Why Some Chickens Lay Blue, Green, and Pink Eggs

Walk into a farmer's market and you might stumble upon a carton of eggs that looks like an Easter basket—sky blue, sage green, even pink-tinted shells. These aren't dyed or fake. They came straight from the chicken, and certain breeds naturally lay these colorful eggs.

The secret is genetics. Chickens like Ameraucanas and Araucanas produce a pigment called oocyanin, which soaks all the way through the shell, inside and out. Crack one open and you'll see the inside of the shell is blue too. The rare Cream Legbar also lays stunning sky-blue eggs, making them a favorite among backyard chicken keepers.

Green Eggs (No Ham Required)

Easter Eggers are the wild cards of the chicken world. They can lay blue, green, or even pinkish eggs depending on their genetic mix. Olive Eggers—a cross between a blue-laying breed and a dark brown layer like a Marans—produce eggs in deep olive and army-green shades. The brown pigment overlays the blue shell, creating that earthy tone.

Meanwhile, Favaucana chickens give you medium to large sage-green eggs. If Dr. Seuss had raised chickens, these would be his birds.

Pretty in Pink

Pink eggs are rarer and subtler. Breeds like Light Sussex, Australorps, and Buff Orpingtons lay eggs with a pinkish-cream hue. Sometimes the pink comes from an extra layer of bloom—a natural protective coating—on top of a light brown shell. It wipes off easily, but it's pretty while it lasts.

Does Color Change the Taste?

Nope. Shell color is purely cosmetic. The pigments don't penetrate the egg white or yolk, and they don't affect flavor, nutrition, or quality. A blue egg tastes identical to a white one if the chickens are fed the same diet and raised in similar conditions.

What does affect taste? The chicken's diet, lifestyle, and freshness. Pasture-raised hens eating bugs and greens often produce richer, more flavorful eggs—regardless of shell color.

Why Don't Grocery Stores Sell Them?

Commercial egg operations favor breeds bred for volume, not variety. White Leghorns dominate white egg production; Rhode Island Reds and other brown-layers fill brown cartons. Colored egg layers often produce fewer eggs per year, making them less profitable at scale.

But backyard chicken keepers love them. A mixed flock can give you a rainbow basket every morning—blue from the Ameraucana, chocolate brown from the Marans, cream from the Orpington. It's both beautiful and functional.