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Chicken eggshell colours explained

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Why do hens lay different coloured eggs?

The colour of the eggshell is a genetic characteristic and depends on the breed, variety or crossbreeding of hens.

The most common ones today are those with a “pink” shell, although in our rural tradition the classic eggshell colour was white. Some breeds lay eggs with brown shells such as chocolate, olive green or various shades of blue.

The colouring of the shell is due to substances that are deposited on the shell towards the end of the egg-forming cycle. When no pigment is added at the time of shell formation, white-shelled eggs are produced.

The different shades of colour also depend on the length of time the egg has been in the oviduct: the longer it is in the oviduct, the more intense the colouring.

When darker spots or streaks are observed on brown eggs, it means that the rotation of the egg inside the hen’s uterus has changed.

There are also hens that lay olive-green eggs. Again, this is a matter of genetics that is not linked to a specific breed but to a cross between hens that lay brown-shelled eggs and breeds that lay blue-blue eggs.

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