In the past, brown and white eggs were the most common, but today’s backyard chicken keepers have a wide variety of colorful eggs to choose from. From blue and green to pink and dark brown, the range of egg colors has expanded due to selective breeding.
But why do chickens lay different colored eggs? Does egg color affect taste or nutrition? Let’s explore the science behind eggshell colors, how chickens lay them, and what breeds produce which colors.
What Determines Egg Color?
The color of a chicken’s eggs is primarily determined by genetics. Each chicken breed carries specific genes that dictate what color eggs they will lay. Some breeds consistently lay brown or white eggs, while others can produce shades of blue, green, or pink.
Even among brown egg-laying breeds, there is a range of colors from light cream to dark chocolate brown. The variation is due to different genetic strains within the breed. However, egg color does not affect the taste or nutritional value—all eggs are equally nutritious.
How Are Egg Colors Formed?
All eggs start as white because eggshells are naturally made of calcium carbonate, which is white. The final color of the eggshell is determined during the laying process inside the hen’s oviduct.
The Role of the Bloom
Egg color can be found in either the eggshell itself or the bloom, which is a protective coating applied right before the egg is laid. The bloom helps protect the egg from bacteria and moisture loss.
- White eggs do not receive any additional pigment, so they remain white inside and out.
- Brown eggs have a brown pigment applied to the bloom just before laying. This is why washing brown eggs can sometimes lighten their color.
- Blue eggs get their color from the eggshell itself. The pigment is applied during shell formation, making the entire shell blue, even on the inside.
- Green eggs are the result of a blue shell with a brown pigment bloom. The exact shade of green depends on the combination of blue shell and brown bloom.
Factors That Can Affect Eggshell Color
While genetics play the biggest role, other factors can slightly change the shade of an eggshell.
Genetic Breed Strains
Even within a breed, different strains may lay slightly different shades of eggs. Each hen will lay a specific hue, which may change slightly throughout her life.
Medications
Certain drugs, such as coccidiostats (used to prevent coccidiosis), can cause eggshells to appear paler than normal.
Illness and Stress
Diseases affecting the reproductive system can cause eggshells to be lighter in color. Stress, such as sudden changes in environment, loud noises, or overcrowding, can also disrupt normal egg pigmentation.
Age
As hens age, their eggshell color may become lighter. Older hens often lay paler eggs compared to younger ones.
How to Identify Egg Color by Chicken Breed
If you are trying to determine what color eggs a chicken will lay, you can sometimes get clues from the breed class or the hen’s earlobes.
Breed Classes and Egg Colors
- American and Asiatic breeds typically lay brown eggs, except for Holland chickens, which lay white eggs.
- Mediterranean breeds almost always lay white eggs.
Earlobe Color and Egg Color
Many breeds follow this pattern:
- White earlobes → White eggs
- Red earlobes → Brown eggs
- Bluish earlobes → Blue or green eggs
However, there are exceptions:
- White egg layers with red earlobes: Crevecoeur, Dorking, Redcap, Sumatra
- Blue egg layers with white earlobes: Araucana, Ameraucana
- Brown egg layers with white earlobes: Penedesenca
Chicken Breeds and the Egg Colors They Lay
If you want a colorful egg basket, consider adding some of these breeds to your flock.
Blue and Green Egg Layers
- Easter Eggers – A mixed breed that lays blue or green eggs
- Araucana – A purebred chicken known for blue eggs
- Ameraucana – Another blue egg layer, closely related to Araucanas
- Cream Legbar – A crossbreed that lays blue eggs
- Olive Eggers – A mix of blue and brown egg layers, producing green eggs
- Isbar – A rare breed that lays mossy green eggs
- Favaucana – A cross between Faverolles and Ameraucanas, laying green eggs
Brown and Dark Brown Egg Layers
- Australorp – Lays light brown eggs
- Orpington – A popular brown egg layer
- Wyandotte – Produces medium-brown eggs
- Marans – Famous for dark chocolate brown eggs
- Penedesenca – Lays dark brown eggs
- Welsummer – Produces terracotta-colored eggs with speckles
White Egg Layers
- Leghorn – One of the most efficient white egg layers
- Holland – A rare breed that lays white eggs
- Ancona – A Mediterranean breed with high egg production
- Polish – A beautiful breed known for its crest and white eggs
Pink Egg Layers (Some strains within these breeds may lay pinkish eggs)
- Faverolle – Can lay pinkish or light brown eggs
- Australorp – Some strains may lay pinkish eggs
- Sussex – Occasionally lays eggs with a pinkish hue
- Langshan – A breed known for large pinkish-brown eggs
Does Egg Color Affect Nutrition or Taste?
Many people wonder whether colored eggs taste different or have better nutrition than white eggs. The answer is no.
Egg color has no impact on:
- Nutritional value – The diet of the chicken, not the shell color, affects an egg’s nutrition.
- Taste – The flavor of an egg is influenced by what the hen eats, not the color of the eggshell.
- Quality – The freshness of the egg is more important than the color of the shell.
Eggshell color is purely a genetic trait, and every chicken lays eggs in its own unique shade. Whether you want brown, white, blue, green, or pink eggs, you can achieve a beautiful and diverse egg basket by selecting the right chicken breeds.
While egg color does not affect nutrition or taste, choosing colorful egg layers can add a fun variety to your backyard flock. No matter which eggs you choose, fresh, homegrown eggs will always be a delicious and rewarding part of raising chickens.
FAQ
Q.1 Does the color of an egg affect its taste?
No, egg color does not impact taste. The flavor of an egg is determined by the hen’s diet.
Q.2 Can a chicken lay different colored eggs?
No, a hen will always lay the same color eggs throughout her life, but the shade may change slightly with age or diet.
Q.3 What is the rarest egg color?
True purple eggs do not exist, but deep olive-green eggs from Olive Eggers or dark chocolate brown eggs from Marans are among the rarest.
Q.4 Why do some eggs have speckles?
Speckles occur due to variations in pigment deposition. Some breeds, like Welsummers and Penedesencas, are known for speckled eggs.
Q.5 Do blue eggs have blue yolks?
No, the yolk color depends on the chicken’s diet. Hens with access to fresh greens and high-quality feed tend to lay eggs with deep orange yolks, regardless of shell color.