Why Do Chickens Lay Green Eggs?
After Dr. Seuss’ iconic story about green eggs and ham, I was under the impression that green eggs were a goofy fantasy. That belief lasted all the way through adulthood, after all, I’d only ever seen or eaten white and brown chicken eggs. That was until I visited a friend's farm and saw green-colored eggs in their chicken coop.
What I thought was a St. Patrick’s Day prank turned out to be real. The eggs really were green! As it turns out, green eggs are perfectly normal. I learned that green eggs are the unique product of certain chicken breeds whose color is created during the egg production process.
Keep reading to learn about green chicken eggs. In this article, I will discuss the following:
Which chicken breeds lay green eggs
A hen’s reproductive system
How genetics impact egg color
External and internal qualities of the “ideal egg”
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What Type of Chicken Lays a Green Egg?
When it comes to chicken breeds that are known for laying colorful eggs, there are certain breeds that can lay green eggs. However, even though these five breeds of chicken can lay green eggs doesn’t mean every egg they lay will be green. That’s because egg color can vary depending on the bird.
Araucana
Ameraucana
Cream Legbar
Olive Egger
What Does a Green Egg from a Chicken Mean?
For most people, the image we create when we imagine a chicken’s egg is normally of a white or brown egg. That’s because white and brown eggs are the most common. However, that does not mean that different-colored eggs, like blue or green, are “wrong” or “unhealthy.”
On the contrary, a green egg from a chicken is perfectly normal, especially if it comes from one of the popular breeds known for producing green-colored eggs.
How Chicken Eggs Are Created
Hens can begin producing eggs between 18 and 22 weeks old. The age at which hens start laying eggs will depend on their nutrition, time of year, and housing management. Most flocks can produce eggs for three to four years. In general, the level of egg production and shell quality will decrease as the hen ages. That’s why it’s normal to retire old hens (and add pullets) every two to three years.
Ovulation, which is the release of the egg yolk from the hen’s ovary, occurs every 24-26 hours. This process occurs regardless of fertilization by a rooster. A hen can ovulate a new yolk immediately after the previous egg is successfully laid.
Over time, a hen will lay its egg later in the day. Eventually, it will become too late in the day to signal the ovulation of another egg. When this occurs, the hen will skip a day (or more) before restarting to lay eggs.
Once the egg yolk is released, it takes about 26 hours for the egg to fully form. During this stage of the process, all eggs start out white. As the egg travels through the hen’s oviduct, pigments are deposited onto the egg. The pigments that are deposited vary based on the hen’s breed.
The Role of Genetics in Egg Color
The genetics of the hen determines the color of its eggs. The coloring of the egg occurs while the egg transitions through the hen’s reproductive system. The yolk is fully formed in the ovary. After it’s fully developed, the yolk follicle ruptures, releasing it from the ovary. From there, it enters the infundibulum, which is the entrance of the oviduct.
The remaining parts of the egg are added to the yolk as it passes through the oviduct. For example, the chalaze, albumen, shell membranes, and exterior shell form around the yolk to create an egg. It’s at this point that the egg is colored.
The breed of a chicken will dictate what color egg it will produce. Ameraucana hens deposit a pigment called oocyanin. On the other hand, hens that lay brown eggs deposit a pigment called protoporphyrin.
Other Impacts of Genetics
Some chicken breeds are better known as prolific egg layers than other breeds. For example, the Ameraucana can produce upwards of 250 eggs per year. That’s why they have the nickname “Easter egg chicken.” On the other hand, Cornish, Plymouth Rock, and New Hampshire chicken breeds are better for meat because they are not as productive at laying eggs.
Likewise, some chicken breeds are known for producing larger eggs. For example, single-comb White Leghorns are known for laying larger-than-average eggs. Age is also a factor in egg size. If a Leghorn chicken prematurely lays an egg, it’s common for the egg to be smaller. That’s why the older Leghorn chickens lay larger eggs.
Breeds That Lay Green Eggs
Chicken eggs come in a variety of different colors. The most common colors of eggs produced by egg-laying chicken are shades of cream and white or shades of brown. The rarest chicken egg colors are rust-colored, deep blue, and green.
