Most people think eggs only come in white or brown, but backyard chicken keepers know there’s a whole rainbow of possibilities!
From pastel blues to rich olive greens and even chocolate browns, certain chicken breeds can turn your egg carton into a work of art.
These naturally colored eggs aren’t just beautiful – they contain the same nutrition as regular eggs but add a splash of excitement to your breakfast table.
Ready to discover which feathered friends can bring color to your coop?
1. Araucana: The True Blue Egg Layer
Known as the original blue egg layer, Araucanas are distinctive chickens with tufted ears and no tail. These rare birds originated in Chile and possess a special genetic gift – they infuse their eggshells with a pigment called oocyanin throughout the entire shell-making process.
The result? Eggs in stunning robin’s-egg blue shades that maintain their color all the way through the shell. Araucanas aren’t just pretty egg producers – they’re friendly birds with quirky personalities that make them stand out in any flock.
Fun fact: Araucanas are sometimes called “rumpless” chickens because they lack tail feathers completely!
2. Ameraucana: The Easter Egg Expert
Sporting adorable muffs and beards, Ameraucanas lay eggs in gorgeous blue-green shades. They’re a breed developed in the United States during the 1970s, created specifically to preserve the blue-egg gene while eliminating some health issues found in their Araucana ancestors.
Backyard chicken enthusiasts adore these medium-sized birds for their sweet temperaments and cold-hardy nature. Their plumage comes in eight recognized colors, including wheaten, blue, and black.
The lovely blue eggs brighten any egg basket and maintain their color throughout the shell – crack one open and you’ll find the interior shell is blue too!
3. Cream Legbar: The Sky-Blue Specialist
With their jaunty crests and alert expressions, Cream Legbars bring both personality and pastel blue eggs to your chicken coop. These British-bred birds resulted from complex crossings of Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Araucanas in the 1930s at Cambridge University.
One fascinating trait of Cream Legbars is that they’re autosexing – male and female chicks can be distinguished by color at hatching, making them practical for small farmers. These active foragers prefer free-ranging and lay approximately 200 eggs annually.
Their eggs range from pale sky blue to deeper turquoise, depending on the individual hen’s genetics.
4. Olive Egger: The Green Gem Producer
Olive Eggers aren’t a standardized breed but rather clever crossbreeds created by mating blue-egg layers with dark brown egg layers. The genetic combination creates stunning olive-green eggs that range from mossy khaki to deep forest green.
Typically, these hybrids come from pairing Marans or Welsummers (chocolate egg layers) with Ameraucanas or other blue egg chickens. Their appearance varies widely depending on the parent breeds, but many display muffs, beards, or patterned feathers.
Backyard chicken keepers particularly value these birds for adding the most unusual color to mixed egg cartons – truly a conversation starter at farmers markets!
5. Marans: The Chocolate Egg Master
French Marans chickens lay eggs so dark brown they’re often described as chocolate or mahogany colored. The copper-black variety produces the darkest eggs, prized in French cuisine and mentioned specifically in James Bond novels as 007’s breakfast preference!
These dual-purpose birds have feathered legs and come in several color varieties. The pigment is applied like a coating during the final stages of egg formation, creating a deep chocolate exterior while maintaining a normal white interior.
Marans eggs are rated on a color scale from 1-9, with 9 being the darkest possible shade – serious breeders work to maintain this intense coloration through careful selection.
6. Welsummer: The Terracotta Artist
Made famous as the Kellogg’s Cornflakes rooster, Welsummers are beautiful birds that lay distinctive terracotta-colored eggs often speckled with darker spots. These Dutch chickens sport rich reddish-brown feathers with black accents, giving them a woodland appearance that matches their rustic egg color.
Active and intelligent, Welsummers thrive in free-range environments where they can forage enthusiastically. Their eggs have a matte finish rather than a glossy one, enhancing their rustic, natural appearance.
