What a cream egg really is

Cream eggs sit between white and light brown. The shell is white underneath, like every chicken egg, with just a faint wash of brown pigment over the top. Some cream eggs look ivory or buttery, and some look like the palest tan. If you hold one next to a white egg, the difference is easy to see. Next to a typical brown egg, it looks almost white.

Why the color is so light

Brown pigment goes on near the end of shell formation. Hens that lay cream eggs carry genetics for only a small amount of it. The bloom, the thin protective coating on a fresh egg, can also soften the color and add a creamy or chalky look. Washing the egg removes the bloom and can make the shell look slightly different.

Breeds that often lay cream eggs

The Silkie is the classic cream layer, with small eggs that range from cream to lightly tinted. Faverolles often lay pale tinted or cream eggs. Some Sussex hens and a few other heritage breeds lay cream to light brown, depending on line. Expect variation. Within a single breed, one hen might lay cream and another a light brown.

How cream eggs change

Since cream is a very thin brown coating, it can fade toward white over a busy laying season or as a hen gets older. Some cream layers drift toward off-white by late summer. Many come back a shade darker after their molt and winter rest.

Cream eggs and broody hens

A lot of cream egg breeds, Silkies above all, go broody often. A broody hen stops laying while she sits. So if your cream eggs dry up in spring, check whether a hen has claimed a nest box. It is normal behavior, not a health problem.

Myths about cream eggs

• Cream eggs are old eggs. No. A fresh egg can be cream. Age does not change shell color.
• Cream means the hen is short on calcium. Not by itself. Calcium affects shell strength, not color. If cream eggs also feel thin or rough, then look at diet and health.
• Cream eggs are a separate breed group. Cream is just a light point on the brown scale.

Common questions about cream eggs

Are Silkie eggs good to eat?

Yes. They are small, so many people use two in place of one large egg in recipes.

Why are my cream eggs getting whiter?

That is often normal fading over the laying season. If the shells also get thin or soft, look at feed and calcium.

Can cream egg hens lay brown eggs later?

A hen's color stays in the same range for life. It may get a little darker after a rest, but it will not jump to dark brown.