What breeds for colorful eggs?

[debid]

My mom's buff Brahmas lay almost round, pink eggs with purple specks. So pretty! But I don't know if that's typical or not -- her two came from the same source.

 

[kfacres]

here's about what you need to know... you have white layers, and browns. The only thing left to need is green and blue and dark browns.. pink does not exist- its more by chance.

If you take the dark browns and breed them to the blues-- you get olives.. if you take the browns and breed them to the blues, you get greens... if you take the light browns, and breed them to the whites-- you get 'pinkish'.

if you have speckled, and want more solid colored eggs.. stick in some good ole fashion white leghorn...

 

[L0rraine]

We have a variety of chickens somewhat similar to yours. It seems there is always someone laying a pink(ish) egg or at least they look pink in contrast to all the other colors. Ours came from a Buff Orpington and maybe now from our laced Wyandotte. We've had Marans hoping for the really chocolaty brown looking eggs, but ours haven't even come close. It sounds like you need to get the really good chocolate egg layers from someone who breeds their Marans (I think there are a few other breeds as well) specifically for very dark eggs.

We have one EE, but would love to add a true Ameraucana someday, hoping for a bit bluer egg. Still, everyone we give eggs to is always impressed by the different colors (and shapes and sizes).

For some of us, it truly is fun to have the variety.

 

[chiks4nena]

thanks everyone's input has been really helpful. I suppose pinkish would have been a better description.

 

[kfacres]

When I was younger, we had several H Q RIR's that would lay a pinkish egg... The interesting part, was these eggs would actually change colors... After cooled down, you couldn't tell a difference in them from the browns-- until warmed up again..

 

[Sushi]

I got lucky and have had a number of different birds that lay pink eggs: 3 silkies, a cochin and my seramas. They are different from the "tinted" cream coloured eggs that my other hens lay.

 

[Kaneke]

I got Easter Eggers from the local feed store, and they got theirs from Privett hatchery

six hens (bought seven chicks, all supposed to be pullets, but ... one is a cockerel for sure)

six different colored eggs (though the hens all look very much alike)

so I get: robins-egg blue, light turquoise blue, pastel mint green, pastel mossy green, khaki-olive drab, and pastel coral pink

what that really means, is that five of them lay basically blue eggs, with four of them adding slight, to lots of, brown overlay
one lays a white egg with a "breath" of brown overlay (but granddaughter tells me is definitely PINK)

************

while people will tell you that Easter Eggers are "just mutts", in fact it appears that many hatcheries do breed chickens that look very much alike .. and they produce chickens which resemble each other strongly

(and it annoys many breeders that many of the hatcheries then call these chicks Americana, Ameraucana, or even Araucana; as do people who then breed these chicks, not realizing that they are NOT what the hatchery calls them)

it is confusing because Ameraucanas which grow up to be non-standard colors, are considered to be EEs, Ameraucanas and Araucanas crossbred with other breeds are considered to be EEs, and EEs crossed with other breeds are still considered to be EEs