11 Chickens That Lay Pink Eggs You’ll Love
Do you want to create the perfect rainbow chicken egg basket? Chicken breeds lay different colored eggs, and you might want to add some chickens that lay pink eggs into your backyard flock.
Pink chicken eggs come in a variety of hues, such as salmon, baby pink, sand, and seashell. Typically, pink eggs often come from the bloom that chickens lay; some lay heavier blooms than other hens. It’s quite an individual thing!
You won’t find a chicken that lays a magnetic egg or something that looks like it belongs in a Barbie set. While having a basket of colorful eggs is possible (and my goal), nature only produces natural colors.
If you want different shades of pink eggs in your egg basket, here are some breeds of chickens that lay pink eggs.
Related: 9 Chickens That Lay White Eggs for Your Homestead
Do Chickens Actually Lay Pink Eggs?
Yes and no. In most cases, chickens don’t lay pink eggs. They are brown egg layers with a pink bloom, but in some cases, the eggshell itself is salmon or pale pink.
However, chickens that lay pink eggs – actual pink egg layers – are rare. No breed of chicken guarantees a pink egg layer; this is different than blue egg layers or olive eggers. You can hope your chicken lays pink eggs, but even if you buy all the breeds on the list, it’s impossible to guarantee.
11 Chickens That Lay Pink Eggs
1. Salmon Faverolle
Salmon Faverolle is a breed that originates from France, named after a village in Aisne. They typically have a lifespan between 5 to 7 years and produce medium-sized eggs.
France poultry framers consider themselves a dual-purpose breed because they generally weigh 6.5-8 lbs. They are also steady egg producers, making them a solid homesteader choice.
Salmon Faverolles receive their name also from the pinkish tinge on their body. These birds love to free-range and roam around your property; they prefer foraging. If you live somewhere with cold winters, this breed is exceptionally cold-hardy as long as they have shelter to stay dry.
2. Barred Rock
Barred Rock is one of the most common chicken breeds that lay brown eggs. However, sometimes, they have pink blooms that look pale pink. Expect large to medium-sized eggs four to five times per week.
These chickens generally weigh 7 pounds and are hard-working chickens. They lay eggs until around 8-10 years of age, with their peak age around 3 years of age.
Barred Rock is a heritage chicken breed; we know they appeared around the 1800s. These chickens are friendly and docile that love to forage and roam around your property. However, they handle confinement fine if you need to keep them in a chicken run.
3. Buff Orpington
One of the chickens that lay pink eggs the most in my flock is my Buff Orpingtons. That surprised me since I expected brown eggs, but their blooms are almost always light pink.
Buff Orpingtons are heavy birds, weighing around 8 pounds. They lay up to 5 pinkish-brown eggs each week. Some records say these chickens used to lay around 340 eggs per year, but that number decreased over the years.
These chickens are gentle and friendly, perfect if you have kids on the homestead. Despite their ample feathers, Buffs are both cold and hot weather hardy, but be sure to provide plenty of shade and water.
Related: 13 Best Cold Weather Chicken Breeds for Your Flock
4. Light Sussex
Another breed I enjoyed having in my flock years ago is Light Sussex. This flock originated in England and is believed to be fantastic egg layers. This breed lays large brown or pink-ish eggs several times per week, averaging up to 240 eggs per year.
Overall, Light Sussex chickens are calm and known for being friendly chickens, weighing roughly 7 pounds. Plus, they’re adorable with their white feathers and ribbons of black.
They are excellent at foraging and known for being cold-hardy. Their large bodies handle cold temperatures well but need plenty of summer shade to avoid overheating.
5. Australorps
Some Australorps, but not all, will lay tan eggs with a pink bloom. These are great chickens, known for being docile and family-friendly.
Australorps have glossy, black feathers with red combs; they are shiny and look great. Best of all, Australorps are highly productive egg layers. They lay an average of 250-300 eggs per year.
These also tend to be large birds weighing around 7 to 8 pounds. So, they work great as dual-purpose chickens for your homestead.
6. Silkie
Silkies are one of the most popular chicken breeds in recent years; people love unique chickens. This chicken breed lays a range of colors from cream to pinkish and everything in between.
Silkies are delicate birds that cannot get wet. If they do, you need to towel them or use a blow dryer because their feathers stick and matt together. Most chicken owners raise these chickens as pets rather than egg layers. Their high-maintenance nature isn’t ideal for someone who wants chickens solely for egg production.
