what kind of chicken lays green eggs
Most commonly, Easter Egger and Olive Egger chickens are the ones known for laying green eggs, along with some Araucanas/Ameraucanas and specialty hybrids like âGreen Queens.â
Quick Scoop: Green Egg Layers
- Easter Eggers: Mixedâbreed ârainbow eggâ chickens that often lay blue, green, or pinkish eggs; theyâre the most common backyard choice for green eggs.
- Olive Eggers: Cross between a blueâegg breed (Araucana/Ameraucana/Legbar) and a dark brownâegg breed (like Marans or Welsummer), producing olive or khakiâgreen shells.
- Araucana & Ameraucana types: Typically lay blue eggs, but some lines or mixes can produce blueâgreen to greenish shells.
- Hybrid âgreenâ lines (e.g., Green Queen, Favaucana): Modern designer hybrids bred specifically for sage or green eggs and friendly backyard temperament.
The green color comes from a blue shell pigment combined with brown overlay , which makes the outside appear green while the inside of the shell stays blueâtinted and the egg contents look normal.
| Chicken type | Typical egg color | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Easter Egger | Blue to green, sometimes pinkish/tan | [6][7][1]Common backyard mix, great for colorful ârainbowâ cartons. | [1][6]
| Olive Egger | Olive, khaki, or dark green | [5][3][1]Cross of blueâegg and dark brownâegg breeds. | [3][5][1]
| Araucana / Ameraucana mixes | Blue to blueâgreen | [9][8][6]Source of the blueâegg gene behind many green layers. | [3][6]
| Green Queen, Favaucana, etc. | Sage to light green | [6][1]Designer hybrids bred for green eggs and good laying. | [1][6]
If you found a single pale green egg and donât know the hen, chances are it came from some kind of Easter Egger or Olive Eggerâtype mix, since those are very common in mixed backyard flocks.
TL;DR: When people ask âwhat kind of chicken lays green eggs,â theyâre almost always talking about Easter Eggers or Olive Eggers , plus a few modern greenâegg hybrids that use the same blueâplusâbrown genetics.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.