Chickens that lay blue eggs are a fun addition to your flock. Their eggs bring a beautiful contrast to the neutral-colored eggs the majority of breeds lay. So what chickens lay blue eggs? Here are 5 breeds that will help you get a colorful basket.
Chickens that lay blue eggs are Cream Legbars, Araucana, Ameraucana, Whiting True Blue, and Easter egger. While all of these breeds will lay a shade of blue eggs, some are a more brilliant blue than others.
They also have different qualities that may make them better suited for you homestead. For example, a Whiting True Blue will lay consistently while a Araucana may not lay as much. Knowing the characteristics of each blue egg laying chicken breed will help you to make an informed decision when deciding what’s best for your farm.
Why you’ll love having blue eggs.
Having chickens that lay blue eggs in my flock increased my egg profits at the farmer’s market. While blue eggs are the same as their neutral counterparts, people buying farm-fresh eggs enjoy seeing a little color in their egg cartons.
Blue egg layers aren’t as consistent other breeds, so production farms will rarely choose a blue egg-laying variety. This can make them a special treat for farmer’s market customers.
I also enjoy a colorful basket. I realize the color of the egg doesn’t matter in the long run, but it brings me joy to see a rainbow of colors coming from my girls.
If you’re interested in raising chickens that lay blue eggs, keep reading for the rundown on the breeds.
Cream Legbar
The Cream Legbar is a beautifully unique-looking chicken. Some females have a smaller comb while others have a wickle or S-shaped comb. Some females also have a crest of feathers on their heads that looks like a hairstyle straight out of the 80s.
Cream Legbar females have beautiful salmon-colored chests, with gray feathering on their backs and head.
The Males are a lighter cream color with barring, not nearly as beautiful as the females in my opinion.
This is a popular breed of blue egg layers because of their auto-sexing genes. The male and female chicks can be easily spotted due to their unique markings. Male chicks are lighter with a light spot on their heads. Female chicks are darker with a dark stripe down their backs.
I’ve found this breed to be very friendly and consistently lays beautiful blue eggs. However, here in the Deep South, they don’t seem to be as hardy as some of my other breeds.
Ameraucana
The Ameraucana breed is my favorite breed of all my chickens that lay blue eggs. They are very hardy and consistently lay beautiful large blue eggs.
The color blue they lay will vary a lot. I have some chickens that lay bright blue, while others are a more muted lighter blue. The various colors are beautiful and diverse.
Another reason to love the Ameraucana is its unique appearance. Some will be bearded or have muffs while others will not. The bearded gene will vary from bird to bird, but it isn’t semi-lethal like their Araucana cousins. They can also be pretty much any color you can imagine from black to an almost blue color. They tend to have small pea combs.
This breed is very hardy, rarely getting sick, and can tolerate various temperatures well. Here in the deep south, where the summers are sweltering, they do just fine.
Overall the Ameraucana is a great blue egg layer to add to your flock.
Whiting True Blue
Whiting True Blue is a newer breed named after the person who developed it. They are the best egg layer of the chickens that lay blue eggs. Whiting True Blues are small chickens, but they lay a medium to large vibrant blue egg.
Often a Whiting True Blue will consistently lay through the winter. They are the workhorse of the blue egg layers. During the sweltering Alabama summer when a lot of layers take some time off, the Whiting True Blue will lay right on through.
They can come in a variety of colors. My Whitings are a deep orange, but they can range from very light to dark gray. They have a small single comb.
While the breed is specifically prone to set, I have trouble with mine going broody. Especially in the spring. I allowed her to hatch eggs once, but she wasn’t a great mother. I’m sure this isn’t a specific characteristic of the breed, but it has been in my case.
In my experience with Whiting True Blues, they’ve also been flighty and nervous. They aren’t very friendly with me, however they get along well with others in the flock. Given their diverse genetics, this is probably not true for the breed as a whole.
Overall they’re a great, and consistent blue egg layer that will add a vibrant blue to your egg basket.
Araucana
Araucana is the oldest breed on this list. They’re a smaller blue egg layer but lay beautiful medium-blue eggs. They aren’t very common among flock owners due to their fragile nature.
Araucanas don’t have the best hatch rate due to their tufted ear genes. This gene is a semi-lethal gene which means that if the chick inherits the gene from both parents, it will die due to deformed ears and throats. Breeding Araucanas is hard due to the high death rate.
If Araucana live into adulthood, they may have problems breeding due to their lack of a tail or rumplessness. These characteristics have made them not great for hatchery breeding programs.
The Araucana also only lays a few eggs a week. This trait may be great for the flock owner who enjoys having pet chickens however, if you’re looking for production or income, this breed wouldn’t be the best.
They also tend to go broody. I don’t mind this trait in a breed, however, their decreased egg production and broody tendencies will make them better pet chickens than anything else.
The interesting thing about the Araucana is all the other breeds on this list were developed from the Araucana. They truly are the original blue egg-laying chicken. Their owners love owning this breed, and while some may say they’re flighty and nervous, most love them anyway.
Easter Egger
Like the other breeds on this list, the Easter Egger was developed from the British Araucana. They can come in a variety of colors and sizes. Just like their physical appearance, their egg colors can vary as well.
Easter egger is a great name for this breed because their eggs can range in colors from blue to pink, to green. The color of the egg will vary for each specific chicken.
They are great layers can tolerate hot and cold temperatures well, and tend to have a friendly disposition. An Easter egger can have genetics from any breed of chicken as long as they have a gene from a blue egg layer. This diversity in the breed makes their specific coloring and egg colors hard to predict.
They are great additions to a backyard flock and are sure to give you an abundance of beautiful eggs.
FAQs
Do blue eggs taste different?
No, the shell color doesn’t affect the flavor of the eggs. However, the chickens diet can change the taste. A diet of natural forage and protein will make a richer flavored egg, and a dark amber yolk color.
Does egg color have anything to do with the nutritional value of the egg?
The color of the egg doesn’t affect the nutritional value of the egg. The chickens diet affects the nutrition of the egg the most. Also, how the chicken is raised also plays a part in how nutrient dense the egg is. A chicken that is exposed to sunlight, open air, and grass will have a more nutrient dense egg.
Final Thoughts
The Cream Legbar, Ameraucana, Whiting True Blue, Araucana, and Easter Eggers are all capable of giving you beautiful blue eggs. For my flock, the hardiness and production of the Ameraucana can’t be beat.
However, the joy of owning chickens is finding the characteristics that you personally enjoy. You may like the flighty nature of the Whiting True Blue, the egg variations of the eater egger, the beauty and crest of the Cream Legbar, or the traditional traits of the Araucana. As always, choose the breed that best suits you and your needs.
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