What Chickens Lay Black Eggs? (Breeds and Egg Color) Donna Larson, April 3, 2025April 3, 2025 With the high prices of eggs, perhaps you’re looking to start your own backyard flock of chickens at home. Internet research says that you can have an egg basket filled with beautiful colors, including black eggs. This leaves you asking what chickens lay black eggs, and where can you get them? What Chickens Lay Black Eggs? Have you ever heard of a chicken that lays black eggs? It sounds like something out of a fairy tale, but there are whispers of such a phenomenon in the poultry world. While most eggs come in shades of white, brown, or even blue, some claim there’s a rare breed capable of producing eggs as dark as night. But is it fact or fiction? Let’s crack open the mystery. Separating Fact and Fiction The truth is that there is no chicken that lays black eggs. You can find breeds that lay several colors, from white to chocolate brown and even pink, but there is no black egg-laying chicken. What About Ayam Cemani Chickens? You’ve heard that black chickens, Ayam Cemani from Indonesia lay black eggs, am I right? I, too, once fell for the claim that they lay black eggs, but they do not. The Ayam Cemani hen is totally black with black feathers and black skin. She even has black internal organs and black or grey meat. Ironically, her eggs are white. But I Saw Black Eggs Online If you came across images of black eggs in Japan while searching What chickens lay black eggs, you likely found Hakone’s Hell Valley. It’s odd that a place can be known for black chicken eggs, when there’s no such thing. There’s no naturally colored black chicken eggs. Hakone’s Hell Valley, Japan, is famous for its sulfuric hot springs in volcano country. Fresh eggs are placed in the geothermally heated waters. The water contains hydrogen sulfide and iron, which react with the eggshell. As the eggs boil in the hot springs, the iron in the water sticks to the shell, and a chemical reaction with the sulfur causes the shell to turn black. These black eggs are considered a delicacy, and local legend claims that eating them can add seven years to your life. This makes for a fun stop for visitors because where else will they be able to try black eggs? Cayuga Ducks Sometimes, cayuga ducks may lay very dark grey, nearly black eggs when they first begin laying eggs for the season. This is a pigmented tint applied to the egg shell before the duck lays her egg. It seems the tint wears out before the season is over. She’ll lay lighter eggs as she continues to lay, sometimes progressing to white. The dark pigment can sometimes be rubbed off, revealing a lighter shell underneath. Emu Eggs Have you seen black emu eggs on a popular homesteading content creator’s social media? No, you haven’t. Emu eggs are a deep dark green, sometimes appearing almost black or bluish-green. Their color helps them blend into the environment, providing natural camouflage in the wild. Colored Chicken Eggs Now that we’ve answered your question of What Chickens Lay Black Eggs, let’s look at the chickens that you can get to make your egg basket shine. Here’s a breakdown of chickens by egg color to help you decide what to purchase. Remember, some of these breeds are more for fun and less for production. If you want production birds, check out The 21 Best Chicken Breeds For Your Backyard Flock. Additionally, we have so much information on keeping chickens at home from brooding, egg laying, health, and butchering in our Chicken Library. The Darkest Chicken Eggs So you can’t get black eggs, but you can get very dark brown eggs. The darkest chocolate-colored eggs are going to come from these hens: 1. Bantam Cochins (maybe) Origin: China Egg Color: All shades of brown to cream. Occasionally, you’ll find a very dark brown Bantam layer. Personality: They make excellent pets and are popular in backyard flocks and show circuits. They’re cold-hardy due to their fluffy feathers but need dry conditions to prevent wet feathers from causing health issues. 2. Barnevelder Origin: Netherlands Egg Color: Medium to dark brown, some with speckles Personality: Hardy, easygoing, and good layers While their eggs may not be as dark as Marans, they still have a deep brown color. Resistant to damp conditions while other breeds may develop respiratory infections. 3. French Black Copper Marans Origin: France Egg Color: Dark chocolate brown egg layers Personality: Generally calm but can be a bit flighty The Black Copper Maran is famous for laying some of the darkest brown eggs, with some eggs appearing almost mahogany or reddish-brown. 4. German Bielefelder Origin: Germany Egg Color: Large brown eggs, often with a slight pinkish hue Personality: Docile and easy to handle, even roosters tend to be mild-mannered. Good foragers, and they make great dual purpose birds growing lots of meat. 5. Heritage Welsummer Origin: Netherlands Egg Color: Dark terracotta brown with speckles Personality: Friendly, intelligent, and good foragers Their eggs have a slightly matte finish and are often speckled, making them visually unique. White Eggs All chickens’ egg shells are primarily made of calcium carbonate, which makes them white. However, white egg layers lack any pigment so their eggs remain white. Interestingly, if a chicken has white earlobes, then it is a white egg layer. Here are some of our top picks for white egg layers: 1. Anconas Origin: Italy, but later refined in England Personality: Friendly but not overly affectionate, preferring to roam and explore. Bred for production making them excellent layers, even through Winter. 2. Andalusians Origin: Spain Personality: Active and Independent Beautiful breed known for its striking blue feathers, excellent egg production, and hardy nature. 3. Buttercups Origin: Sicily Egg Color: White (to slightly tinted cream color) Personality: Very flighty birds, so not the one to try to cuddle. Light weight, slender birds making them good for hot climates. 4. Catalana Origin: Catalonia area of Spain Egg Color: mostly white, can also be slightly tinted cream color Personality: Flighty, independent birds, much like Leghorns. Excellent production hens, easily tolerating hot climates. Great foragers that free range well. 5. Leghorns Origin: Italy, and imported into the US in the 1800s. They were quickly fine-tuned into the production breed we know today Egg Color: White Personality: Not super friendly cuddlers. They prefer to scratch for food and be on the move. Similar to Catalanas. Good egg layers, active, heat tolerant birds surviving well as free rangers. The Cream-Colored Egg comes from these Breeds of Chickens: 1. Dorkings Origin: an ancient British breed dating back to the Roman Empire era Egg Color: mostly cream tinted color, but you may find a slightly pink tinge to some. Personality: They get along well with people. If you want chickens that follow you around the homestead, dorkings are a great option. Gentle, friendly, docile chickens. Hens often go broody making them a sustainable option for reproduction. Cold-hardy birds. 