The speckled pattern varies between individual hens – some lay eggs with heavy spotting while others produce more uniform terracotta shades.
7. Easter Egger: The Rainbow Surprise
Easter Eggers are the ultimate surprise package – these mixed-heritage chickens carry the blue egg gene but express it differently in each bird. One hen might lay blue eggs, another green, another pink-tinted, and yet another might produce pale olive shades!
Unlike purebred chickens, Easter Eggers display varied appearances – some have muffs and beards, others sport crests, and their feather colors range across the spectrum. Their friendly, curious personalities make them perfect for families with children.
The most exciting part of raising Easter Eggers is not knowing what color eggs you’ll get until your pullets start laying – it’s like Christmas morning every time a new hen begins production!
8. Favaucana: The Lavender Egg Innovator
A relatively new hybrid, Favaucanas combine Ameraucana and Faverolles genetics to create a fluffy, bearded chicken that lays eggs in unusual sage green to olive hues. These sweet-natured birds bring together the blue egg genes from their Ameraucana heritage with the tinted cream eggs from Faverolles.
Their plumage often features soft, muted colors, and many have the adorable beard and muffs that make them look perpetually surprised. Favaucanas tend to be docile and friendly, making them excellent pets for families.
Beyond their beautiful eggs, these birds are known for being exceptionally cold-hardy thanks to their fluffy feathers and small combs.
9. Isbar: The Mint Green Miracle
Hailing from Sweden, the rare Isbar chicken lays eggs in a distinctive mint green color that looks almost artificial but is completely natural. These medium-sized birds were developed in the 1950s and feature a single comb and clean legs without feathering.
The most common variety is the Silverudd’s Blue, with gorgeous blue-gray feathering that complements their pastel green eggs. Unlike some colored egg layers, Isbars are autosexing – male and female chicks can be distinguished by color at hatching.
Though still uncommon in America, these birds are gaining popularity among color egg enthusiasts for their reliable production of up to 200 mint green eggs annually.
10. Penedesenca: The Dark Chocolate Virtuoso
From the Catalonia region of Spain comes the Penedesenca, famous for laying some of the darkest brown eggs in the chicken world. Their unique carnation comb, shaped like several small combs in a row, makes them instantly recognizable among chicken enthusiasts.
These active Mediterranean birds come in several color varieties, with the Black being most common. They’re known for being somewhat flighty and independent compared to other breeds, preferring plenty of space to forage.
The intense pigmentation of their eggs comes from exceptionally strong protoporphyrin deposits applied during the final stages of egg formation, creating a rich mahogany color that can sometimes appear almost black.
11. Bresse Gauloise: The Pink-Tinted Treasure
Famous primarily as France’s premier meat chicken, the Bresse Gauloise (or Bresse) also lays eggs with delicate pink or cream tints. These elegant birds are recognized by their bright white feathers, red combs, and distinctive blue feet and legs – mirroring the French flag colors.
Protected by French law with their own appellation d’origine contrôlée (like fine wines), authentic Bresse chickens can only be raised in a specific region of France. The subtle pink tint in their eggs varies by individual hen and diet.
Though primarily raised for their exceptional meat quality, their lightly tinted eggs are increasingly appreciated by collectors seeking unusual egg colors for their rainbow cartons.
12. Svarthöna: The Midnight-Black Mystery
Originally from Sweden, the rare Svarthöna chicken (meaning “black hen”) produces one of the most unusual eggs in the poultry world – eggs with a smoky gray to blackish shell. This breed carries a genetic condition called fibromelanosis that causes excess pigment production throughout their body.
Not only is their skin, meat, and bones black, but this pigment extends to their eggshells too. The darkness varies between individual birds, with some laying eggs that appear like polished hematite stones.
Svarthönas are relatively small birds with feathers that shimmer with a greenish iridescence in sunlight. Beyond their extraordinary eggs, these chickens are prized for their hardiness in cold climates and their docile, friendly personalities.