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What Causes Chicken Eggs to be Different Colors?

What are the reasons why Chicken Eggs will have different colored eggs?


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Genetics dictates the color of the eggs that different breeds of chicken lay. The colors of the eggs come from pigments from the hen’s oviduct as the eggs pass through it. This explains why some eggs dark brown or white. Regardless of the color of the eggs, though, the inside is identical. The taste of chicken eggs are also identical to that of eggs from other birds and is generally depends on the chicken’s diet.

Chicken eggs generally come in three different shades. The eggs found in most grocery stores are either white or brown in color. There are also blue and green chicken eggs that are laid by a variety of chicken bred in Chile call Aracuana. When the Aracuana was bred with other chicken varieties, a new breed Americauna was produced. This type of chicken is also referred to as the “Easter egg chicken” because of the multicolored eggs it lays.

All chicken eggs were most likely brown in color to begin with. Eventually, breeders crossed different varieties in order to produce lighter colored eggs until it came to a point that white eggs were produced which we are all familiar with. In the late 20th century, brown eggs were reintroduced to the market even though those who have farms already know about these colored eggs. Andalusians, Dorkings, Faveroles, Lakenvelders and Leghorns are well-known white egg-laying chicken breeds while Jersey Giants, Rhode Island Reds, Barnevelders, Orpingtons and Delawares are popular brown egg-laying breeds.

You can determine the color of the egg that a chicken will lay by the color of their ear lobes, although this has not been scientifically proven yet. The size of the chicken is also not a deciding factor of the outcome of the egg color. The color of the chicken is also not a determinant of the color of the eggs

When you buy chicken eggs, you don’t really have to worry so much about the egg color as you would with their content. Chickens that consume the recommended diet with the right amount of dietary minerals will definitely have better chances of producing healthy eggs. You might also have observed that eggs from farms have darker yolks compared to battery hens and this is, again, dependent on the diet of the hen.
Sep 25th, 2012 at 7:19 AM
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