Colorful eggs are so nice to have if you want a pretty egg basket. There are so many different colors and maybe some you’ve never even seen! These chickens are not only sweet but they can make your day brighter with their beautiful eggs.
1. Easter Eggers
I have to start off with Easter Eggers since so many people love them! Easter Eggers can lay almost any color, so you don’t know what you will get until they are laying. They can lay green, pink, blue, brown, a very pretty shade of blue or a green that you may not have ever seen.
A Little Bit about Them: They are commonly called americana, ameracana, americauna and are commonly mistaken for purebred ameraucanas. The chickens themself come in so many different colors and can have so many different features like feathered feet, green legs, muffs, beard, poofy head feathers and more. Each Easter egger is different. They are made up by a variety of different breeds. They can really be anything, but that’s what makes them special!
Picture by @Justabackyardchicken
- EGG AMOUNT: 200
- EGG LAYING AGE: 5 to 6 months
- TEMPERAMENT: Sometimes a little skittish but sweet
2. Ameraucana:
Of course I have to add ameraucanas next! They lay the most beautiful blue eggs that I’ve ever seen. They do not lay as many eggs as Easter Eggers, but it’s worth the wait because these eggs look too good to eat. They really make my egg carton look way more appealing.
A Little Bit About Them: Ameraucanas are purebreds unlike Easter Eggers which are usually ameraucana mixes. Ameraucanas are such sweet chickens and their giant muffs and beard is a bonus! They are goofy and love to free range. Ameraucanas are a breed that I can’t live without.
- EGG AMOUNT: 200
- EGG LAYING AGE: 8 to 12 months TEMPERAMENT: Probably the sweetest chicken with the cutest personalities
You can’t go wrong with head floof and pretty eggs. This picture does the egg no justice. Legbar eggs are very similar to ameraucana eggs but hatchery stock tends to have lighter blue.
A Little Bit About Them: Legbars are loved by anyone who has them. The chickens are usually cream colored which is a very pretty color that I don’t see on many chickens. They are rising in popularity and I can definitely see why!
- EGG AMOUNT: 180
- EGG LAYING AGE: 5 to 6 months
- TEMPERAMENT: Gets along well with everyone
People who get welsummers usually get them for the beauty of the bird, it’s great to be surprised with a speckled egg! This is a color you don’t usually hear of. Speckles looks very unique on an egg, there’s not many chickens that lay speckled.They don’t lay a lot of eggs but it does pay off once you get such a stunning egg.
A Little Bit About Them: Welsummers tend to be very talkative whenever they want something. They don’t like to be held very much but they are good at staying away from predators which makes them easier to keep.
- EGG AMOUNT: 180
- EGG LAYING AGE: 5 to 6 months
- TEMPERAMENT: smart, talkative and a little wild
Marans lay some crazy looking chocolate brown eggs. Marans are the darkest egg laying breed. Hatchery stock usually lays lighter eggs than show quality marans. These eggs will definitely stand out in an egg carton.
A Little Bit About Them: Marans are very popular and mine is very quiet. Marans come in many different colors but are most commonly black copper marans or cuckoo marans. If you want better egg color itbetter to get show stock. Hatchery black copper marans tend to lay darker eggs than the other marans in the hatcheries.
- EGG AMOUNT: 200 to 250 annually
- EGG LAYING AGE: 5 to 7 months
- TEMPERAMENT: kind personalities
Olive Eggers lay an egg that is unlike any. They are the only chicken that will lay this color. It’s a cross of a blue and green egger. Usually mixes of Easter Eggers or legbars and marans.
A Little About Them: Olive Eggers can be a mix of any blue egger x dark brown egger so they could be a variety of things. Hatchery types have a reputation of laying brown instead of olive. Mine is skittish but he’s a male. Many people who have them absolutely love them.
Upper Olive egg by @Justabackyardchicken
- EGG AMOUNT:
- EGG LAYING AGE: 5 or 6 months
- TEMPERAMENT: not aggressive but skittish
I do not have one of these birds so I do not have a picture of the bird. They are also a brand new hatchery hybrid. They do not have a specific color. These eggs are from a mix of breeds that lay beautifully speckled eggs. The eggs are very similar to a welsummer but some have larger spots which are similar to a quail egg.
8. Araucana
This is another breed I do not have a picture of. They also lay blue eggs and look very similar to ameraucanas. They are the first blue egg laying breed and that makes those eggs extra special!
A Little Bit About Them: Araucanas have tufts unlike ameraucanas which have muffs and beard. They are also rumpless which means they do not have a tail. There are tufted and tuftless araucanas, you can’t breed tuft with tuft which makes breeding harder. This makes them much harder to find. Araucanas are definitely beautiful birds!
- EGG AMOUNT: 250 eggs
- EGG LAYING AGE: Around 7 months
- TEMPERAMENT: They can either be the sweetest chicken or the most flighty
The temperament I put for the chickens may not be true for every chicken, each chicken has a different personality. These are the best colorful egg layers there are. Remember, egg color doesn’t effect the taste of the egg but it definitely makes your carton look beautiful!
