Chickens that lay blue eggs are few and much between.
As we will see, getting blue eggs is a little more advanced than getting a brown or white egg.
It’s a genetic trait and one which has develop into very fashionable over the previous couple of years!
Virtually everybody enjoys a wide range of colours within the egg carton – brown, white, blue, inexperienced even pink!
On this article, we’re going to check out the highest 8 breeds which lay blue eggs.
However first…
How Are Blue Eggs Fashioned?
Earlier than we have a look at breeds which lay blue eggs, let’s first have a look at why they lay blue eggs.
What makes a blue egg so very totally different from every other egg?
All of it begins within the reproductive tract.
All eggs are ‘born’ white. Some will keep white/cream or off white, as much as the laying level as a result of they haven’t any pigment overlay.
Brown eggs begin to develop into brown within the uterus. Brown eggs are made by the appliance of a dye onto the eggshell.
The dye is named protoporphyrin and is constituted of the bloods’ hemoglobin.
The shade of brown is managed by the genetic blueprint of the hen.
Different components can have an effect on the dyeing course of too, for instance – if the egg goes slowly via the tract, it’ll have speckles.
The hen solely makes a specific amount of dye for every egg, so an extra-large egg might seem paler than a daily sized egg. Or if there’s a hiccup an egg may be partially coloured leaving a two tone look, a lot as your printer ‘operating out of ink!’
As you most likely know, if you need to clear a brown egg the coloring will rub off leaving paler patches.
Blue eggs, nevertheless, are fairly totally different.
The oocyanin (a liver pigment derived from biliverdin) begins to get laid into the calcium carbonate base of the shell firstly of the method.
The colour, subsequently, turns into a part of the egg and can’t be ‘rubbed off’. The blue colour is carried all through the shell to the within.
White and blue are the 2 ‘true’ egg colours. Brown, olive and inexperienced can all be faraway from the shell because the pigments are laid over the shell.
Current research into the blue egg coloring counsel that it’s brought on by a retrovirus which altered the hen DNA and brought on blue eggs approach again in historical past.
It’s a innocent virus that provides us fairly blue eggs!
Which Breeds Lay Blue Eggs?
Breeds that lay blue eggs are few and much between.
On your comfort, we’ve got produced an inventory of 8 breeds that lay blue eggs, some breeds lay greater than 200 eggs a 12 months!
For sure, virtually the entire breeds talked about listed here are costly to purchase – besides the Easter Egger!
Araucana
The Araucana is initially from South America – Chile to be precise.
The Araucana is definitely a mix of Colloncas and Quetros chickens of Chile – the primary hen inhabitants of the continent.
The Colloncas laid blue eggs and had been rumpless – no tail feathers and no tailbone. The Quetros had tufted ears, pea comb, full tail and laid brown eggs.
These two breeds had been bred collectively by Dr Ruben Bustos again within the Eighteen Eighties’ and he created the Araucana as we all know it as we speak.
This breed is sort of uncommon, partly due to the deadly tufting gene. If each dad and mom have the gene for tufting, no less than twenty 5 per cent of the chicks will die within the shell.
They’ll often solely be bought from a breeder as a lot work goes into producing these uncommon birds. They aren’t identified to be pleasant or ‘cuddly’ chickens, so actually are usually not appropriate for many yard hen keepers.
The Araucana is available in bantam and commonplace dimension fowl. As a breed it was admitted to the American Poultry Association in 1976.
It is best to anticipate round 200-250 eggs a 12 months.
Cream Legbar
The cream Legbar is a twentieth century creation.
Two professors at Cambridge College in England had been working with hen genetics to try to create an auto-sexing hen.
On the time these birds had been created, blue eggs weren’t common and the breed virtually turned extinct. The Legbar is a mixture of Leghorn, barred Plymouth Rock and Araucana.
The Araucana blood is mirrored within the crest and, after all the blue eggs.
The breed remains to be comparatively uncommon, however gaining popularity with yard lovers. They’re pleasant birds, nice foragers, fairly muscular and really predator savvy.
The hen weighs about 5 and a half kilos with the cock weighing in at about six and a half kilos. The hens will lay round 200 eggs per 12 months.
Easter Egger
The beloved Easter Egger is just not the truth is a acknowledged breed however a hybrid or ‘mutt’ hen.
Someplace in its ancestry it had both Araucana or Ameraucana blood and so possesses the blue egg gene.
