What Color is Chicken? The Complete Guide to Chicken Feather Colors

Have you ever looked at a flock of chickens and wondered about all those different colors? If you’re thinking about raising chickens or just curious about these colorful birds understanding chicken colors is actually pretty fascinating!

As someone who’s spent years raising chickens in my backyard, I’ve become a bit of a chicken color enthusiast. Today, I’m gonna share everything you need to know about chicken colors – from the basic genetics to the stunning variety of patterns you might see in your own flock.

The Basics: How Many Chicken Colors Are There?

Believe it or not, there are actually 10 solid (or “self”) colors of chickens and a whopping 65 combination colors! That’s right – chickens come in way more colors than just white and brown

The solid colors include

• White (also called Silver when combined with another color)
• Black
• Red or gold
• Blue
• Lavender (or self-blue)
• Buff
• Chocolate
• Brown
• Dun
• Smoky

But here’s the interesting part – most chicken colors aren’t just one single color. They’re combinations of colored feathers with different patterns. This is why there’s such incredible variety in the chicken world!

The Science Behind Chicken Colors

Here’s something that blew my mind when I first learned it: chicken feather color comes from only two pigments – black and red. That’s it! Every beautiful chicken color you see is created from these two basic pigments, whether they’re:

• Genetically defective
• Enhanced
• Diluted
• Masked

Even white chickens aren’t actually showing a “white pigment” – white is just the lack of all pigment in the feathers.

The background color in chickens is controlled by what’s called the E-locus gene. Other genes either dilute, inhibit, mask or enhance how this gene is expressed. Sometimes the gene itself can be defective or malformed.

Over thousands of years of domestication, humans have selected for different colors, resulting in the amazing variety we see today.

Chicken Colors: Males vs. Females

If you’ve ever kept chickens, you’ve probably noticed that roosters and hens often look different, even within the same breed. There’s a good reason for this!

Males typically have:

• Larger, brighter plumage
• More colorful feathers
• Display feathers designed to attract hens

Hens, on the other hand, usually have more muted coloring. This is likely an evolutionary adaptation – hens needed to be camouflaged while sitting on nests to avoid predators.

However, in some breeds like the Rosecomb bantam, males and females look remarkably similar in both feathering and color.

Common Chicken Colors and Patterns

Let’s look at some of the most common and interesting chicken colors you might encounter:

1. White Chickens

White chickens are one of the most common colors alongside brown. The white coloring is simply the complete absence of any color pigments (melanin) from the feathers.

White can be either dominant (I) or recessive (c) genetically. Some examples of white chicken breeds include:

• White Silkie
• White Leghorn
• White Plymouth Rock
• White Orpington

Fun fact: The most common fault in white feathers is brassiness or red leakage, which gives them a yellowish tint.

2. Black Chickens

A pure black chicken has consistent, solid black across all feathers. The ideal black is a deep, consistent color like that of a crow!

Black is controlled by the E (extended black) gene, which is the most dominant allele. Some beautiful black chicken breeds include:

• Australorp
• Black Leghorn
• Black Wyandotte
• Langshan

That greenish or purplish sheen you sometimes see on black feathers? That’s actually caused by the structure of the feather, not the color itself!

3. Red Chickens

Red chickens have a deep, even red color, like what you see in the famous Rhode Island Red. This color is affected by various genes, including the “s” gene which inhibits red pigment.

Some classic red chicken breeds:

• Rhode Island Red
• New Hampshire Red

4. Blue Chickens

Blue is actually a dilution of black! This fascinating color is created by the blue gene (Bl), which dilutes black to blue.

The genetics are interesting: having one copy of the gene dilutes black to blue, while having two copies dilutes black to “splash” (a very pale, spotty color).

Blue Wyandottes are a common example of blue chickens.

Breeding note: Blue doesn’t breed true! If you breed two blue chickens together, you’ll only get about 50% blue offspring. The rest will be black or splash.

5. Buff Chickens

Buff is basically diluted red – a light red/orange color. The ideal buff chicken has an even color from head to foot.

Buff is controlled by the Di gene, which dilutes red to buff. Some common buff breeds:

• Buff Orpington
• Buff Sussex

Fascinating Pattern Variations

Beyond basic colors, chickens display incredible pattern variations:

Barred

Barred chickens have alternating black and white bars on their feathers. The barring gene stops and starts pigment production as the feather grows.

The Barred Plymouth Rock is a classic example, with clear, well-defined bars.

Laced

Laced chickens have feathers with a different color around the edge. Several types exist:

• Silver Laced: White feathers with black edges (Silver Laced Wyandotte)
• Gold Laced: Gold feathers with black edges (Gold Laced Wyandotte)
• Blue Laced: Blue feathers with black edges (Andalusian)
• Blue Laced Red: Red feathers with blue lacing (Blue Laced Red Wyandotte)

Spangled

Spangled chickens have feathers with tips of a different color:

• Silver Spangled: White feathers with black tips
• Gold Spangled: Gold feathers with black tips

The Hamburg breed often displays this beautiful pattern.

Mille Fleur

This stunning pattern consists of a mahogany ground color, with each feather marked with a black crescent and tipped with white. The Mille Fleur Pekin is a beautiful example.

The Color of Chicken Meat

When we talk about eating chicken, the color of the meat is important too! Raw chicken can vary from bluish-white to yellow, and all these colors are normal.

Factors affecting raw chicken meat color include:

• Breed
• Exercise
• Age
• Diet

Younger chickens often have less fat under the skin, causing a bluish cast, while yellow skin could result from marigolds in the feed.

For ground chicken, the color varies depending on what parts were ground:

• Darker pink = more dark meat
• Lighter pink = more white meat (or skin included)

Cooked Chicken Color

Safely cooked chicken can actually vary in color from white to pink to tan! The meat is safe to eat when all parts reach at least 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.

Sometimes, even when fully cooked, chicken can have a pink tinge. This doesn’t mean it’s undercooked! Several factors can cause this:

• Chemical changes during cooking
• Oven gases reacting with hemoglobin
• Younger birds often show more pink due to thinner skin
• Nitrates or nitrites used as preservatives
• Smoking or grilling methods

Interesting Color Facts About Chickens

Here are some fascinating tidbits about chicken colors:

1. Changing colors: Chicks often hatch one color but develop completely different adult plumage!

2. Functionally extinct colors: Some chicken colors are thought to be functionally extinct but are still included in color classification systems.

3. Seasonal changes: Some chickens’ colors intensify or fade slightly with the seasons or after molting.

4. Breed standards: Different countries have different accepted color standards for the same breeds of chickens.

5. Sex-linked colors: Some color patterns (like barring) can be used to identify male and female chicks at hatching.

The wide range of chicken colors and patterns is one of the joys of keeping these wonderful birds. Whether you’re planning your own backyard flock or just appreciating these colorful creatures, understanding chicken colors adds another dimension to your chicken knowledge.

Next time you see a beautiful, uniquely colored chicken, you’ll have a better understanding of what makes it that way – from the basic genetics to the centuries of selective breeding that brought us the rainbow of chicken colors we enjoy today.

Happy chicken keeping!

Fresh raw chicken is typically a pale pink or peachy color with white fat. However, the color alone is not a reliable indicator of safety or doneness for cooked chicken; instead, use a food thermometer to ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

You can tell if chicken is spoiled by its foul or sour smell, its slimy or sticky texture, and its discolored, dull, or grayish hue. Fresh raw chicken is typically a light pink color and slightly moist, while fresh cooked chicken should be white.