If you have always believed that brown chickens lay brown eggs and white chickens lay white eggs, we have news for you! The color of the chicken’s feathers does not determine the color of the eggs she lays. Specific breeds of chickens, no matter the color of their feathers, lay eggs in different hues of brown.
Well-known brown eggers include Australorps, Rhode Island Reds, Marans, Plymouth Rocks, Jersey Giants, Buckeyes, Delawares, Dominique, Brahmas, New Hampshire, Orpington, and Barnevelder. Every breed is unique in its heritage and egg-laying abilities, personalities, and traits that lead to “eggciting” conversations.
Chicken Breeds That Lay Brown Eggs
Please allow us to introduce you to twelve ladies that produce marvelous brown eggs. The following egg-laying ladies are known for their excellent egg production, and their attractive traits and appearances add to their charm. Their origins are closely related to their hardiness and egg-laying abilities.
International Chicken Breeds That Lay Brown Eggs
The first five ladies up for discussion all have international origins and include the following:
Australorps
Australorps have origins in Australia, and the breed is cold and heat-hardy due to their extreme weather conditions. These gentle and docile chickens lay five or more large brown eggs weekly. The jet-black beauties mature early, have feathers with a beautiful green sheen, and are famous for their meat and eggs.
Barnevelders
Barnevelders were initially bred in Holland before finding their way to the rest of the world. These chickens produce three to four large brown eggs weekly and are gentle, calm, and friendly creatures. Barnevelder’s black feathers are unique, decorated with a double-layered partridge pattern. Having their roots in Holland, they thrive in cold and damp weather.
Orpingtons
Orpington chickens are extremely popular to keep as they are friendly, calm, and easy to oversee. Their English origin made them produce three to four large brown eggs per week, even in wintry weather. They have black, blue, buff, or white feathers.
Light Sussex
Another firm favorite is the White or light Sussex which also originates from England. This friendly and curious breed lays four to five large eggs weekly. Their feathers are speckled, and more white spots appear after every molt leaving the chicken to look different yearly. They are cold-hardy from England, and you will find them in speckled, light, and red colors.
Marans
The Marans, originally from France, hold the breed title that lays the darkest brown eggs of all the brown egg layers since no chickens lay black eggs. Their feathers are black copper, wheaten, or white, producing three to four eggs weekly. These madams are highly active but adapt well to being caged, and their hardiness differs. I have a full-breed guide on these gorgeous birds if you are interested here.
American Chicken Breeds That Lay Brown Eggs
The following ladies are fully fledged American-born and bred, and we will introduce them in alphabetical order.
The Brahma
Brahma chickens are fondly referred to as the “king of poultry” due to their high egg-producing capabilities during winter. Their feet are covered in feathers, and their bodies are covered with light, dark, or buff feathers. The gentle and friendly chickens lay three to four medium brown eggs weekly.
Buckeye chickens
Buckeye chickens resemble the buckeye nut’s mahogany red, hence their name. They are friendly, make good backyard flocks, are winter-hardy, and lay three to four medium brown eggs weekly.
Delaware chickens
Delaware chickens originated in Delaware, USA, and are a dual-purpose breed that provides meat and eggs, is cold and heat-hardy, and produces four to five brown eggs per week. They are white with incomplete baring bundled with a calm demeanor.
Dominique chickens
Dominique chickens are the oldest chicken breed in the USA. Their popularity became under threat with the arrival of the barred rock chicken, but their numbers are increasing steadily. They are excellent foragers with a gentle and kind disposition. These black and white barred chickens produce three to four medium eggs per week and do well in cold and hot climates.
Jersey Giant’s
Please make way for their largest chicken breed, the Jersey Giant. They mature slowly. This breed produces three to four large brown eggs weekly, and these white and black feathered chickens are cold-hardy. These “giants amongst chickens” have calm and gentle personalities. I have a complete guide on these large birds here.
Plymouth Rock’s
Plymouth Rock chickens are firm favorites amongst chicken keepers due to their friendliness. These chickens prefer to roam free and forage, but they adapt well to being cooped. They are cold-hardy and lay four to five large eggs per week. This chicken can be any of the following colors buff, blue, black, white, silver penciled, partridge, or columbian. Indeed a colorful breed!