2. La Fleche Origin: France Egg Color: large white eggs Personality: Shy birds preferring to be left alone. Good foragers, roaming large spaces. Great dual-purpose breed as they were originally raised for their high quality meat. Somewhat rare breed, considered a heritage breed these days. 3. Lakenvelders Origin: certainty unknown but believed to be from Ancient Middle East Egg Color: white medium eggs Personality: Not friendly but not aggressive either. Good for free ranging. They do not tolerate cold climates well. Large combs are designed for heat dissipation and are prone to frostbite in cold winters. Light Brown Eggs 1. Bantam Cochins (maybe) Origin: China Egg Color: All shades of brown to cream. Occasionally, you’ll find a very dark brown Bantam layer. Personality: They make excellent pets and are popular in backyard flocks and show circuits. They’re cold-hardy due to their fluffy feathers but need dry conditions to prevent wet feathers from causing health issues. 2. Basque Origin: Northern Spain Egg Color: large brown eggs Personality: friendly birds, preferring company Fast-growing birds making them a good dual-purpose chicken if you want just one breed for eggs and meat. 3. Black Australorp Origin: Australia Egg Color: Light Brown eggs Personality: Easily tamed and love human interaction—often follow their owners around. Good meat bird and high egg production making them good dual purpose birds. 4. Jersey Giants Origin: New Jersey, United States Egg Color: brown, from large to extra large Personality: known as “gentle giants” due to their sweet demeanor paired with their large size. Large birds, most popular of the black chicken breeds. Developed as a large breed for meat in hopes of replacing the turkey for production. 5. Rhode Island Red Origin: Rhode Island, United States Egg Color: large brown eggs Personality: Highly adaptable to most any conditions. They do well in coops or free ranging, and almost any weather climate. Extremely consistent layers, making them popular for production. 6. Orpingtons Origin: England Egg Color: brown eggs Personality: Docile temperament, making them good family-friendly birds. Excellent mothers often going broody. 7. Plymouth Rock Origin: Massachusetts, United States Egg Color: Many shades of brown and tan. Personality: Friendly and curious making them great pets. Hardy birds that thrive in mixed breed flocks in most any climate. Hens That Lay Blue Eggs Include: 1. Ameraucana Origin: United States (bred out of the Araucana to stabilize a gene defect) Egg Color: light blue or green Personality: Docile chickens that get along in any flock of mixed breeds. They have feathered beards and cheeks, making them desirable to family flocks. 2. Araucana Origin: Chile, South America Egg Color: known for their blue color Personality: Mostly indifferent to people. Roosters can be extra protective of their flock. Most araucanas have no tail, but they make up for the lack of feathers with their puffy beards and muffs. 3. Cream Legbar Origin: United Kingdom Egg Color: blue Personality: Cream Legbars are active and curious chickens that enjoy foraging and exploring their environment. The better blue egg layer, giving up to 250 eggs per year. 4. Isbar Origin: Sweden Egg Color: Blue Personality: Docile, friendly and generally non-aggressive. Good mothers. 5. Whiting True Blue Origin: United States Egg Color: Bright blue eggs Personality: Easy to handle, but prefer to be independent birds. Bred for production, laying up to 300 eggs per year. Consistent layers even through winter. 6. Easter Egger Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Easter Egger” breed giving blue eggs. Actually, there is no specific breed with the name. Easter Egger is a broad name given to the group of chickens that lay blue, green, and even pink eggs. These Chickens Lay Green Eggs: 1. Ameraucana Origin: United States (bred out of the Araucana to stabilize a gene defect) Egg Color: light blue or green Personality: Docile chickens that get along in any flock of mixed breeds. They have feathered beards and cheeks, making them desirable to family flocks. 2. Olive Eggers Origin: Come from crossing blue egg layers with brown egg layers. Egg Color: shades of dark green. Personality: Can be any range of docile to aggressive. They will take on the characteristics of the parent birds they were bred from. Is there a flavor difference in egg color? Sometimes we want different colors in our egg basket just for their beauty, but that doesn’t mean that they’re really any different. A chicken egg is a chicken egg, and their insides should be the same. You may notice flavor differences based on the chickens’ diet and freshness. If you’re new to farm fresh eggs, get ready for a much larger flavor profile than your standard grocery store eggs. Specifically, free range chickens will find the most robustly varied diet as they roam about for bugs and greens. Remember – What Chickens Lay Black Eggs? When searching for the perfect backyard chickens, don’t forget that there are no chickens who lay black eggs. Not even the ayam cemani chicken. You can still choose dark brown egg layers, white layers, and easter eggers to round out your colorful egg basket. Creating a flock of different chicken breeds is part of the fun of keeping chickens. Happy Homesteading! Donna @ Hazel Belle Farm Donna and her family have been homesteading for most of their 20+ years together in some shape or fashion. She currently lives on their 20 acre farm where they grow as much food as possible. What started as a just a few laying hens, has grown into large gardens, pastured poultry, pork, and lamb. They are continuously evolving their small farm to not suit their family’s needs, but also providing to their local community. Donna’s favorite part of the family farm is her self-built micro-dairy, where she gets to love on dairy cows while serving her local community. Milking, cheesemaking, and processing dairy have become the soul of their homestead and the center of their farm. Chickens Homesteading