While most chickens lay white or brown eggs, a special breed of poultry produces unique eggs of greenish color. This chicken is called “Green Queen Chicken,” a relatively new breed. These chickens are also known for being friendly and docile. Green queens may be the perfect breed if you’re interested in keeping chickens as pets! Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about these fascinating creatures.
A Brief History and Information of Green Queens
The Green Queen Chicken is a relatively recent variety of Easter Egger created by Meyer Hatchery. The greenish color ranges from sage to aqua; some may be tinted, dusky, or pink. It is typically bearded and muffed that has feathered legs and five toes, while others will have three toes and featherless toes.
The Green Queen Chicken may be found in various hues, ranging from white to dark and buff to red. They make excellent pets, but they also need interaction with other chickens. The general disposition of these chickens is sweet.
The Green Queen Chicken is praised for its laying productivity. It takes time for them to reach maturity and start laying eggs compared to other new breeds. This and other factors, however, have contributed to their longer lifespan.
If you’re looking for a hen that lays tinted eggs and is fun to have around the farm, the Green Queen Chicken is perfect!
Features
Size: Hens weigh around 4 pounds, while roosters weigh about 5 pounds.
Beginner Friendly: Yes
Lifespan: 8 Years
Climate Tolerance: All Climates
Egg Color and Production: Green; Excellent, 4-6 /week
Known For Broodiness: Not very broody
Good With Children: Friendly, Docile
Other Chicken Breeds That Lay Green Eggs
Favaucana Chickens
The Favaucana chicken is a cross-breed of the Faverolles and Ameraucanas. The Faverolles hen is a brown egger (light brown eggs), while the Ameraucanas hen lays blue eggs. As a result, their cross-breed lays pigmented one. These chickens are bigger, weighing between 5 and 8 pounds. They have a bronzed body with a small beak and a pea comb. Males and females are about the same size. They are a hybrid of two different varieties, making them adaptable to warm and cold weather.
Favaucana has the sweet personality acquired from the Faverolles and the shy side from the Ameraucana Chicken. They make great pets, but if you have other poultry breeds as pets, it might not be good to bring them home. Other flock species often bully these chickens and can steal their food.
Features
Temperament: Docile, Indifferent
Size: Large
Egg Color and Production: Blue, Green, Tan; Excellent (5 /wks)
Hardiness: All Climate
Personality: Sweet, Curious, Chatty, Friendly
Easter Eggers Chickens
They are a cross between the Ameraucana or Araucana and any other tinted egg-producing variety, such as the Rhode Island Reds or Golden Comets. They have been named after the Easter festival because they have “rainbow genes”.
These chickens were given this name because their egg colors resemble those that are used to decorate for Easter. Since they are a mixed variety, they look different from each other and don’t have any physical traits that are common to them. These birds are very friendly with both humans and other flock varieties. They make a great addition to any backyard if you think of getting one.
Features
Temperament: Docile, Indifferent
Size: Large
Egg Production and Color: Excellent ( 6 /wk); Mixed Colors Including Green
Hardiness: All Climate
Personality: Very Friendly
Olive Eggers Chickens
This breed results from mating an Easter Egger with a Barnevelder, Welsummer, or Marans chicken.
They are created by crossing a dark brown egger with a blue one. The eggs produced by these hens are greenish in color. The shape and size of this chick have puffy cheeks and feathered legs.
Features
Temperament: Docile, Indifferent
Egg Size and Production: Extra Large; Medium (3 /wk)
Color: Green
Hardiness: All Climate
Personality: Friendly, Calm
Green Queen vs. Olive Egger
Both the Green Queen and the Olive Egger are similar in appearance and personality. They are both calm, docile chickens that make great pets. The main difference between these two flock varieties is their egg color. The Green queen produces eggs of green color, while the latter produces greenish or dusky colors. The Green Queen also lays more than the Olives, with a production capacity of 6 per week. Therefore, if you are looking for a hen strain that produces more and larger eggs, the Green Queen Chicken would be the better choice.
