What birds lay blue eggs and why?
I lived across the street from a chicken farm when I was a kid.I don't know about the different colored chicken eggs they had, because I am not sure which chicken breeds they raised.They looked to have a flock mostly consisting of Rhode Island Reds and Australorps.Both of them are brown egg-layers.
I knew that there were brown chicken eggs from our grandparents farm and white chickens from the supermarket.It wasn't until I dove back into backyard chicken keeping as an adult several years ago that I learned which chickens lay brown, blue, green, and pink eggs.
I love having a colorful basket made up of the different eggs that I collect from my chickens.I've done a bit of research to find out why different eggs are different.It is pretty fascinating.
Chicken eggs have white shells made of calcium carbonate.eggshells begin as white regardless of the breed of chicken or color of egg.Leghorns, Andalusians and Catalanas are some of the breeds that lay white eggs.Because Leghorns were bred to eat little and lay a lot, they were the darling of the commercial egg industry and the reason why most store-bought eggs were mostly white.There is a perception that brown eggs are better for you.Brown eggs have been introduced to grocery store chains in recent years.
The brown egg layers, such as Rhode Island and New Hampshire Reds, possess brown pigment genes and a brown 'dye' is applied by the hen.Around the last 3-6 hours of the total 26 hours it takes to form the egg, it is fairly late in the laying process.A brown-shelled egg is what this results in.The inside of a brown egg is white, even though the brown dye doesn't penetrate the shell.
The three breeds that lay blue eggs are Ameraucanas, Araucanas and Cream Legbars.Early in the laying process, oocyanin is applied to create the blue color.The blue color goes right through the shell.Eggs are blue inside and out.
Eggs are created by cross breeding a blue and brown egg-laying breed and those hens possess both genes.The eggshells are green on the outside and blue inside, having been painted with both blue and brown dye.
Shades of greens and browns are dictated by the breed laying the egg, although there might be some shade variation within a breed.Light tan eggs are created by some brown-egg-laying breeds applying less brown to the shell.Light-colored eggs, such as Faverolles and Light Sussex, can look almost pink or cream in color.Marans and Penendesencas are two breeds that lay extremely dark brown eggs.
Raising your own backyard chickens will benefit from having a colorful egg basket filled with different colored chicken eggs.It's fascinating to know why eggs come in different colors.Adding some color to your egg basket is something that should be done this spring.
When choosing a breed, you should make your final decisions based on temperament, hardiness, and other breed characteristics relating to your climate and location, not just on egg color.