God has deposited beauty in everything, so the things around us in the universe do not only come in one or two colors, but we see creativity and beauty in everything around us, so Glory be to the Great Creator.
We see trees around us in many beautiful colors, as well as fruits that come in many bright colors!
Some may be surprised when they know that even chickens lay eggs in many beautiful colors, not just white and brown, as there are chickens that lay green eggs and others that lay blue, red, pink, and even gray and purple!
Some people like a certain color of eggs and want to grow chickens that will lay them.
Today we have a question about the breeds of chickens that lay gray eggs. So we’ve conducted our comprehensive research to bring you the answer. However, keep in mind that this color is pretty rare, but we will try as much as possible to provide reliable information about chickens that lay gray eggs in the coming lines, let’s go.
What Chicken Lay Gray Eggs?
When we searched for the color of gray eggs, we found a wide spectrum of chicken colors that converged with gray. But the plain gray color that we found comes from the Cross between Araucana Cream Legbar on one of the chicken farms.
Gray eggs are also called eggs of chickens that lay green eggs with dense blooms or chickens lay light brown eggs with heavy blooms.
Therefore, it can be said that (green + heavy bloom) or (light brown + heavy bloom) will give a light gray color, especially in the pictures as a result of the different degrees of lighting.
But in fact, in order to provide you with accurate information, there are no specific chicken breeds that are known to lay gray eggs, as the color of gray eggs is one of the rarest colors of eggs that chickens can lay.
Also, the matter has a personal difference to a large extent, as each of the people sees the color from his own perspective, for example, some call the color of creamy whites that it is pink or brown, so the matter is in great disagreement as each basic color carries under it many shades of colors that may vary and converges with other colors. The lighting of the place also has a great effect, so the color of the eggs will be very personal most of the time.
So if you want to get gray eggs, you have two options. Either you raise chickens that produce green eggs with a dense bloom or light brown with a dense bloom.
There are many breeds that lay eggs in these colors, and we have talked about them in previous articles. You can find out about it here:
The second option is to get clear gray eggs not just a shade of gray. you can try that cross between the two strains that we mentioned above (Araucana + Cream Legbar).
Here is a quick overview that we explain to you about these two strains that gave a very clear gray color when they mated so that you can try it yourself in your barn.
1. Cream Legbar
A chicken with a unique appearance, as these chickens are famous for the elegant feathers on the back of their heads.
It is cream in color with a gray stripe as its name suggests. However, the chickens are slightly darker than the roosters, and their backs are more gray than cream. The chicken features salmon spots on its neck and breast.
Their body is triangular shaped with a long flat back and they have a straight elongated tail.
They have medium weights, and their narrow, compressed feathers give them a smaller shape. Roosters weigh about 7.5 pounds, while creamy Cream Legbar hens weigh about 5.5 pounds.
Temperament
Cream Legbar is known to be friendly and docile. A curious breed that loves to roam and forage, they really thrive when released into the free range. They are exceptional foragers and can be self-reliant on food.
This breed is very peaceful and easily compatible with other breeds, but they are very alert to falling prey to any predator, and if there is any danger, they will be able to protect themselves.
Cream Legbar Egg
They gained wide fame from her eggs, where they lay beautiful blue eggs. They start laying eggs at the age of 6 months.
You can expect your hen to lay about 4 medium to large blue eggs each week. At a rate of more than 200 eggs per year.
The eggs are medium to large with a beautiful light blue color.
Health Issues
They have no serious health problems and are generally in good health. However, parasites such as mites or lice are the ones that bother her, especially in the tops of the feathers above her head. Therefore, they must be checked and cleaned regularly.
2. Araucana
Dual-purpose chickens are called blue egg layers because they lay beautiful blue eggs, and they are also raised for their meat.
The distinctive thing about the appearance of the Araucana chicken is the tufts that grow under its ears.
Tufts make the chicken look weird and funny! These tufts often grow on both sides of the chicken, but sometimes they grow on one side or one side is longer than the other.
It also does not contain a tail, and this is an important point that must be taken into account, especially when carrying young chicks. As there are no feathers in the tail area that you can use to catch chickens, which may expose them to bumps and bruises if they are caught in the wrong way by an inexperienced person.
Araucana chickens’ feathers are usually silver, red, white, black, and gold feathers. They have pea combs that are closer to their heads than is typical of most other breeds. They also have clean legs that are often black or blue.[1]
Araucana is known for its small size but it is slightly larger than the bantams, both males and females weighing about 5 pounds. Although it is small, it is very fast-growing compared to other chicken breeds, which gives it a competitive advantage.
Araucana Eggs
The main reason why many breeders are enthusiastic about breeding them is the distinctive blue color of their eggs.
Araucana hen lays about 3 eggs per week. They stop laying eggs completely in the winter as they have originated from warmer climates. Even before being cross-bred to Cream Legbar, When you look at her eggs, you may feel that they tend to be gray! Although we mentioned that it is blue, the colors in eggs are not the same as the well-known bright standard colors.
As we mentioned, the colors depend greatly on personal standards, different points of view, and the lighting of the place, So when I looked at the image of Araucana eggs, it gave me, at first glance, a light close to gray.
Temperament
Araucana chickens love activity, and vitality, and are full of energy and movement, they do not tire of wandering around the barn all day without getting bored. As for their temperament, it is varied, as different temperament qualities have been reported for Araucana chickens.
Some report that Araucana chickens are docile and friendly and others report that they are feisty. Their constant point is that they are good protectors of their chickens, as you will find chickens desperately protecting their chicks. They are always alert and can defend themselves against any predator.
Araucana is a good mother and goes to breeding frequently.
They enjoy raising their own little chicks and you can leave them to her where you protect and care for them.
Unfortunately, their hatching rate is not great, so you have to lift your hen from her eggs if a lot of time has passed without some eggs hatching so that they don’t become more squishy.
Health Issues
Aroecana adapts to a wide range of weather, in addition to being heat tolerant because it grew in a hot climate, needing only water and an area to stay healthy during hot weather. However, they also adapt to the cold climate, as they can stay healthy during the frost, but they only stop producing eggs.
The pea comb also has a factor in protecting it in the winter, as it protects it from the well-known frostbite that affects chicken combs during the winter.
Araucanas have no serious health problems other than that they carry the ear tuft trait associated with a fatal genetic anomaly. Where it leads to the death of chickens if it is present in one of the parents, where the mortality rate can reach 20% or more.
But if the ear tuft mutation associated with the lethal gene was present in both parents, it would result in a mortality rate close to 100%!
