Egg colors all depends on the breed of chicken. The number one question that I get is what makes the eggs the variety of colors. When we started building up our flock of chickens, we decided we wanted a mixed flock with a rainbow of egg colors. Last year, we added chocolate brown egg layers and it completed our rainbow.
the colors
In our current flock of ladies, we have white, cream, light brown, speckled brown, tan, chocolate brown, pink, blue, light green and olive green. This year, we will be adding a few more baby chicks as a coyote pack took off with 15 of our chickens, leaving only one of four chocolate egg layers.
Click HERE to read about how we lost 15 chickens in one night.
Overview of breeds
WHITE LEGHORN: Our white Leghorns are very flighty and skittish birds. Although they are petite in size, they lay large white eggs and every so often we do get XL double yolk eggs from them. If you want a friendly, cuddly chicken, these are not the breed you would want. But, they make up for it with the amount and size of eggs you get from them.
EASTER EGGER: These are my favorite, most friendly chickens. They are the ones who lay the gorgeous light green and blue eggs. Sunflower and Sweet Pea come running up to me to get pets every time I come up to the coop. In the picture below, the Easter Eggers are the copper colored ladies.
Speckled Sussex:
In the picture above, the darker brown, spotted chicken is the Speckled Sussex. These chickens are equally as friendly as the Easter Eggers. Poppy follows me around like a little puppy dog. They are sweet and even tempered. They love to follow you around and the first one there to get treats. Speckled Sussex lay a nice sized, tan egg.
Barred rocks:
I went to the feed store one day and they had 4 week old Barred Rocks and they desperately needed a home. I couldn’t say no and ended up with all 4 Barred Rocks. To me, they are just an average chicken in our flock. They are not overly friendly and tolerate me. They lay the light pink and light brown eggs.
Dominiques:
Dominques look identical to the Barred Rocks, except they have a rose comb. We had 2 Dominiques and they were the talkers of the farm. They were overly friendly and a favorite here. And, since the coyotes stole them, our farm is way too quiet! They lay tan eggs.
barnvelders:
I really do not like Barnvelders. No matter how hard I try, my Barnvelders dislike me. They are very anxious and flighty. They lay brown eggs and they lay a decent amount each week.
black copper marans:
Our Black Copper Marans are the most timid and quiet ladies in our flock. They seem very shy and stay away from the large crowd. Because of their temperament, I have noticed that they have the potential to get picked on a bit more than some of the other breeds.
olive eggers:
We added these beauties finally last year. The are just as sweet, even tempered as the Easter Eggers. They lay gorgeous, olive green eggs.
buff orpingtons:
Last year we also added Buff Orpingtons. They are a light, golden brown chicken. They are a heavier breed and have a very calm demeanor and are quickly becoming one of my favorite chicken breeds and they lay light brown eggs.
(This is just my opinion on the temperaments of OUR flock. As with all animals, temperaments will vary and can be completely different that I described.)
What breeds will we always have on our farm?
As much as I would like to say NO to White Leghorns, we will always have them. Leghorns are amazing layers and they eat a lot less than the heavier breeds and their eggs are huge compared to their body size.
We will not be be getting any more Barred Rocks or Barnvelders. Their personalities just do not fit in our farm dynamic.
Final words on Chicken breeds and egg colors
If you want a small backyard flock, this will hopefully give you a bit of inspiration. I encourage you to think of what egg colors you want to have and the types of personalities you would like to have within your flock.
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