What Makes The Eggs Of These Chickens Green?
The yolk is released from the hen’s ovary and enters the oviduct. It goes through a few areas of the oviduct, and the magnum is one of these areas. The oviduct is where the yolk picks up its white portion. After a few hours, the yolk and white will form two shell membranes. They will also get some water and minerals. Once the eggshell reaches its full size in the oviduct, it moves onto the uterus. Here, it forms its shell, as well as bloom and color.
The green hue is caused by a pigment called enocyanin.
For example, Rhode Island Red Hen will have a brownish ovum, but for an Ameraucana, it’ll be a blue one.
How Is A Green-Colored Egg Different?
The eggs of a Green Queen or other hens are like any others, except for their color. If you’re asking if their green egg size varies, these chickens are the same size and shape as regular ones, and they taste the same too. The only difference is their unique green color. Some people believe tinted ones are healthier than regular ones, but no scientific evidence supports this claim. Whether you choose to eat tinted or regular eggs, they will provide you with the same nutrients and benefits.
Does The Rooster Alone Determine The Color Of An Egg?
No! There would be no hybrid if this were true. The genes of both parents are passed on to the hybrid chickens. Take, for example, the Ice Cream Bar Chickens. They inherit the genes of the blue Cream Legbar and green e Isbar, meaning their eggs are bluish-green.
FAQs
Are tinted eggs safe to eat?
Yes, these are perfectly safe to eat and are no different than regular ones in terms of nutritional value. They are a great source of protein and contain other essential nutrients.
Does the egg of a stressed hen look different?
The Green Queen chickens lay tinted eggs. The mother hen typically lays these out when she is healthy and happy. However, if the mother hen is distressed while laying, the shell may appear a lighter shade than the others.
Stress can cause damage to the shell or even the whole egg. For this reason, it is essential to keep the mother hen healthy and happy to avoid discoloration.
One source of stress can be predators. One good way to ward off predators is with a webcam for a chicken coop that leverages an integrated spotlight and alarm.
Can a single chicken breed produce eggs of more than one color?
Yes, one poultry breed may have varieties of egg colors, for example, the Easter hen. The “rainbow gene” is passed down through cross-breeding blue and brown egger fowl varieties.
Can any chicken breed lay purple-colored eggs?
No, there isn’t any chicken that can have purple color eggs. Those that appear purple as soon as the chicken has been laid are not long-lasting. Once you wash them, the color will turn White or Brown. It is because of the bloom, i.e., the protective layer around the eggshell.
Are Isbars auto-sexing chickens?
Yes, some chicken breeds, like Isbars, are auto-sexing. The meaning of auto-sexing is to determine its gender at the moment of its birth. It means that you can pick the gender of an Isbar chicken at birth. The males and females of this variety have different markings. Males will have a black spot on their heads, while females will not. So, it is easy to identify gender.
How do I care for a chicken that lays green eggs?
Caring for a chicken that lays green eggs is no different than a chicken that lays white or brown eggs. The most important factors are a well-balanced diet, access to clean water, a clean environment, and access to grit.
A chicken’s diet should consist of three main things:
- A high-quality chicken feed that contains all the necessary nutrients for growth and egg production
- Fresh fruits and vegetables for extra vitamins and minerals to produce those green eggs
- Grit for digestion
You should also ensure the chicken has access to clean water from a chicken watering system. A chicken will drink about a quart of water daily, so be sure you look for one with plenty of capacity. If the water is dirty or contaminated, the chicken can become ill.
It’s also important to keep the chicken’s environment clean. A dirty environment can lead to health problems such as respiratory infections. The coop should be cleaned regularly, and the chicken should have access to a dust bath.
To Sum It Up: Green Queen
If you are looking for a unique and exciting chicken strain to add to your backyard flock, consider the Green Queen. These hybrid chickens have outstanding personalities that make them a joy to raise. If you are interested in adding these chickens to your flock, choose carefully from the many hatcheries that offer this new breed of chicken.