New Hampshire’s
New Hampshire chickens originated in, yes, you guessed it, New Hampshire! They mature early and consistently lays four to five large brown eggs weekly. They are cold and heat-hardy. This breed’s ancestors include Rhode Island Reds stock from which they descend, which is confusing at times since they share the same red feathers and traits.
Rhode Island Reds
Nearing the end of this category, we find the Rhode Island Reds. They were crowned the “superior breed” for backyard stock since they are famous for meat and eggs. The red feathered birds produce four to five large or extra large eggs weekly and are cold and heat-hardy. In addition, their docile personalities make them easy to keep and tend.
Wyandotte
Wyandotte chickens derived their name from the Native American Wendat tribe and originated in New York and Wisconsin. They vary in color, namely white, black, silver laced, gold laced, blue, columbian, partridge, and silver penciled. Their calm demeanor and cold-hardiness make them favorites. These chickens lay four to five large eggs per week.
Hybrid Chickens That Lay Brown Eggs
Do you know how every family has that one person whom everyone adores, loves and accepts, but they never seem to “fit” the mold? Let us introduce the Sex Link chicken that is not pure-bred yet loved and accepted. These chickens were bred with the distinct purpose of egg-producing, in which they excel.
This breed was first developed in America and is available in various colors determined by their hatchery. They are referred to as Sex Link or named after their hatcheries, such as Golden Comet, Cinnamon Queen, and the like. These calm, cold-tolerant chickens produce five and more large eggs per week and stem from cross-breeding pure-bred chickens with high egg-laying properties.
What Causes An Egg To Be Brown?
First, please note that brown eggs are only brown on the shell’s surface; the inside is white. Therefore, the egg’s contents remain yellow and white, the same as any other chicken egg, no matter the shell color.
A senior chemistry lecturer at Tasmania University, Nathan Kilah, became interested in the chemistry behind different colored eggs after he had set up chooks. He explained the chemistry of eggshell color as depositing a pigment called protoporphyrin IX on the surface of the shell.
The brown color pigment is only deposited on the surface of the shell and does not permeate through the calcium layer because the coloring process happens right before the hen lays the egg.
Interestingly, the browns tend to lighten as the laying hen age.
Why Are There Different Shades Of Brown Eggs?
The answer to this question is simply genetics. Different breeds of chickens carry different genetics. For example, those carrying “brown egg genetics” will produce the shade of brown egg that their genetics allow for, varying from almost pink to a dark mahogany brown.
Do Brown Eggs Taste Different To Other Eggs?
All chicken eggs taste the same, no matter the color of the shell. Slight variations in taste may occur depending on their feed and the egg’s freshness. Fresh chicken eggs are healthy, safe, and affordable worldwide.
Are Brown Eggs Healthier To Consume Than White Eggs?
Consumers perceive brown eggs as being healthier due to their more natural color, while the fact is that they are not more healthy or more nutritious than, say, white eggs. The size, color, or grade does not affect the nutritional value of eggs. Eggs are healthy, high-protein food that contains vitamins and minerals and should form part of a healthy balanced diet.
How To Tell If An Egg Is Fresh
The easiest way of determining the freshness of an egg is called the floating method. This method is handy if you have no idea how long the egg has been sitting on the shelve, fridge, or in the basket at the farmer’s market or if you have trashed the original package with the date stamp.
Fill a container with water and carefully lower the eggs, resting them on the bottom of the container. Discard any eggs that float or turn upright at the bottom of the container.
A second way to quickly determine the freshness is to look at the egg carton and locate the sell-by date.
Sniffing the egg is a sure way of determining if you are dealing with a rotten egg before even cracking it. Always clean out and wash any container with rotten eggs cracked in to avoid possible food poisoning.
The US Department of Agriculture determined that each American consumes up to two hundred and eighty eggs annually, which is fantastic news for chickens, chicken farmers, and consumers. Long live the humble brown egg!
David Cameron is a passionate chicken enthusiast. Growing up, he always wanted to be a veterinarian and loved animals. After graduating from veterinary school, David spent over 40 years as an equine veterinarian. He and his wife retired a few years ago and moved to North Carolina. Here, David’s love of chickens grew even more – he now has 7 chickens and 6 quail. If you have any questions about chickens, feel free to reach out.