do black chicken breeds lay black eggs?
Who wouldn’t find black eggs to be fascinating? And because we see green, brown, cream, and blue eggs, why not black eggs? Keep reading to discover what black eggs from chickens mean and if black chicken breeds truly lay black eggs.
I get this question (and see it posted online) quite frequently. It’s honestly something I would have asked myself before I took the plunge into homesteading’s gateway drug – chickens.
If someone tries to sell you black chicken eggs. It’s a scam!
black chicken breeds and black eggs?
One of the reasons I get asked about black chicken eggs is because we raise Svarthöna which is an all black landrace of chickens from Sweden. They are distant, yet cold hardy, cousins of the Ayam Cemani. However,the Svarthöna are much more rare and less well known.
Both chicken breeds are fibromelanistic which means everything from their comb to their toes and their feathers to their organs are black. This however does not affect the flavor of their meat.
But just because they’re fibromelanistic doesn’t mean they lay black eggs. In fact both the Ayam Cemani and the Svarthöna lay light cream colored eggs.
how do chicken eggs gain their particular color?
Egg color is determined by the genetics of the hen. The color is applied to the egg about four hours prior to laying as it travels through the oviduct. Colors can range from bright white to dark brown and blue to green.
All eggs start out as white until pigment from the hen is applied.
Did you know?
You can sometimes predict egg color by the color of a hen’s earlobes. Hens with white earlobes generally lay white eggs while those with darker earlobes are more likely to lay colored eggs.
There is no data supporting a difference in flavor or nutrient density between different egg colors. Food and water access along with the ability to free range and exercise will affect flavor and nutrient density.
do black eggs exist at all?
Yes! But in different species and not from chickens.
Cayuga ducks are known for laying light grey to black (or dark grey) eggs naturally. This may be where some of the confusion comes from when people ask about black chicken eggs.
Black East Indie ducks can also lay black eggs. However both the Cayuga and BEI breeds start with dark eggs at the beginning of their laying cycle and slowing decrease the pigmentation to a light grey or white color over time.
Emus can also lay dark emerald green eggs that sometime look black in certain lighting. However there’s no confusing those monster eggs with our domesticated chicken breed eggs.
when chickens do lay black eggs…
I know what you’re thinking…I just told you how chickens do not lay black eggs ever. But there’s some nuance here.
A healthy chicken will not lay black eggs but an unhealthy one can. If you raise chickens, here is a condition to look out for in your flock.
Egg Bound
Being egg bound is when an egg is stuck inside a hen’s oviduct and cannot be laid on its own. Unlaid eggs can build up behind the stuck egg and cause death. This is because the route for the egg is the same as the route for expelling waste. When waste cannot be cleared, infection can occur resulting in death.
Here is an example of this occurring and creating a black chicken egg.
Being egg bound can occur in all poultry, not just chickens.
So while yes, a black chicken egg can occur, it’s not something any of us hope for. If you’re looking for black eggs check out the Cayuga or Black East Indie ducks for healthy black eggs.