15 Types of Chickens Breeds that Lay Colored Eggs

Do you know chicken can lay colored eggs?

But how? And who are those chickens which lay colored eggs? Don’t worry, we have all the answers to all of your questions.

If you are thinking of adding rainbow in your farm, then consider adding colored eggs like chocolate, pink, blue, green-colored eggs – yes colors apart then white and tan!

Chickens producing colored eggs is nothing to do with what you feed to your chickens. The color of the egg of the chickens determined by solely one thing that is Genetics!

Now, you must be thinking What kind of chickens do lay colored eggs? Let’s find out.

Types of chickens that lay colored eggs:

If you want to add colors into your poultry farm, then you consider these chickens

Here are some:

1.   Araucanas:

If you are thinking of adding blue color in your poultry farm, then you can consider Araucanas. These chickens are from Chile and lay blue color eggs all because of its genetics. They are prized for their appearance as well and don’t have typical tail feathers. They usually got confused with Easter eggers and Ameraucanas. So, you would better buy it from a hatchery.

These chickens can lay up to 200 blueish color eggs per year.

2. Cream Legbar

Cream Legbar is another breed that lay blue colored eggs. It gets developed through a cross between the Araucanas, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Golden Leghorns. This breed has very beautiful cream plumage and can produce 200 blue or blue-green eggs per year.

3. Easter Eggs

This breed is prevalent as you have also heard their name in laying colorful eggs. They can lay up to 250 colored eggs per year, and the fantastic thing with this breed is that they can have multiple color eggs like mostly lay blue color, but some birds lay green and pink eggs, too.

It is because Easter eggs are hybrid chickens, and it gets developed through the cross between any blue color layer and a brown color layer.

But the result may vary if you have a flock of easter birds.

4. Light Sussex

If you are planning to buy a quintessential chicken for your backyard, then you can consider Light Sussex as these birds are gorgeous and docile and are very alert for the surroundings.

They can produce up to 250 eggs each year which is pink in color.

5. Marans

The eggs of these chickens are considered best by the chefs around the world. They produce gorgeous chocolate brown eggs. Remember, the eggs produced by True Marans are four or higher than the usual eggs.

Marans are very active birds and are also quite intelligent, friendly, and calm chickens.

6. Welsummers

These breed of chickens are native to Holland and considered the most intelligent, and most docile chicken. These chickens lay chocolate-brown color eggs as they are excellent foragers and can produce up to 200 eggs per year.

The eggs of these chickens have speckles on the eggs, which gives a beautiful mottled look to the eggs that you will love it.

7. Barnevelders

This breed was developed 200 years ago as a cross between imported Asian strain and with Brahmas and Cochins. These are native of the Barneveld area of Holland.

These birds prized for their beautiful eggs. They can produce fertile chocolate brown eggs.

8. Penedesencas

This beautiful breed is from the Spanish region of Catalonia and is the warm weather breed. Penedesencas lay chocolate brown eggs.

Although these birds are not suitable to have as pets, they are still fun to have around them.

9. Dorking

This breed is the oldest and has its roots from the Roman Empire. They lay the most beautiful cream-colored eggs. They are unique chickens as these are fun-loving, sweet, short, squat legs with five toes.

10. Olive Eggers

A cross between Ameraucanas and Marans produces olive eggers.

Since they are the combination of blu and dark brown egg layers, their eggs may vary from dark green to brownish-green.

This chicken will lay up to 200 dark green eggs each year.

11.Barred Rock

You can have Barred Rock chicken for your backyard flock for its dual-purpose – egg and meat.

These chickens have the capability of laying 280 beautiful light pink eggs per year.

12. Asil

These birds developed in Pakistan and India for cockfighting. It is challenging to raise these birds as they are very aggressive.

These chickens produce up to 40 wonderful pink or cream shade eggs per year.

13. Yokohama

The breed is known for its dramatic tail feathers developed in Germany and bred by the Japenese birds. They lay gorgeous milky, cream-colored eggs.

14. Isbar

These birds pronounced as “ice-bar,” Swedish Chicken.

It’s a rare breed and difficult to find, but trust us, its worth it. These chickens are those birds that lay green colored eggs.

They can lay up to 200 green colored eggs per year.

15. Favaucana

Favaucana is another hybrid chicken and last breed on our list. These birds ar the results of a cross between Favorelle and Ameraucana. People buy them for their friendly and personable demeanors.

They lay gorgeous sage green color eggs.

How Are Chicken Egg Colors Produced?

If you are already raising hens, you would better understand that chickens are not born with the ability to lay eggs.

Do you know it takes 26 hours to form an egg in chicken’s body?

To form an eggshell takes a total of 20 hours and another 5 hours of pigmentation of eggshell. 

Every chicken starts with laying white eggs, and they lay colored eggs because of the internal dyeing process. Some chicken breeds have pigments that make their eggs to turn into blue, green, pinkish colors or a variety of shades in between while some eggs are colored from outer shell only.

In the case of blue chicken eggs, it is the result of the oocyan gene. This gene is a mutation caused by a retrovirus.

Can Eggs Change Color Over Time?

Eggs generally retain the same color over a while. Changes in the shade of eggs are related to poor diet, age, or stress if your hen exposes to hot whether than also it will lead to the lighter-than-normal eggshell.

To avoid this, you can ensure that your hen has plenty of nutritious feed and fresh water and safe shelter.

Are colored Eggs Worth it?

You are not alone in trying this phenomenon! If you are looking for a rainbow basket in your backyard flock, then you can go for these breeds.

But if you are not ready to sacrifice the quantity for aesthetics, then don’t go for these breeds. As most of the best egg-laying chicken breeds are not those that also lay colored eggs like the top layer breed, White Leghorn, lays old classic white eggs.

The green or any colored egg will taste like a white egg only. There are no added nutrients in the colored eggs. 

But if you are still want to have a rainbow basket, then you can consider these breeds to make your backyard flock look colorful!