Contrary to what you may have heard, there are no chickens that lay purple eggs.
There are breeds of chicken that are capable of laying a wide range of colored eggs, from blue to green, dark brown, white, and of course brown.
But I hate to break this to you, there has never been a chicken that has laid a true purple egg!
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Are There Chickens That Lay Purple Eggs?
No, there are no chickens that lay purple eggs.
There are some breeds of chickens that lay pink-ish colored eggs, so that's probably the closest thing if you happen to come across a dark pink egg.
The Croad Langshan breed comes to mind as the breed of chicken capable of laying pink to plum-colored eggs.
Other breeds that also lay pink eggs are Easter Eggers, Silkies, and Buff Orpingtons, but it's not guaranteed.
Finding an egg with a pink-ish coloring comes down to an individual variation within these breeds.
If you want a chicken that is going to lay pink eggs, your best bet is to speak with an experienced breeder and have them tell you which breed to buy.
Related - Do black chickens lay black eggs? (A hint; No!)
What Color Eggs Are Chickens Capable of Laying?
Chickens are capable of laying a wide range of colored eggs, from blue to green, dark brown, white, and of course brown.
The color of the eggshell is determined by the breed of chicken, not their diet like some people seem to believe!
For example, Ameraucanas chickens tend to lay bluish-green eggs while Araucanas lay blue or green eggs.
Easter Eggers are a chicken breed that can lay a wide range of colored eggs as well, from pink, to olive green, to dark brown.
What Causes the Variation in Eggshell Color?
The variation in eggshell color is due to pigments being deposited on the shell during formation.
These pigments are produced in the chicken's oviduct and transferred to the shell as it's being formed.
The final color of the eggshell is determined by the combination of these pigments.
Interestingly, white eggs are often seen as being rare, yet all eggshells start out as white.
If you want to verify this, next time you crack an egg open take a look at the color of the inside of the shell!
What Is the 'Bloom' on an Eggshell?
The bloom is a natural protective coating on an eggshell that helps to keep out bacteria and other harmful contaminants.
This coating is produced by the hen during the process of creating the egg and is essentially a foamy layer of protein.
If you crack open a freshly laid egg from a backyard hen, you may notice a small amount of this sticky substance on the shell.
That's the bloom!
The bloom also makes some eggs appear a darker color than they would otherwise look, or will look when the bloom is washed off.
This is why I've seen some people saying a pink egg layer has laid a purple egg. I think it's the added tinge of color from the bloom.
On a side note, when you buy eggs from your local grocery store, the bloom will have been washed off when the egg was processed.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration put regulations in place to limit the risk of salmonella, and this involves washing eggs and refrigerating them.
Interestingly, this isn't how eggs are handled in most of Europe. In a lot of European countries, eggs are not washed when they're being processed and shipped for sale.
They let nature do its work and allow the bloom to keep bacteria out of the egg.
Tip; you can usually tell if an egg for sale has its bloom intact, it'll be for sale without being refrigerated.
Related content:
Here's what color eggs White Leghorns, Asian Black, and Polish chickens lay.
Brown eggs do not taste different from white eggs, here's why!
Do Different Color Eggs Taste Different?
The color of an eggshell has no bearing on the taste of the egg.
What does have an impact on taste is how fresh the egg is and what the chicken was fed.
A diet rich in greens will make for a tastier egg than a chicken that's only been fed grains.
As for freshness, well, that's pretty self-explanatory. The fresher the egg, the better it will taste!
Chickens that lay purple eggs don't exist, but if you find a pink or blue egg in your nest box don't be alarmed!
These colors are perfectly normal for certain chicken breeds and will taste just the same as any other color egg.
There is a general misconception that the nutritional value varies between different colored eggs, but this is just not true.
As I've explained, the color of an egg is essentially just a 'paint job', the contents are the same.
In Summary
I'm sorry, but there are not any breeds of chicken that lay purple eggs.
A range of other colored eggs do though, and it can be fun finding eggs that are far from the usual brown color.
Just keep in mind that the color of an egg is just that, the color. There is nothing else different from one egg to another.
If you really want a purple egg, I suggest you paint a white egg purple!
