Best-of guide

Best Chickens for Colorful Eggs

A rainbow egg basket starts with the right breeds. These chickens lay something other than plain white or brown — blue, green, olive, pink, or deep chocolate.

  1. 1 Easter Egger

    Easter Egger

    blue, green, pink

    Lays blue, green, pink eggs — about 250 a year.

  2. 2 Ameraucana

    Ameraucana

    blue

    Lays blue eggs — about 200 a year.

  3. 3

    Olive Egger

    olive, green

    Lays olive, green eggs — about 200 a year.

  4. 4 Araucana

    Araucana

    blue

    Lays blue eggs — about 180 a year.

  5. 5 Marans

    Marans

    dark brown

    Lays dark brown eggs — about 180 a year.

  6. 6

    Welsummer

    dark brown, speckled

    Lays dark brown, speckled eggs — about 180 a year.

At a glance

#BreedEggs/yrEgg colorTemperamentCold
1 Easter Egger 250 blue, green, pink friendly, docile, active good
2 Ameraucana 200 blue active, friendly good
3 Olive Egger 200 olive, green friendly, calm good
4 Araucana 180 blue active, alert good
5 Marans 180 dark brown calm, docile good
6 Welsummer 180 dark brown, speckled calm, friendly, active good

Specs are compiled from public sources; blank cells mean the figure wasn't available, not zero. Rankings are a starting point — your climate and goals matter too.

Find your exact match in the Breed Finder → Size your coop