Wondering, what color eggs do black chickens lay? If you’re hoping for the answer to be black eggs, I’m sorry to disappoint you. There are no breeds of chicken that lay black eggs. Black chickens lay white to brown eggs and every shade in between like regular chickens.
It’s not the color of a chicken’s feathers or skin that determines what color eggs they lay, as I’ll explain in this article.
There are a lot of people interested in black eggs, but they just don’t exist. Here’s a look at some of the common breeds of black chickens and the color eggs they lay:
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Common Breeds and Varieties of Black Chickens
Here is a look at some of the most commonly known black chickens and the color eggs they lay:
Ayam Cemani
The Ayam Cemani is probably the most famous or well-known black chicken. Native to Indonesia, this chicken has black feathers, beak, comb, wattles, and even black internal organs.
Their unique color is due to excess pigmentation of the tissues, caused by a genetic condition known as fibromelanosis.
Egg color - Cream.
Australorp
The Australorp is a black breed of chicken native to Australia. It’s available in a few colors, but the black variety is by far the most popular.
This breed was developed to be a prolific egg layer and is capable of laying 300+ eggs a year.
In fact, the Australorp has broken numerous world records for egg-laying over the years, making them a popular backyard choice.
Egg color - Brown.
Silkie
Silkies are also available in various colors and are one of the most unique and interesting breeds of backyard chickens.
They are most commonly kept as ornamental show birds due to their fuzzy feathers and small, cute appearance.
They are one of the few breeds to have black skin, meat and bones, and the ones with black feathers have a very black appearance.
Egg color - Cream or tinted.
Swedish Black
The Swedish Black is as the name suggests, a black chicken. This breed is actually a cross between the Ayam Cemani or a Kadaknath and another breed.
The result is that it has the same fibromelanistic trait as those breeds, and therefore is almost entirely black with what looks like iridescence blue in places.
Egg color - Cream or tinted.
Kadaknath
The Kadaknath, also called Kali Masi, is a rare breed of chicken native to India. It looks very similar to an Ayam Cemani, although it lays brown eggs not cream-colored.
They are a grey-black color all over. This includes their skin, beak, tongue, claws, wattles, combs, everything!
Certainly one of the most unique looking chickens. They are small birds and do not yield a lot of meat, nor do they lay a lot of eggs.
Egg color - Brown.
Sumatra
Another chicken with black skim and also native to Indonesia, the Sumatra is primarily an ornamental bird. Although ‘s not that uncommon to see it on homesteads or backyards across the U.S.
They’re kept for their unique look more than for their eggs. It’s reported that Sumatras lay as few as 100 eggs a year on average.
Just like the other black chickens on this list, they do not lay black eggs. They lay white and cream-colored eggs.
Egg color - Light cream or white.
Some Common Questions Related to Black Chickens
Do Black Chickens Lay Black Eggs?
As explained above, there are no chickens that lay black eggs. It would be cool if there were, but it’s simply not possible.
If you’ve seen a black egg, it will have been painted or covered in something to make it black.
Do Black Chickens Lay Brown Eggs?
Some black chickens lay brown eggs, and some don’t. The color of a chicken's feathers, skin, meat, or any other part of their anatomy does not determine what color eggs they lay.
For example, Australorps are black and lay brown eggs. While black Silkies will lay cream-colored eggs, the same as any other color Silkie.
Do Ayam Cemani Chickens Lay Black Eggs?
As the most famous black chicken and being black everywhere from head to toe, I often see people asking about whether or not Ayam Cemani chickens lay black eggs.
Unfortunately, they do not lay black eggs, no. It would be really cool if they did, but there is no breed of chicken that is capable of laying black eggs.
What Breed of Chicken Lays the Darkest Eggs?
Now you know that black eggs are a myth, you’re probably wondering which breed of chicken lays the darkest color eggs.
The answer to that is Marans. Marans are a French breed of chicken, and they lay the darkest brown eggs I've seen.
So dark in fact, that Marans are often called ‘chocolate eggers’.
Can You Eat Ayam Cemani Eggs?
In Indonesia, there are a number of spiritual beliefs surrounding the meat and eggs of the Ayam Cemani.
I’ve read that eating either the meat or eggs of this breed increases stamina, wards off evil, brings good luck, and some other things.
Obviously, this isn't something that's widely believed in the Western world. I'll leave it up to you to decide what you believe, but I can tell you that the nutritional content of an egg from an Ayam Cemani is the same as an egg from any other chicken.
Image credits - Photo by Joel George on Unsplash
