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Black Chickens That Lay White Eggs

Do all black chickens lay white eggs?

The colour of a hen’s eggs depends on her breed. Because one chicken breed can have various colour variations, the colour of a chicken’s feather really doesn’t determine what egg colour it produces.

Therefore, some black-feathered chicken breeds lay white eggs, while some lay different colours. It all depends on the breed of the chicken.

Why do chickens lay different coloured eggs?

The main factor that determines what colour of eggs a hen lays is genetic (depends on her breed).

Other than that, there are other factors that can slightly alter the egg colour.

These changes aren’t significant, and it won’t turn a chicken’s eggs from white to blue.

But it can make the eggs turn lighter, darker, or a little tinted.

A pretty accurate way of determining a hen’s egg colour is to look at the spot in her ear area.

Most of the time, white spot means white eggs and brown spot means brown eggs.

However, some breeds don’t abide by this rule.

What is the most common colour of chicken egg?

Regardless of the colour of its feathers, the most common chicken egg colour is white.

White eggshells mean they have no pigment, unlike other coloured eggs such as brown eggs that gain pigment from the hen’s haemoglobin

Aside from the more commonly sold white and brown eggs, there are also some colourful chicken eggs out there.

Some people intentionally breed chickens to get colored eggs.

Are white eggs different from brown eggs?

In terms of nutrition values, there is not much difference between white eggs and coloured eggs.

All eggs contain a high amount of protein, iron, and vitamins. 

Instead of the colour of the eggshell, the hen’s diet and living conditions can be determined by the colour of its eggs’ contents.

Hens who live on more open grounds and have access to grass pasture produce darker, orangey yolk.

However, different-colored yolks too have the same nutrients and the colour of the yolk doesn’t determine the egg’s nutrients.

8 Breeds of black chicken that lay white eggs

  • Polish chickens (Poland)

Unlike what the name suggests, Polish chickens (also called Polands) are actually believed to have originated in the Netherlands or Italy.

They are very distinguishable due to the unique shape of the feathers on top of their head. On top of their (also unique) v-shaped comb, they have very long and thick crests, often resulting in a fluffy, round-headed chicken.

This crest plays a big part in their temperament, as the thick feathers can block their vision, causing them to be more irritable at times. Other than that, Polish chickens are mostly friendly and curious.

Many Polands have black feathers, such as the Silver Polish, White Crested Black Polish, and Golden Polish. Other colour variations of the breed are White Polish, Black Crested White Polish, and Buff Laced Polish.

Polish chickens lay about 2-4 eggs per week. Their egg-laying is seasonal, amounting to around 100 eggs annually. While this may not sound much, Polands lay eggs earlier than most breeds at 5 months old. Their eggs are relatively small with off-white colouring.

  • Black Minorca

Minorca chicken is a breed that originated in Menorca, an island near Spain. When the British colonized the island, they began breeding the now more common, “international” type of the Minorca. Minorcas are now very common all across Europe, America, and other parts of the world.

While there are other colour variations of the Minorca such as white and buff, most Minorcas are black and they’re said to shimmer with green under the sunlight. They look very elegant with a slender black-feathered body and long tail with a single comb atop their head. One of its determining characteristics is the unusually big black earlobes.

Black Minorcas have a big build. They are active and prone to travel too far when allowed to free-range. However, they’re not fussy at all if confined. Minorca chickens are friendly and calm and they love human company. They are a good choice for a pet for children.

Minorca chickens are known to be great egg layers. They typically lay 120 eggs annually, but the number can increase if they’re put in warmer places. Minorca chickens lay big, chalk white eggs.

  • Leghorn

Now very common in the US, Leghorn’s origins lie in Tuscany, Italy. This small-sized chicken breed doesn’t possess any physical trait that makes them stand out from other breeds. They have white earlobes, red wattle, and a single comb or rose comb.

Leghorns are considered to be a friendly and intelligent breed. When allowed to free-range, Leghorns will find their own food. They are very active and they like to busy themselves. Some owners say that Leghorns are relatively noisy because of their active nature.

