Get a Rainbow Egg Laying Chicken Flock

There are so many gorgeous colored egg laying breeds out there that it can be hard to choose! Do you want hybrid (mixed breed) blue egg layers or a purebred breed that lays blue? Easter Egger green or Olive Egger green? And eggs can come with speckling?!! How do you decide when you have a coop that only fits so many chickens? After years of buying all the pretty colored egg layers, let me help you get a gorgeous rainbow egg laying flock from the fewest hens:

Get a Rainbow Egg Laying backyard Chicken Flock colored egg layer chicken eggs in a carton with flowers

Get a Gorgeous Rainbow Egg Laying Chicken Flock

Breathtaking assortments of colored eggs are all over social media. We watch our favorite farmhouse YouTubers crack open gem-colored egg shells and we want to try them ALL! Preferably without owning fifty chickens. Here’s how to do it:

Hatcheries May Not Be the Best Option

US Hatcheries usually have chick buying minimums that can be expensive. Minimums are often 10 to 15 chicks and they may not offer all the colored egg layers you want. If you can only keep 12 or less hens, my advice is to skip the hatchery unless you absolutely need to use one.

Rainbow Egg Laying backyard Chicken Flock eggs labeled by breed

Local is Often Better for Rainbow Egg Laying Hens

Your local feed stores and breeders are going to be the best way to source a rainbow of egg colors. Both breeders and independently owned feed stores will let you buy as few as two chicks to raise. Tractor Supply has a minimum of 4 chicks but you can buy one of each breed or hybrid available, so long as it totals 4 chicks. Many times the feed stores have sexed pullets (guaranteed females) and local breeders offer started pullets (guaranteed females that are 4+ weeks old). In my experience, buying chicks locally is the fastest and least expensive way to build a small but highly colorful egg laying flock.

different colored rainbow chicken eggs in a white ceramic bowl — This bowl is full of gorgeous heavy bloom eggs in a stunning range of colors! A very special thank you to Farmhouse of Blessings Family Farm for sharing this image. Copyrighted image is being shown here with written permission. Click the image to visit her website to place an order for hatching eggs!

The Specialty Breeder Option

The US is dotted with specialty breeders who offer a rainbow of egg colors. You may be able to find a one-stop-shop situation where you can order every color layer you desire! The only catch is you will be purchasing chicks straight run. Some breeders have begun offering sex-link (sexable at hatch) chicks that lay a colored egg. This is really helpful! But remember you will still be placing an order with a shipping expense and a minimum number of chicks (usually 6) so they keep each other warm while in transit.

blue, green, peach, and cream rainbow chicken eggs

The Pastel Rainbow

If you absolutely love baskets full of soft creams, sweet peaches, powder blues and gentle greens, these are the easiest colored egg layers to find locally! The blues, greens and peach colors are laid by Americana/Easter Eggers. Purebreds who lay cream eggs include Swedish Flower Hens, Light Sussex and Blue Andalusians (white to light cream eggs). These breeds are fairly easy to find among local breeders and feed stores each spring, but may require a little driving.

blue, green, peach, brown, and cream rainbow chicken eggs in cartons

A Rainbow of Lights & Darks Together

If you want the pastel tones plus some of the richer olives and chocolate eggs, these can also be found locally! First Generation (F1) Olive Eggers tend to lay sage and light olive tones. As they continue to be bred for deeper colors, the olive tones get into the mossy earth tone ranges from second (F2) and third (F3) generation birds. This is a popular hybrid local breeders everywhere offer.

dark chocolate black copper marans eggs in a carton — Eggs laid by Black Copper Marans from a dark egg line breeder.

Hard-To-Find Chocolate Layers

If you want purebreds who lay a dark brown to chocolate egg, opt for Black Copper Marans, Blue Copper Marans, or Welsummers. It is possible that some of the olive egger chicks may lay a dark brown egg instead of olive, which just adds more interest to your egg basket!

rainbow chicken eggs in a row labeled by breed

Speckled Egg Layers

If you adore the look of speckled wild bird eggs it is possible to get similar shades from your flock of backyard chickens! Speckled Olive Eggers are a popular option, as are Welsummers. Speckled peach, speckled olive, speckled green, and even speckled Easter Eggers are all being bred by dedicated breeders who are producing striking colors! Speckling is never guaranteed, even if the chick hatches from a speckled egg, but it is fair to expect a 50% chance of speckling if the chick comes from a line producing heavy speckled eggs.

speckled chicken eggs in olive, green, brown, chocolate and blue in a white egg holder

Every Color of the Rainbow Laying Flock

If you want it ALL then a specialty breeder who offers a huge range of egg colors is the way to go! This is going to require planning ahead and placing your order weeks to months in advance. But if you simply must have heavy blooms, speckled eggs, and the most unique shades, it is worth the investment to buy from an independent breeder.

How Many Hens of Each?

As a general rule, you may find that you are happiest with two of each color laying hen. Each girl is going to lay her own unique egg; one may be bluer than another or one may be more chocolate, more speckled or darker olive than the other. Buying a mix of Easter Egger chicks at the feed store generally has a 50% chance of getting a pastel green shade from most hatchery or feed store Easter Eggers, with a 35%+ chance of getting a blue or aqua blue layer and 5-15% chance of getting a peach or light brown egg layer. If you opt for a purebred you know will lay white, cream, or brown, you only need one.

What if My Coop Only Holds 6 Hens?

If you can only keep 6 to 8 hens, the infographics below can help you decide what to select depending on your egg carton goals:

If You Love Soft Pastel Dozens:

Get a Rainbow Egg Laying backyard Chicken Flock — This mix of hens will give you the soft pastel shades you desire! You won’t know what color an Easter Egger hen produces until she comes into lay but roughly 50% of all hatchery & feed store girls lay pastel green.

If You Want the Classic Farmer’s Market Rainbow:

hens needed for a rainbow egg laying chicken flock — One darker brown laying breed, like a Welsummer, Bielefelder or Barnevelder is kept with one or two blue layers, a cream layer and Easter Eggers to produce an eye-catching mix of colors. Expect one Easter Egger to give you peach or light brown eggs. Some Easter Eggers may lay a soft sage tone.

For a Pretty “Paint Palette” Look

If You Crave Rich Light & Dark Tones Together:

If You Must Have All the Unique Colors:

hens needed for a speckled rainbow egg laying chicken flock — Speckling is never guaranteed but if you can purchase a few hens from a heavily speckled olive egger line, you may end up with a speckled olive layer! Specialty hybrid hens can include speckled Easter Eggers, heavy bloom layers, Pink Eggers, and any other hybrid laying a unique egg. Welsummers lay a naturally speckled brown egg.

Would You Like to Have a Self-Sufficient Rainbow Egger Flock?

If you are able to keep one rooster and want to minimize the number of pullet chicks you buy to maintain your rainbow egg carton, check out this handy breeder’s guide:

Rainbow Egg Laying Hens Are Incredible!

Everyone adores using beautiful, colorful eggs in the kitchen. I hope this article has been an awesome help when it comes to planning what chicken breeds and hybrids to add to your backyard flock!

If you’d like to learn how a colored egg laying hens can pay for their own feed and bring in some extra income, click on the images below to keep reading: