What Kind of Chickens Lay Olive Colored Eggs

November 23, 2021

Have you seen photos of colored chicken eggs and wondered what breed of chicken lays which color egg? Here is your answer!

When we first decided to try raising chickens, the breeds we chose were based solely on what types of chicks the local feed store had that spring.

We just said "we'll take two of whatever you have" and ended up coming home with two Buff Orpingtons, two Silver Laced Wyandottes and two Rhode Island Reds.

Cute chicks, beautiful chickens, wonderful layers...and they all laid brown eggs. Which was fine with me.

Growing up the granddaughter of chicken farmers, I was always told, "Brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh". And fresh eggs were certainly my goal. So life was good.

Which Chicken Breeds lay Colored Eggs?

Until one day when the guy at the feed store showed me a blue chicken egg that another customer had brought in.

Wait... WHAT?

Chickens lay blue eggs? I knew some laid white, but blue? I had no idea that there were different colored chicken eggs besides brown and white.

But yes, it was true. Chicken eggs come in all shades of blue, green, pinkish, cream and dark, dark brown.

Although all eggs start out with white shells, the blue or brown dye (or both) applied to the shells of some breeds results in eggs that come in almost all the hues of the rainbow.

And even brown eggs come in a wide variety of shades when they come from different breeds of chickens.

So once I discovered the world of colored eggs, of course I got online and started researching chicken breeds and egg colors, and then began a quest over the next few years to assemble a flock that lays every color egg imaginable.

So that meant I had to look further than our local feed store. I have ordered chicks from the large hatcheries, including Meyer Hatchery with wonderful results, but for more rare breeds, you likely will have to search out a small breeder.

The Livestock Conservancy Breeder Directory is a good place to start if you are trying to locate a more rare breed.

**Remember of course when choosing breeds, you should make your final decisions based on temperament, hardiness and other breed characteristics, not purely based on egg color.**

Here is a guide that might help if you are looking to add some color to your nesting boxes:

Brown Egg Layers

Barred Rock

Brahma

Buckeye

Chantecler

Cochin

Delaware

Dominique

Java

Jersey Giant

Golden Comet/Production Red/Red Star

New Hampshire Red

Plymouth Rock

Rhode Island Red

Light Tan Egg Layers

Buff Orpington

Lavender Orpington

Red Laced/Silver Laced Wyandotte

Speckled Sussex

White Egg Layers

Andalusian

Belgian D'Uccle

Campine

Catalana

Hamburg

Lakenvelder

Leghorn

Minorca

Polish

Russian Orloff

Sabelpoot

Sebright

Sicilian Buttercup

Silkie

White Faced Black Spanish

Cream Egg Layers

Dorking

Easter Egger (some)

Faverolle

Pink Egg Layers

Asil

Australorps (some)

Easter Eggers (some)

Langshan

Light Sussex

Plymouth Rock

Note: Pink eggs are thought to be the result of the natural 'bloom' being applied over a light tan egg.

Chocolate Brown Egg Layers

Barnvelder

Black/Blue Copper Marans

Penedesenca

Speckled Egg Layers

Green Egg Layers

Easter Eggers (some)

Ice Cream Bar

Isbar

Olive Eggers

Blue Egg Layers

Ameraucana

Araucana

Cream Legbar

Easter Egger (some)

Surprise Egg Layers

Easter Eggers

If you want a bit of a surprise, then add a few Easter Eggers to your flock.

They are so named because they can lay a variety of shades of green (mint, pale, bright, olive), pinkish or cream eggs. In fact, you likely saw them listed in several of the above lists for that every reason.

A particular chicken will only lay one color egg her entire life, but each Easter Eggers could lay a different color egg for you. Truly a mystery until she lays her first egg.