Farm & Flock Pick a Color
Light Brown:
• Australorp- If you were developing a chicken breed in Australia using Black Orpington chickens, what would you call the resulting new breed? The Australorp! These stunning birds produce beautiful brown eggs.
• Buff Orpington- A historic dual-purpose breed, the Buff Orpington is a fast-maturing breed that produces lovely light brown eggs.
• Jersey Giant- It will come as no surprise to discover that Jersey Giants are very large birds. It ' s a dual-purpose breed that weighs more than 10 pounds at maturity.
• New Hampshire- Developed in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the early 1900s, this breed is dual-purpose and descends from the Rhode Island Red.
• Wyandotte- This heritage breed was formerly considered endangered, but its population has subsequently rebounded, and it ' s no longer listed on The Livestock Conservancy ' s Conservation Priority List.
• Cochin- If you ' re looking for an extremely gentle breed with a fascinating history, look no further than the Cochin.
• Rhode Island Red- A popular and prolific choice, the Rhode Island Red can produce up to 300 eggs per year.
• Plymouth Rock( can be pinkish)- See above.
• Brahma- These are big birds that produce well even when temperatures begin to plummet in early winter.
• Dominique- Known as America ' s first and oldest chicken breed, dating back to the 1750s or earlier. The breed was nearly lost by 1970, but dedicated efforts from The Livestock Conservancy and devoted enthusiasts have helped the population recover.
• Java- If the Dominique is the oldest American breed, the Java is the second-oldest. Eggs from Java hens range widely in color.
Dark Brown / Reddish:
• Marans- Well-known for its gorgeous, dark-brown eggs, the Marans is also well-known for being coldhardy.
• Barnevelder- A very old Dutch breed, Barnevelders produce dark reddish-brown eggs.
• Penedesenca- Do you live in the South? The Penedesenca might be the perfect choice if you ' d like a brown-egg-layer that thrives in warm climates.
• Welsummer- They produce brown eggs with speckles! Need we say more?
Variables, Misconceptions & Truths( Oh, My!)
As with most things, however, variables can occur in egg color. Take the Buff Orpington, for example. Buff Orpingtons produce brown eggs, but the exact shade of the eggs varies from hen to hen, influenced by a variety of factors from bloodlines and age to health condition and even stress. You could conceivably have ten Buff Orpington hens producing eggs of slightly different shades of brown even though they are all the same breed.
Misconceptions abound when it comes to colored eggs. Some people mistakenly think that the rooster is responsible for determining the color of the egg. In truth, the rooster and hen both contribute genetics that influence egg color. Another misconception? That the chicken ' s color can be indicative of egg color. These colors are actually controlled by different genes. Some people say colorful eggs are tastier than white eggs( this hasn ' t been proven) or healthier than white eggs( Michigan State University says that ' s not the case) or that blue eggs are lower in cholesterol( they aren ' t). One oft-repeated tidbit is that the color of the chicken ' s earlobe can indicate the color of the eggs they produce. This one holds true in many cases, according to the South Dakota State University Extension, but there are, of course, always exceptions.
Now here ' s something that is NOT a misconception: there ' s a good market for colorful eggs and you may just find a sizable demand for the colorful contents of your egg basket at farmer’ s markets and other venues. All you need to do is choose a breed( or breeds) and begin!
About the Author:
Samantha Johnson is a writer, farm girl and the author of more than a dozen books on rural living. She lives on a farm in northern Wisconsin with a colorful herd of Welsh Mountain Ponies. You can find her online at www. authory. com / SamanthaJohnson
AcreageLife. com September 2026 AcreageLife 15