Easter Egg Chickens: Breeds That Lay Colorful Eggs
Quick Reference: Easter Egg Chickens
- What they are: hens that lay naturally colored eggs in shades of blue, green, sage, pink, and yellow. No dye involved.
- Easter Egger: a mixed-breed bird with a playful personality and a rainbow of egg colors.
- Araucana: a Chilean breed with ear tufts and no tail that lays true blue eggs, blue right through the shell.
- Ameraucana: an American breed from the 1970s, bred down from Araucanas, laying light blue to greenish-blue eggs.
- Common mix-up: “Araucana” and “Americana” get used loosely for any blue-egg layer, but most of those birds are Easter Eggers.
If you have been thinking about adding a few hens to the backyard this 2026 season, Easter egg chickens are about as much fun as a flock gets. They lay a rainbow of naturally colored eggs, blue, green, sage, pink, and yellow, and they tend to have the kind of curious, friendly personalities that make chores feel less like chores. Below we sort out the three birds people mean when they say “Easter egger,” how they differ, and which one belongs in your coop.
What Are Easter Egg Chickens?
Easter egg chickens are hens that lay eggs in a range of soft, natural colors, the way a basket of dyed Easter eggs looks, except these come straight from the nest. The color is set by the breed and is baked into the shell, not painted on. If you want the full picture of why one hen lays a blue egg and another lays brown, Michigan State University Extension has a clear explainer on why different chickens lay different colored eggs. The three birds people usually have in mind are the Easter Egger, the Araucana, and the Ameraucana, and they are not interchangeable.
Easter Egger Chickens
Easter egger chickens are a mixed-breed chicken with delightful, amusing personalities. Many people add them to their flock because they lay eggs in a wide variety of colors, including blue, pink, green, sage, and yellow. No two birds are quite alike, and a single hen lays just one color, so a small flock of Easter Eggers fills the carton with a true rainbow.
Bring a little color into your life. Your kids will love you for it, and you will be rewarded with nutritious eggs and nitrogen-rich fertilizer for your garden. That second benefit is easy to overlook: well-aged chicken manure feeds the soil, and the scraps you toss to the flock come back as compost for the beds. If you time your beds by the Gardening by the Moon Calendar, that coop becomes a quiet little engine for the whole garden.
Araucanas
If you have been thinking about raising a few chickens for eggs, consider the Araucana. There are a lot of great egg-layers out there, such as Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns, but few are as delightful, especially if you have children. This breed was originally developed in Chile.
Araucanas have ear tufts and no tail, because they are rumpless and actually lack the vertebrae that support a tail. More interesting still, they lay blue eggs that are remarkably blue even on the inside of the shell. That blue runs all the way through, rather than sitting as a coating on the surface the way a brown egg’s color does.
One word of caution on names. The name Araucana is often incorrectly used in the US to describe any chicken that lays green or blue eggs, many of which are actually mixed breeds. A true purebred Araucana is fairly rare in North America, so if a bird is sold simply as a “blue egg layer,” odds are good you are looking at an Easter Egger.
Ameraucanas
The Ameraucana is an American breed of domestic chicken developed in the US in the 1970s, derived from Araucanas. Breeders set out to keep the blue egg and the friendly nature while losing some of the traits that made the rumpless Araucana hard to raise. They lay beautiful light blue to greenish-blue eggs.
Ameraucanas are only available through breeders, so be sure you find a reputable one. Sometimes these birds are incorrectly referred to as “Americanas,” a spelling that turns up on hatchery lists and feed-store chalkboards every spring. They are known for having a fun personality and a docile, sweet temperament, which is part of why they are such a popular pick for families.