While popular chicken breeds like the Buff Orpington are known for their pinkish and cream-colored eggs and the Silkie for its delicate cream-colored eggs (and sometimes pale pink), there are other breeds that are known for producing green-colored eggs.
Let’s take a look at five different chicken breeds that can lay green-colored eggs.
Ameraucana
Ameraucana chickens lay eggs in shell colors that vary from blue to green. Besides their colorful eggs, Ameraucanas are well known for their friendly dispositions. In addition, they are known to be hardy chickens. Their friendly disposition makes them excellent pets, and their hardiness makes them well-suited for colder climates.
Araucana
The Araucana chicken breed can lay blue, green, and sometimes pink eggs. They are well known for being friendly, docile, and curious chickens, making them ideal for backyard coops. Their curiosity means they love to forage and make for great free-ranging birds. They can be very active!
Easter Egger
Easter Egger chickens can lay a variety of colorful eggs, from dark green and orange to a light olive color (hence the name.) Easter Eggers are a hybrid breed between Ameraucana and Arucana breeds. They are prolific egg layers and make great backyard pets thanks to their friendly dispositions.
Cream Legbar
Looking for chickens that lay blue eggs? Cream Legbar chickens lay colored eggs that vary from soft blue to olive green. They are prolific egg layers, meaning they are super reliable at laying high-quality eggs on a daily basis. These blue egg layers are hardy chickens known for their ability to adapt to different climates, even cold climates. In addition, they are generally friendly birds.
Olive Egger
The Olive Egger is a cross between brown and blue egg-laying chicken breeds. As a result, they lay beautiful eggs in practically any shade, from light olive to deep forest green. In addition to inheriting unique shades of color from their genetic ancestors, they also inherit their behavioral characteristics. This means that Olive Egger are usually friendly birds and make good pets in a backyard chicken coop.
Are Green Chicken Eggs OK to Eat?
Yes, absolutely! Green-colored eggs are okay to eat. The green color of an egg does not dictate that the egg is rotten, moldy, or unsafe to eat. On the contrary, the green color is perfectly normal. That's because some chicken breeds, like the ones I mentioned above, are known for laying green-colored eggs, from light olive green to deep forest green.
External and Internal Egg Quality
The green color of an egg is not a representation of a bad-quality egg. On the other hand, egg quality is a term that refers to both external and internal qualities of the egg. External qualities relate to shell cleanliness, shape, and texture. Internal qualities refer to the egg white's cleanliness and viscosity, yolk shape and strength, and air cell size. The components of an ideal egg are 32% yolk, 58% egg white (albumen), and 10% shell.
External Egg Quality
Exterior egg quality is judged by texture, color, shape, structural soundness, and cleanliness. The ideal egg should be smooth, clean, and free of deformities (i.e., cracks). The egg should be uniform in size, shape, and color (even a green color is okay).
Common problems with eggs are:
Cracks due to too much pressure from the reproductive process
Cracks from thin shells due to nutritional deficiencies
Body-checks, a condition where the egg looks cracked but is actually intact
Pinholes, or very small holes in the egg shell
Shell-less eggs, usually the outcome of egg peritonitis
Internal Egg Quality
A fresh egg yolk is round and firm. As the yolk gets older, it decreases in quality. However, the composition of the egg white remains more or less the same. The egg white is composed of four parts.
The chalaziferous layer immediately surrounds the yolk and composes 3% of the white
The inner thin layer surrounds the chalazae and accounts for 17% of the white
The firm or thick layer provides an envelope that holds the inner white and the yolks and accounts for 57% of the white
The outer thin layer lays just inside the shell membrane and accounts for 23% of the white.
Final Thoughts
Although different-colored eggs may look strange compared to typical white eggs, they are perfectly normal. That’s because the color of an egg is a pigment that is added after the yolk is released from the ovary. After the yolk leaves the ovary, it begins to form its shell while in the oviduct. During this process, pigments are deposited onto the eggshell to give it a unique color.
The exact color of the pigment that is deposited onto the eggshell depends on the chicken’s breed. Some different breeds of chicken deposit brown pigments, while other breeds deposit white or cream-colored eggs. In the case of green-producing breeds, like the Olive Egger, the greenish color comes from a mixture of blue and brown pigments.
Want to learn more about raising chickens? Be sure to check out these articles!
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