Build Your Own Unique Rainbow Egg Palette

We’ve previously covered the fascinating genetics behind chicken eggs, but now we want to highlight some of our favorite breeds to help you achieve the rainbow egg basket you’re after.

At Myers Poultry, we categorize our layers by color: white, brown, and colored layers. But did you know that depending on the breed and the traits they inherit from the parent stock, you will see a variety of shades from each category?


Egg colors are not cut and dry. In a sense, shopping for egg layers is not too far off from looking at paint swatches at the hardware store. No two eggs are exactly alike, even from the same breed or category.

For example, our brown egg layers may give you shades ranging anywhere from pale khaki to dark cocoa brown. Every hen is an individual, which means their eggs are just as unique as their genetic makeup.

With this guide, we will outline a few ways you can mix and match chickens that lay colored eggs to achieve beautiful color palettes. Whether you're after creamy neutrals or something dark and moody, we have countless options for every grower.

Chickens For a Beige or Neutral Palette

Best Breeds: White Leghorn, Pearl Star, Plymouth Blue Rock

Egg Production Range: 220-335 per year

Perfect For: Folks who want a simple, understated egg basket that doesn’t totally steal the show. Expect to see crisp white, Bavarian cream, almond, and mocha brown.

White Leghorn chickens lay a pure white egg. Unlike other breeds, there isn’t any variation in their egg color. That is because their eggs lack pigment, while all the other breeds we mention deposit pigment onto their egg during the egg laying process. If you're curious about the science behind it, reference our blog about chicken egg colors and hen genetics to learn more.

Pearl Star chickens are classified as a white egg layer, but their eggs are actually tinted, and not pure white like the White Leghorn. When it comes to this layer, you can expect shades of pearl, porcelain, or cream. They have a natural, understated beauty. Even better, this is one of the best egg layers on the market, so you’ll have plenty of these creamy eggs to go around.

Plymouth Blue Rock chickens are classified as brown egg layers, but their shade of brown tends to be on the lighter side. Not all brown egg layers lay the exact same shade, and depending on the hen, you can get anywhere from pale almond to dark chocolate. From our experience, we see Plymouth Blue Rocks laying shades of brown that range from khaki to mocha.

Chickens For a Moody and Dark Palette

Best Breeds: Mystic Marans, Olive Egger, Rhode Island Red

Egg Production Range: 200-300 per year

Perfect for: Folks who want deep jewel tones, rich colors, and eye-catching eggs that are hard to ignore. Think shades of chocolate brown, red wine, mahogany, artichoke, and forest green.

Mystic Marans are classified as a dark brown egg layer, but that doesn’t truly do their eggs justice. They are nicknamed the “chocolate” egg layer because their eggs usually come out a very rich dark brown. In many cases, Marans eggs have a jewel tone to them: think plum, red wine, or mahogany. This is one of our favorite layers, because their eggs are far more pigmented than other breeds. Occasionally, their eggs come out as speckled.

Olive Egger chickens are known for their distinct olive-green eggs, but shades can vary from lighter green to a deep army green. In this case, the eggs laid by this Olive Egger are a bit more pastel olive than a deep olive. This chicken is a hybrid breed, so it’s not possible to determine exactly what color they will lay. More often than not, you’ll get the distinct olive-green shade, but there are various other shades and colors that are possible—more on that later.


Rhode Island Red hens are one of the most dependable brown egg layers, and their eggs are usually a medium or deep brown. Out of our brown egg layers, this Rhode Island Red hens tends to lay a shade or two darker than some of our other breeds. You can see from our photographs the difference between this breed and other brown egg layers.

Chickens For an Earthy and Natural Palette

Best Breeds: Americana, Olive Egger, Barred Rock

Egg Production Range: 200-300 per year

Perfect For: Growers that want an egg basket that reflects the beauty of nature and their own backyard. Think pale blue skies, sage greens, desert sand, and woodsy browns.

Americana chickens lay beautiful eggs that are typically shades of pastel blue. In some cases, their eggs may verge on more of a pale seafoam green. We love the variety in shades that this breed produces. This is a hybrid chicken (they are an offshoot of the Ameraucana), so ultimately the egg color will vary. However, you can usually expect blue eggs. 


As mentioned previously, Olive Egger chickens lay green eggs, but they can also come out on the lighter side as depicted in these photos. Whether your chicken ends up laying light or dark green eggs, we think these are an ideal choice for an earthy palette.

Barred Rock hens are classified as brown egg layers. Compared to other brown layers, their egg color usually sits somewhere in the middle range. From our experience, this breed produces woody, malty browns. This breed would be a good addition to your flock if you’re looking for a shade of brown to round out your earthy palette.

