Perhaps you have seen purple chicken eggs online and you might be wondering, “What chickens lay purple eggs?”
Unfortunately, there aren’t any chicken breeds that naturally lay purple eggs.
However, you may find a purple-colored egg from time to time in your nesting box.
In this post, we will discuss:
- What chickens lay purple eggs
- What makes an egg purple
- If different colored eggs taste the same
- Some chicken breeds that lay other colored eggs
- Some frequently asked questions
What Makes a Chicken Egg Purple?
No chicken breed can lay a true purple egg.
There are some eggs that appear purple due to the bloom that the chicken creates around the eggshell.
A red or purple bloom does not occur for every egg that the hen lays. For example, a chicken may lay a deep chocolate-colored egg one day and a slightly purple egg the next day.
Chickens that lay brown or cream-colored eggs have a chance of laying the occasional purple or plum-colored egg.
The bloom on the chicken egg that makes it look purple will wash off when wet.
What is a Bloom?
Each egg has thousands of tiny pores in the shell and the bloom is the protective cover that surrounds the entire egg, including the small pores.
The bloom prevents bacteria from getting inside the egg. It is made up of egg proteins, lipids, glycoproteins, and calcium carbonate.
The bloom helps to keep the egg fresh by providing moisture inside the egg.
Unwashed chicken eggs can be kept at room temperature for a month or sometimes longer. This is because the bloom protects the egg from spoilage.
However, if you choose to wash your eggs, the bloom will get washed off and the eggs will then need to be kept in the refrigerator.
How Is the Egg Bloom Made?
An egg bloom is created during the egg-making process.
During this process, the egg will form a thin layer of egg white which reacts with calcium carbonate from the eggshell. This will create the protective coating on the eggshell that is called the bloom.
It takes a couple of minutes for the bloom to dry once the egg is laid.
That being said, it’s important to keep your chicken’s nesting boxes clean from bacteria, waste, and other contaminants so that the egg does not absorb them before the bloom dries.
The process of creating the bloom occurs 30-60 minutes before the egg is laid and can feel wet or sticky for a few moments after the egg is freshly laid. This is the bloom drying on the egg.
What Chickens Lay Purple Eggs?
As stated above, there is no chicken breed that will lay a true purple egg.
Some eggs may appear purple due to the bloom that the chicken creates around the shell. Eggs with a purple hue typically come from chickens that naturally lay brown or cream-colored eggs.
This purple hue will disappear once the egg has been washed off.
Here are a few breeds that are known for laying the occasional purple or plum-colored egg:
Marans
Maran chickens are one of the most notorious purple egg layers.
They produce some of the darkest brown eggs that a chicken can lay with the occasional purple bloom.
Marans are typically kept for their egg-laying abilities as they tend to lay around 150 to 200 large brown eggs yearly.
Younger hens have a higher chance of laying a purple egg than older hens.
Croad Langshan
Croad Langshan chickens lay around 150 large, cream or brown-colored eggs per year.
This breed is known to occasionally lay eggs with thick blooms. At times, they will lay gorgeous pink or plum-colored eggs.
Welsummers
Welsummer chickens are one of the most docile and intelligent breeds you can find.
This breed lays rich chocolate brown colored eggs which sometimes have a purple bloom. Their eggs also sometimes have speckles, giving them a beautiful molted look.
Welsummers are great egg layers, laying around 200 eggs per year.
Easter Eggers
If you are looking to put a wide range of colored eggs on your counter, you may consider an Easter Egger chicken.
They are known to be great egg layers, with one hen laying around 250 eggs per year.
Each Easter Egger chicken will only produce one egg color, but there is a chance of finding one that lays dark brown colored eggs with the occasional purple bloom.
Easter Eggers can also lay blue, green, or pink eggs.
Can You Predict A Chicken’s Egg Color?
You can predict a chicken’s egg color simply by looking at the specific breed of chicken.
Chickens of the same breed typically lay the same color eggs.
For example, Plymouth Rock chickens all tend to lay brown eggs.
There are exceptions, however. There are some breeds like Easter Eggers where the hens can each lay an assortment of different colors.
Each chicken can only lay one color of egg, however. So, if you have an Easter Egger hen that consistently lays brown eggs, she will always only lay brown eggs.
Egg color is determined by the hen’s genetics, and can not be changed with age, diet, or environmental changes.
Can Chicken Eggs Change Color Over Time?
Chicken eggs tend to stay the same color over time.
However, as a hen ages, the pigment in her eggshell may slightly decrease.
For example, if a hen lays deep chocolate brown colored eggs, they might become slightly dull or lighter as the hen gets older.
Dull or less pigmented eggs can also occur in younger hens that are subjected to stress or given a poor diet.
A hen can become stressed by a number of different things including an unsafe shelter, not enough food or water, or predators.
It’s important to maintain a safe environment with the proper diet and water to ensure your chicken stays happy and healthy.
Do Different Colored Eggs Taste Different?
The taste of a chicken egg is dependent on the hen’s diet and health.
Therefore different colored eggs (pink, purple, green, blue), do not taste different than normally colored eggs (brown, cream, white) considering the chickens are fed the same diet.
Some people with refined palates may be able to taste the difference between colored and noncolored eggs, but most people won’t taste a difference.
What Chickens Lay Pink Eggs?
Some chicken eggs can appear pink when a red-colored bloom covers a white or cream-colored egg.
Some chicken breeds that can lay pink eggs include:
- Easter Eggers
- Faverolles
- Buff Orpington
- Light Sussex
- Croad Langshan
- Molted Java
- New Hampshire Red
- Rhode Island Red
- Barred Rock
What Chickens Lay Blue Eggs?
Blue chicken eggs are not very common, but there are a few breeds that lay beautiful blue eggs.
Here are a few chicken breeds that lay blue eggs:
- Ameraucana
- Araucana
- Easter Eggers
- Cream Legbar
What Chickens Lay Green Eggs?
There are also a few chicken breeds that lay green eggs.
Some of these breeds include:
- Olive Eggers
- Easter Eggers
- Favaucana
- Isbar
- Ice Cream Bar
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, there aren’t any chicken breeds that lay purple eggs.
However, there are a bunch of different chicken breeds that lay a wide range of colored eggs that are beautiful to look at and delicious to eat.
Still want to learn more? Keep reading below for some frequently asked questions about colored chicken eggs.
FAQs
What is the rarest color of chicken egg?
One of the rarest colors of chicken eggs comes from Favaucanas, a hybrid breed of Leghorns and Americaunas.
Their eggs range from vibrant mint green to bright baby blue.
Pink also tends to be one of the rarest colors of chicken eggs.
Some hens that lay cream-colored eggs can lay the occasional pink egg with a thick red bloom that makes the egg appear pink.
How many eggs do chickens lay?
Some breeds of chickens are great egg layers and some aren’t.
There are some breeds that lay less than 100 eggs per year and there are some that can lay over 300 eggs per year.
How many eggs chickens lay each year heavily depends on the breed of chicken, genetics, age, health, and stress levels of each individual chicken.