Are you looking to add some beautiful brown egg layers to your backyard flock? If you’ve ever wondered “what breed of chicken lays brown eggs,” you’re in the right place! Brown eggs have that rustic, farm-fresh appeal that many egg enthusiasts love. Contrary to popular belief, the nutritional content between brown and white eggs is identical – it’s all about aesthetics and preference.
At our small farm, we’ve raised dozens of different chicken breeds over the years, and I’ve found that brown egg layers often have wonderful personalities to match their beautiful eggs. Let’s dive into the best chicken breeds for brown eggs, from the darkest chocolate browns to lighter tinted varieties.
Top Chicken Breeds That Lay Brown Eggs
1. Rhode Island Reds
Rhode Island Reds are perhaps the most popular and recognizable brown egg layers in America. These beautiful reddish-brown birds are true workhorses of the chicken world.
Egg Production: Most Rhode Island Red hens produce 200-300 medium to large light brown eggs annually (about 5-6 eggs weekly).
Personality While they’re excellent producers, Rhode Island Reds can be somewhat territorial and occasionally aggressive. They’re not always the best choice for families with small children, though individual personalities vary
Additional Benefits: They’re extremely cold-hardy, active foragers, and rarely go broody, which means consistent egg production year-round.
2. Black Australorps
These beautiful black chickens with a greenish sheen are record-breakers in the egg-laying department!
Egg Production Black Australorp hens typically lay 250-300 large light brown eggs annually, Fun fact an Australorp holds the world record for most eggs laid in a year – an incredible 364 eggs in 365 days without supplemental lighting!
Personality: Unlike some productive layers, Australorps are known for being docile, calm and easy to handle.
Additional Benefits: They’re well-suited to both warm and cool climates and are relatively large birds (up to 8 pounds), making them decent dual-purpose birds.
3. Buff Orpingtons
These fluffy golden birds are often called the “golden retrievers” of the chicken world.
Egg Production: Buff Orpingtons lay about 200-280 large brown eggs annually.
Personality: They are incredibly docile, friendly, and perfect for families with children. These sweet birds often become lap chickens!
Additional Benefits: They’re extremely winter-hardy thanks to their fluffy plumage, and they make excellent broody hens if you want to hatch chicks naturally.
4. Barred Plymouth Rocks
With their distinctive black and white barred pattern, these are some of the most recognizable chickens in America.
Egg Production: Barred Plymouth Rock hens lay around 200-280 large brown eggs per year.
Personality: They are curious, docile birds that enjoy human company and don’t mind being handled.
Additional Benefits: They’re adaptable to confinement or free range and have consistently been popular for over a century for good reason!
5. Wyandottes
Available in beautiful varieties including Silver Laced, Gold Laced, and Blue Laced Red, Wyandottes are both beautiful and practical.
Egg Production: Wyandotte hens lay approximately 200 large brown eggs annually.
Personality: They’re generally friendly, though they can be somewhat bossy in the flock hierarchy.
Additional Benefits: They continue laying through winter when many breeds take a break, and they start laying at about 20 weeks old.
6. Welsummers
These gorgeous copper-red birds with black accents are less common but produce some of the darkest, most beautiful eggs.
Egg Production: Welsummer hens lay 160-250 large, rich terra cotta brown eggs annually, often with dark speckles!
Personality: They’re active, curious, and relatively friendly birds.
Additional Benefits: Their eggs are among the darkest brown of any chicken breed, making them a favorite for colorful egg baskets.
7. Barnevelders
These Dutch chickens are renowned for their beautiful double-laced feather pattern.
Egg Production: Barnevelder hens typically lay 150-200 dark chocolate brown eggs annually.
Personality: They have great personalities, settle easily into domestic environments, and make excellent pets.
Additional Benefits: They’re excellent winter layers, so pairing them with summer-laying hens ensures year-round egg supply.
8. New Hampshire Reds
Developed from Rhode Island Reds, these birds have a slightly lighter coloration and more triangular body shape.
Egg Production: New Hampshire Red hens lay about 200 large light to medium brown eggs annually.
Personality: They are generally more docile than Rhode Island Reds while maintaining good productivity.