7. Easter Eggers
Easter Egger is not considered an official breed. These are a mix of Araucana chickens or Ameraucana chickens, technically harder breeds to find in North America. You’re more likely to find an EE that is bred with another breed.
Easter Eggers lay colorful, large eggs. This is how you egg up with blue, green, or even pink eggs.
I have raised several EE chickens; they are friendly to humans and great with kids. Best of all, they lay plenty of eggs. You should get 250-280 eggs per year from this breed, which are beautiful chickens. Their feathers have a variety of patterns.
8. Plymouth Rock
One of the oldest chicken breeds in America is the Plymouth Rock, as you might guess from the name. These birds lay roughly 200-250 large, light-brown eggs each year. Some of their tan eggs look pink with the bloom.
Plymouth Rock chickens are sweet, docile, and overall great chickens to add to your flock. They will follow you around.
9. Croad Langshan
Croad Langshans are unusual chicken breeds to find in a backyard flock; they are a rare breed that originated in Northern China. This old, heritage chicken breed lays light brown eggs that often have a pale, pink-colored bloom.
These chickens weigh between 7 and 8 pounds and steadily produce eggs several times per week. The average is 200 eggs per year.
Croad Langshans have feathered legs, which increase the likelihood of scaliness, mites, and frostbite. One of my chickens with feathered feet faced frostbite due to frozen feathers on their legs.
10. Mottled Javas
If you like chicken breeds from Asia, consider the Mottled Javas. Their origin story is interesting, and Mottled Javas is one of the oldest chicken breeds in the United States. It’s believed that these chickens came to the United States around the 1830s.
These chickens come in four color varieties – auburn, black, mottled, and white. The American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection recognizes only white and mottled varieties.
Javas are overall large chickens that produce large pink-brown eggs. These aren’t the most productive chicken breeds, laying around 150-1800 eggs per year. However, Javas lay eggs well in the wintertime and go broody, unlike other chickens. Sitting on a nest is one of their favorite pastimes.
11. Asil
Asil is one of the chicken breeds best known for laying pink eggs, but I put them last on the list because they lay so few eggs per year. The estimate is only 40-50 eggs per year, and if your goal is egg production, Asil chickens won’t feed your family.
Another issue is that this breed is known for being aggressive toward each other. They tend to be more aggressive when confined, so if you want to add these chickens to your flock, be sure to give them plenty of space.
However, they are known for being docile with humans, and they are excellent mothers. They are kind and protective of their chicks.
Related: 8 Aggressive Rooster Breeds: Make Sure You Watch Out!
FAQs about Chickens That Lay Pink Eggs
Are Pink Chicken Eggs Rare?
Yes, pink chicken eggs are not common; finding true pink eggs is rare. Most of the time, the pink eggs you find have a pink-ish bloom that often washes off when you clean the eggs. However, even a pink bloom is uncommon!
I always feel lucky when I stumble upon a beautiful pink egg!
How Are Pink Chicken Eggs Developed?
When chickens are between six to 12 months old, they start to lay eggs; it depends on their breed. Some chicken breeds lay eggs sooner or later than others. As chickens get older, the hens gradually produce fewer eggs as they get older.
In general, an egg takes about 24 hours to develop, and 20 hours is how long it takes to produce the shell of the egg. Eggshells are primarily calcium, and all start off as white eggs. The white shell forms inside the egg, and the hen’s uterus secretes cells that add pigmentation to create an eggshell color.
Chickens have different pigments. Some coat their egg shells with a brown pigment, covering only the shell exterior. That’s why it is still white when you open the egg. Other pigments, such as a blue pigment, coat the egg early, creating an entirely blue egg.
Most chicken owners believe pink is the bloom that is naturally applied over a light tan egg throughout the formation process. You can determine this by washing the egg. If the pink disappears, it’s a pink bloom.
Does the Rooster Determine Egg Color?
A rooster doesn’t affect the egg color, but breeding might. Some breeds are more likely to produce pink eggs, and some chicken breeders cross-breed their chickens to create unique eggshell colors. It’s amazing to see the different colors that chickens lay!
Adding new chickens to your flock is exciting, and if you want to add a new color egg, consider adding a few chickens that lay pink eggs. These birds will add a pretty shade of pink to your egg basket when you visit your chicken coop each day.
