here are brown, white, green-bluish, and even black chicken eggs. But why do the eggs have a different color and can you tell from the chicken what color the eggshell will be?
However, before the question of how egg colors are created is finally clarified, it should be noted which egg colors are actually used in chickens. There are essentially three basic colors of eggs: white, brown and green or green-blue. In addition to the three basic colors, there are other color variants, so that there are the following color variations for chicken eggs:
- white eggs
- cream colored eggs
- brown eggs
- green (green-blue) eggs
- black eggs (special case)
Theories on the origin of the different colors in eggs
As already mentioned, various theories about the origin of egg colors are circulating among the population. Some are quite simple, others are quite complex. The five most common hypotheses are:
Plumage color of the chickens
The most popular theory relates to the color of the plumage of chickens . So many people believe that a brown chicken lays brown eggs, a white chicken lays white eggs, and a black chicken lays black eggs. According to this theory, there should also be green or green-blue chickens and let's be honest: Have you ever seen a green chicken?
Diet affects egg color
Another hypothesis is related to the diet of the chickens. Some people suspect that the chicken feed has an effect on the egg color. Theoretically this is possible, but with the usual egg colors, the diet of the animals has no influence on the later color of the eggs.
Keeping the chickens is crucial
Some people also believe that the way the chickens are kept or their well-being affects the color of the eggs. But the different egg colors can be found both on small outdoor organic farms and on large farms that are kept on the floor or even in cages.
Race and genes determine the color of the eggs
Another idea is that the chickens lay their eggs in a very specific color due to their breed or genes. However, this would mean that a chicken would only ever lay eggs of one color.
The egg colors are created randomly
The last theory, which is also very popular, is very simple: the color of the eggs is random and there is no particular reason why some eggs are brown and some eggs are white. However, this would not explain the green or black eggs.The answer to the question: why are eggs different colors?
As already mentioned, the answer to the question of how chicken eggs develop color is not at all complicated. Nevertheless one has to distinguish between brown, cream colored and white, between the green eggs and the black eggs.
Basically, the genes of the chickens decide whether the eggshell will be brown, cream, white or green. Each breed of chicken always lays eggs of a specific color. The ears can be used to determine in advance what color the egg will be later.
For example, chickens with white ears lay white eggs and chickens with red ears lay brown eggs. An exception are non-purebred chickens. The ear disc, which is located just behind the eyes, cannot be used to predict what color the eggs will be.
Green eggs
In addition to the brown and white chicken eggs, there are also green and green-blue chicken eggs. These come from the so-called Araucana, a breed of chicken that was introduced to Europe from South America in the 19th century. In terms of taste, the green eggs do not differ from the more well-known brown and white eggs. The nutritional content of the greenish eggs is neither higher nor lower than that of other eggs.Black Eggs (Onsen Eggs)
There are also black eggs, so-called onsen eggs (onsen tamago or Kuro tamago), but the eggshell only turns black due to the very special preparation. The onsen egg originally comes from Japan and is particularly popular there, as the egg yolks and whites never fully congeal or curdle, giving it an incredibly creamy consistency.
The onsen egg gets its black color from being cooked in hot springs for around one hour. The minerals and sulfur in the springs turn the eggshell black. In addition, the eggs take on a characteristic salty-sulphurous taste from the springs. Not to be confused with the fermented centenarian eggs, the inside of which is also black.