Chicken eggs come in at least 6 differently colours. These are blue, green, cream/pink, dark brown, purple and white.
Egg color by chicken breed
Below is a brief listing of egg color by respective. See Chickensandmore for a more comprehensive list.
| Egg color | Chicken breed |
|---|---|
| Blue | Ameraucana, Araucana, Cream Legbar, and Easter Eggers |
| Green | Easter egger, Olive Egger and Favaucana |
| Cream / pinkish | Easter egger, Sussex, Java, Australorp, Silkie, Orpington and Faverolles |
| Dark brown | Wellsummer, Barnevelder, Marans and Penedesenca |
| Purple | Croad Langshan |
| White | Leghorn, Andalusian, Ancona, Lakenvelder, Polish and Hamburg |
Factors determining chicken eggs color
A number of factors determine egg color or egg color formation. Brown (protoporphyrin IX) and blue (oocyanin) pigments are key determinants of an egg’s color.
For instance, blue eggs have oocyan pigment, while green eggs are produced by chicken with genetic disposition for protoporphyrin IX and oocyan. Purple eggs on the other hand are produced by chicken with a genetic predisposition for protoporphyrin IX.
In a nutshell, an egg color is determined by the following factors:
- Number of layers of pigments and their ratio
- Lack of pigment e.g. white eggs have no pigment
- Mineral content make up e.g. white eggs are made up of calcium carbonate
See Chickensandmore for more on factors determining egg color.
You may also be interested in 15 Poultry diseases that affect egg production and quality, 3 Reasons why chicken eat eggs and how to prevent it, and Unmasking the mystery: The ultimate guide to fresh egg longevity.
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