Chickens For a Cheery and Bright Palette

Best Breeds: Buff Orpington, Sapphire Sky, Americana 

Egg Production Range: 200-280 per year

Perfect For: Growers that want an egg basket reminiscent of Easter or spring. Expect apricot pink, taupes, light brown, seafoam green, and pastel baby blue.

While Buff Orpington hens are technically brown egg layers, their egg color is usually on the lighter side of brown.

If the egg has a heavy bloom, it may look light pink. We picked up these Buff Orpington eggs from our clients at Echo Springs Farm.

You can see here what a difference there is between an Buff Orpington chicken egg and Rhode Island Red egg. They are both brown egg layers, but the shades each breed produces are very unique.

Sapphire Sky chickens are a cross between a Barred Rock and a Plymouth Blue Rock chicken. Like other hybrid breeds we have mentioned, their egg color will vary from bird to bird. Generally, they lay green eggs, but it could be possible for your eggs to turn out a deep olive green or pale brown.

To round out this cheery palette, we think Americana chickens are the perfect addition. Whether you end up with a pale blue or greenish blue egg, they will add the perfect touch of color and evoke that springtime feeling.



Other options for a pink egg: 

Although it is rare, we should mention that Olive Eggers do have the potential to lay a pink egg. They are a cross breed, so it’s impossible to predict exactly how their eggs will turn out. They have the potential to lay dark brown, blue, green, or pink eggs.

If you want to add a total wildcard to your flock (and you’re open to a variety of potential colors), then Olive Eggers are your best bet.

Chickens For a High Contrast Palette

Best Breeds: White Leghorn, Barred Rock, Mystic Marans

Egg Production Range: 200-335 per year

Perfect For: Growers that want to see the full range of white to brown in all of its glory. Crisp white, milk chocolate, and deep plums round out the palette.



You can't get much different than the crisp, pure white of a White Leghorn chicken egg versus the dark, reddish brown of a Mystic Marans egg. Placing those two eggs together really shows you the full range of color chickens are capable of producing. It's a true testament to the unique genetics of laying hens.

For a nice happy medium between these two distinct layers, we would suggest Barred Rock chickens for their beautiful, woody brown eggs. They look great placed between the lightest and darkest eggs on the spectrum.

Things to Consider About Egg Color and Layers

As always, we recommend that growers purchase breeds that align with their needs and local climate conditions, rather than making a decision based on aesthetics or egg color.

If you’re after certain colors, there are a variety of different breeds you can choose from to achieve the same shade. We suggest doing some research to discover the breeds that are right for you.

Before getting chickens that lay colored eggs, ask yourself the following about each breed:

How many eggs do they lay a year?

Are they cold hardy or heat tolerant?

What is their personality/demeanor?

Does this breed have any special care requirements?

We encourage you to read through our breed descriptions on the Myers Poultry website to find the colors and attributes you are looking for within your flock.

Questions About Choosing Colorful Layers

How many different breeds should I get for rainbow eggs? For a variety of eggs, anywhere between 3-6 different breeds would be a good place to start. Even just 3 well-chosen breeds (like we outlined above) can help you achieve a beautiful color palette, especially if you only have room for a smaller flock.

I really want a pink/green/blue egg layer. How can I guarantee that? Aside from standardized breeds with solid genetics, there isn’t a way to 100% guarantee what color your chickens will lay. Even when it comes to standardized breeds that will always lay a brown egg, there will be some variation in the shades they produce based on the individual genetics of the hen.

When it comes to hybrid breeds like Americanas, Olive Eggers, and the Sapphire Sky, it’s a guessing game what color egg they will ultimately lay.

If you're after certain colors, we would suggest getting 2-3 of each breed to increase your chances that one of the chickens in your flock will lay your desired color.

My chicken lays green eggs. Will it ever lay a blue egg? No, the first color your hen lays is the color it will continue to lay for its lifetime. Egg color does not spontaneously change between laying cycles. However, the shade your chicken lays may get lighter over time due to aging.

I want colorful eggs but I don’t really care what breeds they are. How should I choose? Let us choose for you at a discounted price. Myers Poultry offers various color assortments (brown, white and brown, premium, and rainbow) to give you a full range of options. Breeds are chosen at random and are subject to availability.

Build Your Dream Color Palette with Myers Poultry

Whether you're looking for something subtle or you're dreaming of bold, eye-catching eggs, we offer a variety of layers to meet your needs.

Explore our full catalog of chickens that lay colored eggs and discover top-performing breeds within each category to build your rainbow egg basket.


Need help choosing? Don't hesitate to reach out to our friendly customer care team and start building your dream layer flock.