Not necessarily black-feathered, there are many other colour variations of Leghorn chicken, such as white, buff, brown, silver, and even red. In fact, white Leghorns are more popular than their black counterpart.

Producing 280-300 eggs a year, Leghorns are widely recognized to be one of the top egg layers. The colour of the eggs is chalk white and large in size. The eggs get even larger as the hen gets older.

  • Andalusian

Andalusian chicken is a breed of chicken from the Spain otonomy Andalusia. This chicken breed was deliberately bred to show more of their beautiful blue feathers. They are often described as elegant because of their upright carriage. Their feathers are closely packed and they have a relatively small body. 

The most common variety of Andalusians is the Blue Andalusian. However, there are also black and white Andalusians. Typically they have a dark laced plumage.

They are known to be flighty, especially when touched by humans. They also like to free-range and are very tough and hardy. Andalusians lay around 160 eggs yearly that are white in colour.

  • White Faced Black Spanish

The Spanish chicken breed is a domestic chicken from Spain. However, the more commonly found Spanish breed was bred in the UK. The white faced black variation of Spanish chickens is often called Clown Face due to their white face looking like a clown. Because of this, they’re bred more as ornamental fowl. 

When newer chicken breeds were found to be better layers, the White Faced Black Spanish soon decreased in population. It got so bad that it was once considered an endangered species. But the truth is this breed is still a great egg layer, laying up to 180 large white eggs a year.

The population decrease is believed to have been influenced by their ill temperament. They’re not friendly with humans and are very flighty. They are very active, like to roam around, and also noisy.

  • Ayam Cemani

Ayam Cemani is a breed of chicken from Java, one of the main islands in Indonesia. Ayam in Indonesian means chicken, therefore the name of this breed is essentially Cemani.

Interestingly, this chicken is fully black, inside and out, from its comb down to its toes. This colouring has caused them to be associated with spiritualism by the locals. There are rumours that Ayam Cemani’s eggs are also black, but this is not true. Ayam Cemani eggs are off-white coloured.

This breed is still pretty rare, even in Indonesia they’re not often consumed. They have an upright, strong-looking build and are always alert. However, they are generally friendly and docile.

Cemanis are not great egg layers. They typically only lay one egg a week, amounting to about 80 eggs per year. However, some owners claim that their Ayam Cemani chickens lay eggs quite often, and can even lay an egg everyday. This may depend on the hen’s age and her living conditions.

  • La Fleche

As suggested by their name, La Fleche (locally spelled as Flèche), is a French chicken breed, specifically from the town of La Fleche. Back in the 15th century, their meat was considered one of the finest.

La Fleches have a very distinctive feature of a v-shaped comb that looks like horns, earning them the formidable nickname of Devil Bird. Their white earlobes are also very prominent. Their body is medium size with black plumage and compact feathers. 

This breed isn’t the friendliest chicken breed out there. They are pretty alert around humans and they would rather be free-ranging. They’re very active and capable when facing other breeds or even other animals. Despite their active nature, La Fleches behave well in confinement.

They are also pretty productive, laying about 180-200 eggs a year. La Fleche eggs are large and off-white in colour. Owners should be careful when collecting eggs as the hen can get broody.

  • Swedish Black Chicken

Swedish Black Chicken or Svart Hona chicken does not originate in Sweden, as it was brought to Sweden from Mozambique. It also bears a resemblance with Ayam Cemani, leading some people to believe that the Svart Hona too is actually from Indonesia.

The similarities we’re talking about is the all-black appearance of the breed. Just like Ayam Cemani, Swedish Black Chicken is black inside-out, including their comb, legs, even meat and organs. This breed is considered to be luxurious, so much so that it’s deemed as the Lamborghini of the poultry world. They are relatively small in size, but not bantam. 

The Swedish Black are very friendly. They are easy to train and are often used as show birds. They are also active and love to free-range. Svart Honas are good egg layers, laying around 150 up to 250 eggs per year. The size of the eggs can be either medium or large and off-white in colouring.

Photo credits

¹ Photo by Pussreboots on Flickr

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