Additional Benefits: They’re excellent dual-purpose birds with good meat production as well as egg-laying abilities.
9. Brahmas
These gentle giants are known for their impressive size and feathered feet.
Egg Production: Brahma hens lay around 200 large brown eggs annually.
Personality: Despite their intimidating size, they’re extremely docile and gentle – often called “gentle giants.”
Additional Benefits: They’re exceptional cold-weather birds and continue laying during winter months when other breeds slow down.
Hybrid Brown Egg Layers
If maximum egg production is your goal, consider these hybrid breeds:
1. Golden Comets
Egg Production: These incredible layers produce about 330 medium-large light brown eggs during their first two years.
Personality: They’re friendly, adaptable birds that make excellent starter chickens.
Drawback: Their production drops significantly after the second year, and they typically have shorter lifespans than heritage breeds.
2. ISA Browns
Egg Production: Most ISA Brown hens lay around 300 large brown eggs annually.
Personality: They’re docile, easy to tame, and good foragers.
Drawback: Like most hybrids, their health often declines after about two years of heavy laying.
Common Myths About Brown Eggs
There are several persistent myths about brown eggs that need addressing:
-
Myth: Brown eggs taste better than white eggs and are healthier.
Fact: The color of the egg has absolutely no relation to taste or nutritional content. -
Myth: The color of the egg depends on the color of the chicken’s feathers.
Fact: Many white chicken breeds lay brown eggs, and feather color isn’t directly related to egg color. -
Myth: The color of the egg depends on the color of the ear lobes.
Fact: While this is often true (chickens with red earlobes often lay brown eggs), there are exceptions. -
Myth: The egg color may change depending on the breed of the rooster.
Fact: Roosters have no effect on egg color. In fact, hens lay eggs without roosters present!
Why Do Chickens Lay Brown Eggs?
It’s all about genetics! All egg colors actually start with white shells. Brown egg layers deposit a pigment called “protoporphyrin” during shell formation. The timing and amount of this pigment determine how dark the brown is – from light tan to deep chocolate brown.
Some breeds, like Welsummers and Barnevelders, deposit more pigment, creating those beautiful dark chocolate eggs. Others, like Rhode Island Reds, deposit less, resulting in lighter brown eggs.
Choosing the Right Brown Egg Layer for Your Flock
When selecting brown egg layers for your backyard flock, consider these factors:
- Climate: Brahmas, Orpingtons and Wyandottes excel in cold climates, while lighter-bodied breeds may handle heat better.
- Space: Larger breeds need more space, while smaller breeds can manage in confined areas.
- Temperament: Families with children might prefer the docile nature of Buff Orpingtons or Black Australorps over more assertive breeds.
- Egg shade preference: For darkest brown eggs, choose Welsummers or Barnevelders. For reliable light brown, Rhode Island Reds are hard to beat.
Our Personal Experience
On our farm, we’ve found that maintaining a mix of brown egg layers provides both variety and consistent production. During last winter’s polar vortex, our Brahmas and Barnevelders kept laying while other breeds took a break. The Buff Orpingtons are definite favorites with our kids – they’ll literally jump into laps for cuddles!
I’ve noticed that our Rhode Island Reds consistently outproduce almost every other breed, though their eggs are lighter brown than some others. For truly stunning dark brown eggs, nothing beats our Welsummers with their speckled terra cotta beauties.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re choosing chickens for practical egg production or the aesthetic joy of a colorful egg basket, brown egg layers offer wonderful options. Remember that individual hens within a breed can vary in personality and productivity, so don’t judge an entire breed by one chicken!
Have you raised any of these brown egg layers? Which breed has been your favorite? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
Quick Reference Table: Brown Egg Laying Breeds
Breed | Egg Color | Annual Production | Temperament |
---|---|---|---|
Rhode Island Red | Light to Medium Brown | 200-300 | Active, Sometimes Territorial |
Black Australorp | Light Brown | 250-300 | Docile, Calm |
Buff Orpington | Medium Brown | 200-280 | Very Gentle, Friendly |
Barred Plymouth Rock | Light Brown | 200-280 | Curious, Docile |
Wyandotte | Medium Brown | 200 | Friendly, Sometimes Bossy |
Welsummer | Dark Speckled Terra Cotta | 160-250 | Active, Curious |
Barnevelder | Dark Chocolate Brown | 150-200 | Calm, Adaptable |
New Hampshire Red | Light to Medium Brown | 200 | Docile, Hardy |
Brahma | Medium Brown | 200 | Very Gentle, Calm |
Golden Comet (Hybrid) | Light Brown | 330 (first 2 years) | Friendly, Adaptable |
ISA Brown (Hybrid) | Medium Brown | 300 | Docile, Easy to Tame |
Happy chicken keeping!
