Raising chickens is one of the most rewarding parts of having a little homestead and it’s amazing to see the beauty God created for us in nature by collecting a basket of fresh, colorful eggs every day!
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Fresh eggs are so nutritious and tasty, they’re a necessity on any little homestead. And you can always tell if eggs come from truly free ranged, home raised hens by looking at the yolks – they’re bright yellowish orange, indicative of a carotenoid rich diet. So pretty! But this post is mainly about the pretty colors of the egg shells of different breeds.
[free range egg + avocado toast with balsamic]
You can get these pretty, nutritious orange yolks from any kind of laying hen, the color of the egg shell doesn’t affect the nutrition or taste at all!
However, I personally think collecting a basket full of colorful eggs is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of having a little homestead – especially for kids. Mine look so forward to gathering eggs each day to line them up and examine them different spots, speckles, blooms, and shades.
[speckled & bloomed eggs]
[all of these were laid by the same hen over a week’s time]
There are many type of chickens to choose from to have a good variety of colored egg layers. But in this post I’m just going to share some of my favorites and a few new types I’m ordering this year to add some beautiful, new colors to our egg collection.
Note: Buying chicks for a colorful egg basket will be more pricey, and they may not be quite as productive (although several of my colored egg layers do lay daily) – so if you’re just wanting efficiency, high production, readily available, heritage breeds are probably the best bet. They’re cheap to buy at local farm supply stores and produce reliably!
My picks for a fun variety of pretty hens by egg color
All hatcheries linked
Tinted – Silver Dorkings, Double Silver Laced Barnevelder, Silkies
Blues – Lavender Ameraucana, Alchemist Blue, Easter Egger
Bright Blue – Azure Egger
Greens – Olive Egger, Moss Egger, Sage Egger, Isbar
Light Browns – Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte’s, Barred Rock, Naked Necks, Buff Orpington
Dark Browns – French Black Copper Marans, Wellsummer
Chocolate – Coco Egger
Just pick one or two breeds from each color in the list and you’re all set! I’ll be rounding out our flock this spring with some new chicks. And I can’t wait to see what pretty colorful eggs we get from the new additions!
-Steph