Easter Egger vs. Araucana vs. Ameraucana
The three birds are easy to confuse because they all trace back to that same blue egg. Here is the short version of how they line up side by side.
| Bird | What Sets It Apart | Egg Colors |
|---|---|---|
| Easter Egger | Mixed breed, playful personality, no two quite alike | Blue, pink, green, sage, yellow |
| Araucana | Developed in Chile, ear tufts, rumpless with no tail | Blue, all the way through the shell |
| Ameraucana | American breed from the 1970s, bred from Araucanas, sold through breeders | Light blue to greenish-blue |
The simplest rule of thumb: if a hen lays a single, consistent blue egg and has ear tufts but no tail, it is likely an Araucana. If the egg is light blue or greenish and the bird came from a breeder, it is an Ameraucana. If the bird is a one-off mix laying any color under the sun, that is your Easter Egger.
Getting Started With Easter Egg Chickens
A small backyard flock does not take much: a dry, draft-free coop, a fenced run, clean water, good feed, and a nest box or two. Three to six hens is a comfortable starter flock for most families, and the colorful layers above mix happily with steady brown-egg breeds like Rhode Island Reds. If you are still planning the build, our guide to choosing and setting up a chicken coop walks through the basics.
Ready to get started? Check out Raising Backyard Chickens For Eggs: A Beginner’s Guide here!
With assistance from freelance writer Paul Robert.
Easter Egg Chickens: Frequently Asked Questions
What are Easter egg chickens?
Easter egg chickens are hens that lay naturally colored eggs in shades of blue, green, sage, pink, and yellow. The color comes from the breed and is part of the shell, not dyed on. The term usually covers Easter Eggers, Araucanas, and Ameraucanas, though only the Easter Egger is a true mixed breed.
What colors of eggs do Easter Eggers lay?
Easter Eggers lay eggs in a wide variety of colors, including blue, pink, green, sage, and yellow. Each individual hen lays one color, so a mixed flock of several Easter Eggers is what fills the basket with a rainbow.
What is the difference between an Araucana and an Ameraucana?
The Araucana was developed in Chile, has ear tufts, is rumpless with no tail, and lays blue eggs that are blue even on the inside of the shell. The Ameraucana is an American breed developed in the 1970s from Araucanas, sold through breeders, and lays light blue to greenish-blue eggs.
Why are Araucana eggs blue all the way through?
The pigment that gives Araucana eggs their blue is laid down as the shell forms, so the color runs through the whole shell rather than coating only the outside the way brown egg pigment does. Michigan State University Extension explains how breed genetics set egg color.
Are Ameraucanas the same as “Americanas”?
No. “Americana” is a common misspelling of Ameraucana that turns up at hatcheries and feed stores. True Ameraucanas are only available through breeders, so be sure you find a reputable one, and double-check the spelling and the breeder’s reputation before you buy.
Are Easter egg chickens good for families?
Yes. Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas are known for fun, docile, sweet personalities, which makes them a favorite with children. They lay nutritious eggs, give you nitrogen-rich fertilizer for the garden, and the colorful eggs are a hit with kids. Do you raise any of these breeds? Let us know your favorite egg color in the comments.
Join The Discussion!
Do you raise Easter egger chickens or any of the others mentioned above? What is your favorite egg color? Let us know in the comments below!
This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
- Farmers' Almanac Staff
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- Farmers' Almanac Staff
We are new to the chicken raising world and decided on Easter egggers for our first go at it. It was fun watching them grow and were very excited last week when one of our hens laid their first egg. I say it was blue my wife says green. Looking forward to our other hens laying and continuing this journey!
I live in Bridgewater nova scotia…..and I’m looking to buy an Easter egger….can anyone tell me how to find out where to look or who to contact? Thank you in advance.
Pat you might want to look online at Cackle Hatchery. they have them listed in their catalog. or there are other hatcheries that you can order from.
Im finding it so hard in Ohio to find Golden Comets No one local or in WV seems to have them and cant order them ? Any one else having this problem?
do you need to cover the pallets with chicken wire? or are they usable as is, for the false floor?
As is
Just brouight a new chick into our fold the other day and she’s fairing quite well. The kids love her and she comes a running when they are bringing veggie bits to the girls.Her personality is already shining through,calm ,gentle and enjoying human company. Were so looking forward to her coloured eggs.