Some new chicken owners are surprised to learn that chickens even have ears, though it's obvious that chickens can hear if you watch your hens interact with one another. If you've never owned chickens before, then you may be surprised to learn that chickens do indeed have ears -- and that the color of their ears can help you predict the color of their eggs.
Location
Your chicken's ears do not stick out of the side of her head, but that is where they are located. Chicken ears are small holes in either side of your chicken's head. You cannot usually see them because the ears are covered in feathers. The only part of a chicken's ear that usually is visible is the lobe, which sticks out slightly away from the skin and feathers. The ear lobe is located in the space behind the eye and the wattle, which is the red, fleshy growth under the chin.
Color
The color of a chicken's ear is easiest to determine while looking at the ear lobe. If the lobe is white, then the ear is white. If the lobe is brown, then the ear is also brown.
Meaning of Color
The color of the earlobe can tell you what color eggs your chickens will lay. Chickens with white ears lay white eggs. Chickens with brown ears lay brown eggs. The color of the chicken's ears are not necessarily the same color as their feathers, however. Chickens have an assortment of feather colors that have no effect on the color of the eggs.
Range of Egg Color
The basic color of your chicken's eggs may be consistent and match the color of her ears, but you shouldn't be surprised by variations within that base color. For example, brown eggs come in all different shades of brown and can be very light, medium or very dark. The shade of the eggs will depend on the hen's diet, health and nutrition at the time the egg was formed.
References
Photo Credits
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Writer Bio
Jen Davis has been writing since 2004. She has served as a newspaper reporter and her freelance articles have appeared in magazines such as "Horses Incorporated," "The Paisley Pony" and "Alabama Living." Davis earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in journalism from Berry College in Rome, Ga.