Though not all Easter Eggers will lay blue eggs.
Easter eggers might lay something from pale pink via to a darkish brown, olive, inexperienced or blue coloured egg.
Additionally it is known as the Rainbow layer due to the number of egg colours attainable, they’ll lay round 250 eggs per 12 months – not too shabby!
It’s stated to be a wonderful chook for a household flock, being pleasant and docile, reacting properly to babies.
It ought to have a pea comb and muffs. Feather coloring is broadly variable from chook to chook – as is egg colour.
They make nice moms and can go broody rapidly. They’re good for hatching any eggs you care to place beneath them.
They’re good foragers and fairly predator conscious.
They’re thought-about to be the most effective free-range breeds as a result of their love for foraging and their very own predator-like look.
It has been stated that the Easter Egger has a hawk-like look, thus, it’s thought that they deter hawk assaults, in addition to different small animal assaults.
Dongxiang and Lushi
These two kinds of hen come from the provinces of China.
I’ve discovered scant details about them besides that the Lushi hen seems to put both pink or blue eggs. Maybe that is the Chinese language equal of an Easter Egger.
The Lushi is a small chook, the cock weighing lower than 4 kilos and the hen lower than three kilos. They’re a single comb breed.
The Dongxiang hen is a fibromelanistic chook, which means its’ pores and skin, muscle mass and organs are black – a lot because the Ayam Cemani. They lay blue eggs solely. So far as I do know, no birds exist outdoors of China.
Whiting True Blue
This breed was created by Dr Tom Whiting of Colorado. He had twin pursuits in thoughts – blue eggs and excellent hackle feathers.
The hackle feathers on superior birds are used for fly tying and are distinctive in high quality. The plumage of ‘true blues’ can fluctuate from a ‘chipmunk’ sample to easter egger selection.
The birds are stated to be quick rising, good flyers, alert and lively. They’re additionally pleasant and curious.
In case you really feel the necessity to add them to your flock, be ready for a bit of ‘sticker shock’ – these beauties will value you round twenty 4 {dollars} per chook.
It is best to anticipate upwards of 200 eggs per 12 months.
Arkansas Blue Hen
An experimental breed presumably created by Dr R. Keith Bramwell on the College of Arkansas.
The chook is outwardly a cross between an Araucana and a business pressure of white Leghorn. An distinctive layer of round 250-350 eggs per 12 months!
The looks is near a Sumatra hen, with clear face, pea comb and yellow pores and skin and legs.
I owned two of those at one time. I discovered them flighty and in no way pleasant to people, evidently they didn’t keep very lengthy!
Ameraucana
Previous to 1976, Araucana breeders had their very own visions of what was the right Araucana.
Some breeders cross bred with different breeds searching for the perfect of the whole lot.
The American Araucana at the moment might look very totally different from flock to flock.
The purists bred for tufts and rumpless, but others bred for tails and muffs.
The birds weigh in at round 5 and a half kilos for each sexes.
They lay someplace round 180-200 eggs per 12 months.
They’ve a light, pleasant disposition and are docile.
The true Ameraucana remains to be comparatively uncommon. Many different birds (often Easter Eggers) are bought by hatcheries beneath the title Americana (observe spelling) or some comparable sounding title, so it’s a case of purchaser beware!
True Ameraucana chicks promote for round eighteen {dollars} every, so in case you are provided Ameraucanas at two {dollars} every – be very cautious.
While you need to buy your first blue-egg-laying chook, you will notice some confusion (and a few deliberate misspellings) between the Ameraucana and Americana.
The true title for the blue egg-laying chook is Ameraucana.
An Americana is more than likely an Easter Egger. So when looking hatcheries, look ahead to this error so you understand what you might be buying.
Blue Egg Laying Hen Breeds: Abstract
Mans’ tinkering with genetics will little question proceed and maybe we’ll see extra blue egg layers sooner or later, who is aware of?
Hopefully it won’t be on the expense of the hen.
Most of the birds talked about right here are usually not notably ‘human pleasant’, presumably as a result of they’re comparatively new breeds and retain a lot of the wild jungle fowl genetic sample.
So, if you need blue eggs, be ready to pay premium value for these birds.
My suggestions based mostly on the analysis offered right here can be the cream Legbar – they appear to be comparatively pleasant and would match properly with an present flock.
Do you have got blue egg layers?
If so what breed and do you discover them sociable?
You understand we love to listen to from you…