her female parent , Keynoter , produced pale green ones .
Silkiehens also produce tinct eggs , not quite white but not quite a pure pastel . My Quaker Dan ’s Silkies lay eggs that have a light pinkish tone to them . Our Silkies ’ eggs are almost uniformly creamy yellow-bellied .
Dark Brown
From terra cotta to rich chocolate , sour - brown eggs are perhaps the most visually salient of all the nut color produced by poulet . Their recondite colouration make believe them bulge out against such backgrounds as nest launching pad and egg cartons . And , when arranged with bollock of other colour , they like a shot draw attending .
strain that lay these farm - fresh variation of oculus confect admit :
That range , in fact , helps square off the value of a Marans hen . The most sought after Marans hens lay testis that rate between a 7 and a 9 on theMarans egg - color scale .
Welsummers , Marans and Penedesencas can be find through most major hatchery . You may like to check with their national clubs to site breeder in your surface area .
