Unexpected Colors Rainbow Eggspectations

Purina Farms Shiloh Farm

beards. They’ re often confused with Easter Eggers but are a recognized breed with a standard.

• Araucana: Originating in South America, these rumpless chickens also lay true blue eggs and are prized for their unique appearance.

• Cream Legbar: A British breed with auto-sexing traits— meaning males and females can be distinguished at hatching by their down color or patterns— Cream Legbars lay light blue eggs and are excellent for backyard keepers.

Green and Olive Egg Layers

• Olive Egger: A hybrid between a blue-egg layer and a dark brown-egg layer( often Ameraucana × Marans), Olive Eggers produce a range of olive-green shades, sometimes even speckled.

• Easter Egger: These hybrids are not a breed but rather a mixed lineage often carrying the blue egg gene. They can lay blue, green or even pinkish eggs.

Dark Brown Egg Layers

• Marans: Marans( especially Black Copper Marans) are famous for their deep, chocolatebrown eggs, often with a glossy sheen.

• Welsummer: These Dutch birds lay rich, terracotta eggs, frequently with speckles.

• Barnevelder: Another beautiful breed with deep brown egg production and striking laced plumage.

Light Brown and Tinted Egg Layers

• Buff Orpington: These gentle giants lay large, light brown to peach-toned eggs.

• Rhode Island Red: A classic American dualpurpose breed, they produce dependable medium-brown eggs.

White Egg Layers

• Leghorn: Famous for their prolific laying and snow-white eggs, Leghorns are commercial egg producers but still found on many homesteads.

• Ancona: This Mediterranean breed lays bright white eggs and is known for its foraging ability.

Creating Your Rainbow Basket Creating a colorful egg basket isn’ t just about the aesthetic appeal— it’ s also an opportunity to maintain rare breeds, diversify your flock’ s genetics and explore the unique traits each breed offers. Here are a few tips to get started:

• Plan Your Palette: Think about the colors you want— blue, green, brown, speckled, white— and then research the breeds that produce them.

• Diversify for Stability: Having multiple breeds can provide consistent egg production throughout the year, as different breeds respond to weather, light and feed conditions differently.

• Choose for Personality and Purpose: Egg color is just one trait. Also consider size, temperament, cold / heat hardiness, broodiness and predator awareness.

• Keep Records: If you hatch your own chicks, especially from mixed-breed flocks, keep notes on which hen laid which egg color. This is especially useful if you’ re developing your own olive or rainbow egg lines.

The Value of Color Aside from their natural beauty, colored eggs offer surprising value, especially for small farms and homesteaders. Consumers are often willing to pay more for mixed-color dozens due to their visual appeal and perceived freshness. Many market growers have turned to heirloom or specialty egg baskets to differentiate themselves and tell the story of their flock.

In addition, many of the breeds that produce colored eggs are heritage or rare breeds, meaning by keeping them, you’ re also participating in conservation efforts. Organizations like The Livestock Conservancy encourage the preservation of heritage breeds, and your backyard flock can be part of that mission

The next time you open an egg carton filled with pastel blues, mossy greens, deep browns or pristine whites, remember that each egg reflects genetics, biology and history. Colored eggs don’ t just brighten breakfast— they celebrate the diversity of poultry and the joys of small-scale farming.

Whether you’ re a seasoned chicken keeper or a curious newcomer, embracing a colorful egg basket is an invitation to explore breeds, genetics, sustainability and the natural wonder of the humble egg.

About the Author

Alexandra Doss has been working with poultry for over 18 years. Known as the Quail Lady, as Coturnix quail was her first specialty on her selective breeding operation, Stellar Game Birds, Poultry, Waterfowl LLC in Florida. She has written two books on Coturnix husbandry. She and her husband focus on breeding heritage animals and breed preservation.

By Maggie MacHale

( SPONSORED CONTENT)— Out in Kenesaw, Nebraska, sits a 5-acre homestead with chickens, ducks, turkeys, alpacas, emus, sheep, goats, vegetable gardens and plant nurseries. Noah Young and his wife are first-generation homesteaders on Shiloh Farm, building their legacy with their four children and a menagerie of animals.

For them, the farm is about building something to pass on to their kids and sharing the experience with others. The real inspiration for starting it all, however, was his kids, to teach them responsibility through the care of animals, especially chickens.

Rooted in Purpose Every day, Noah and his kids care for the chickens on Shiloh Farm. They check the water, fill the feeders and collect the eggs, creating little moments each day to form and build a connection, not just between father and child but also between themselves and the flock they care for. There’ s also a surprising number of things in common between the two.

“ As a father of four, I learned that raising children is very similar to raising chickens in a lot of ways,” Noah stated.“ The lessons, you know, they start small, so things like remembering to fill the waterers or make sure their feed is fresh, you ' ve got to do the same thing with your kids.”

Small lessons can build into something bigger for Noah and his family. Beyond building connection and responsibility, he also aims to pass down the importance of keeping a consistent schedule for animals.

Consistency Wins the Race Noah starts most days eating breakfast with his kids. Then, they go out and check the coops, refresh the water, feed the hens, water the vegetables and usually harvest whatever is ready.

Eggs get collected around lunchtime, and in the evening, he checks for any stragglers outside the coop and that the sprinklers in the garden are off. By passing on consistency, his kids learn that even the small things make a difference and that just one day without water, or one day without food, can have weeks of lasting consequences.

The biggest part of Noah’ s day, however, is sitting.

“ There ' s so much about the power of just taking a simple moment to check for things and being in tune with your flock.”

This allows Noah to spot issues before they grow into larger problems. He looks for signs of illness and stress. Particularly in the summer, he