Brown Egg Layers: A Backyard Favorite
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Brown egg layers consistently appear on best egg layer lists and can be the backbone of a productive backyard flock, many laying more than 200 eggs per year. But with so much focus lately on colored eggs, it’s easy to overlook these backyard workhorses, and that would be a mistake.
Many people that buy eggs from the grocery store have never seen a brown egg before. Why? White eggs became more popular in our more industrialized farm society because white egg-laying chickens are typically smaller and eat less feed. This makes them more cost-efficient in a large-scale setting.
Brown eggs became thought of as farm eggs. You know, the kind you get at Grandpa and Grandma’s farm. But they are so much more than that!
Did you know an egg collecting basket from brown egg layers can provide a hued rainbow of its own? Brown egg layers lay eggs that can range from light tan, almost bordering on pink, to deep mahogany and everything in between.
From year to year, the eggs in your basket may also change colors even if you still have the same hens. Why? As brown egg layers get older, they tend to lay lighter colored eggs.
So how do brown eggs get their color?
Egg color is dictated by a chicken’s genetic makeup, just like our eye and hair color. Yes, we humans can change those things later on, but in the beginning, we get what we are given.
The process of how an egg gets its color is fascinating. An egg starts out white as its shell is being formed. If an egg is going to be blue, that color is added early on and it sinks through the entire shell. So, if you open a blue egg, you’ll see the shell is blue on the inside too. Brown coloring is added later in the process, during the cuticle formation, and does not sink through the entire shell. So, if you open a brown egg, you’ll see the inside of the shell is white. In the case of dark brown egg layers like Marans, the layer of brown is thick. In fact, you can actually scratch off the brown layer. That’s why you see Marans eggs with scratches in the brown. Nothing’s wrong with them. The outer brown layer has just become marred.
Does all this coloring affect the taste of the eggs? The short answer is no. Egg color does not affect taste. The taste of an egg is determined by what a chicken eats and the freshness of the egg itself. A good way to make sure your egg-laying hens get the proper nutrition is to feed them a quality layer feed. This should make up 90 percent of their total diet. Nutritious treats should make up no more than 10 percent of a chicken’s diet. Free ranging is always encouraged so chickens can get some fresh air and forage for natural foods. And, don’t forget that egg-laying hens should be given calcium so they can produce strong eggshells. Calcium can be purchased from reputable feed companies as crushed oyster shell or you can give your chickens their dried, crushed eggshells. [optin-monster-shortcode id=”e9huclfjt4oy1ak6ifrp”]
Meet the Sturdy Layers: Top 10 Chickens for Consistently Large Eggs
FAQ
What breed of chickens lays brown eggs?
Are brown eggs better than white eggs?
No, brown eggs are not inherently better than white eggs; their nutritional value, flavor, and quality are identical, as the color only depends on the hen’s breed. Consumers often have misconceptions that brown eggs are healthier, but these beliefs are unfounded. The actual factors that influence an egg’s nutrition and quality are the hen’s diet and farming conditions, not the shell color.
What is the rarest chicken egg color?
The color with the most limited genetics is generally considered the rarest chicken egg color, and it is blue. While other colors like green, pink, and dark brown are less common than white and standard brown eggs, the unique blue-pigmented shells are rare because only a few breeds carry the specific dominant gene required to produce them. The blue pigment is deposited deep within the eggshell, making it blue all the way through.
What kind of chickens are used for brown eggs?
For large brown egg production, my list of breeds and varieties would have to include; White Plymouth Rocks, Black Australorps, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Single Comb Rhode Island Whites, Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires, Welsummers, and Buff Orpingtons.