Green Queen Chicken: All You Need To Know
Green egg layers, like Easter Eggers and Green Queens, have become extremely popular and are conquering the world! These backyard chickens are famous for their beautiful colored eggs and docile character. Green Queen chickens are a new variety of Easter Eggers.
Let’s find out everything about this reasonably new hybrid breed.
Key Takeaways:
- A new variety of the Easter Egger
- Hybrid chicken, cross breed of different parents
- Friendly and docile birds
- Green queens lay up to 310 eggs per year
- Not likely to go broody
| Eggs | 310 eggs per year |
| Egg Color | Green |
| Egg Size | Medium to large |
| Weight | 4 – 4.5 lbs |
| Hardiness | Cold/heat |
| Temperament | Friendly, docile |
| Beginner-friendly | Yes |
| Color | Varies |
Characteristics
Let’s get something straight: no Green Queen chicken will look precisely the same. They were bred to create a new variety of the Easter Egger, which gains popularity each day because of its amazingly colored eggs. But like all Easter Eggers, Green Queens are a mix of different breeds, so all offspring look pretty different.
But there are a few things Green Queens has in common. They’re all medium-sized birds with distinguished muffs and beards. They have red earlobes and are solely bred for egg production; Green Queens are not meat birds.
That’s all the characteristics Green Queen chickens have in common! Not much, you say? Totally right! As several different breeds are used to create a Green Queen, you’ll never know what you’ll get.
But what are the main differences in looks between different Green Queens? Some Green Queen chickens have five toes instead of four, like Faverolles or Silkies. But other Green Queens only have four toes.
Their shackles and toes may or may not be feathered, and their skin color varies. The comb type can differ from bird to bird, as can the feather color and pattern. Their color can range from white and (light) brown to almost black.
No wonder this breed can be quite confusing, as none look alike! When browsing social media, you’ll see Green Queens looking like Araucanas, Ameraucanas, Faverolles, Easter Eggers, and many more. The fun part is, when getting chicks, it’s always a surprise what you’ll get!
However, if you’re looking for a chicken with a specific look and feather pattern, this may not be the breed for you.
Green Queen Breed
A Green Queen is a hybrid bird, a mix of several other chicken breeds. It was developed as a new version of the Easter Egger, an egg-laying breed that lays beautiful green-colored eggs.
Easter Eggers are very popular due to their colorful eggs, excellent egg-laying skills, hardiness, and docile nature. This makes the breed especially popular for beginning chicken keepers and poultry lovers with small children.
No wonder a new hybrid breed was created to keep up with the high demand for green egg layers!
Meyer Hatchery created the Green Queen and brought it to its customers in 2020. The hatchery does not specify which breeds were used to develop the Green Queen, so it isn’t sure who its ancestors are.
But, because the Green Queen lays green eggs, we can be sure of one of its parents carrying the ‘blue egg laying gene‘, such as Araucanas or Ameraucanas. And looking at the five toes on many Green Queens, we’re also looking at the (Salmon) Faverolles to be involved.
Some Green Queen chickens look very much like a Faverolles chicken. Some look more like an Ameraucana or an Easter Egger. And that’s part of the fun!
In 2022 Meyer Hatchery introduced the Bantam miniature version of the Green Queen, with roosters weighing 32 oz and hens 30 oz.
Egg Production
Green Queens are excellent layers, as they were developed as an egg-laying breed. They lay up to 4 to 6 eggs per week, more than 300 per year! All eggs are medium to large-sized.
Green Queen chickens are a new version of Easter Eggers, meaning they’ll lay green to olive-colored eggs. However, when it comes to green egg layers, nothing is ever certain until your hen lays its very first egg.
There is a possibility the egg will be cream, tinted, brown, or pink instead of green or olive. Keep this in mind when thinking about getting a Green Queen.
As Green Queens are hardy birds, they’ll keep laying during winter; however, egg production may slow down. This means you’ll enjoy their colorful and tasty eggs all year round, except during molt.
Green Queens seldom go broody. This is, after all, a designer breed, bred to lay as many eggs as possible. So they won’t stop laying regularly due to broodiness. If you’re planning to hatch chicks, this is something to remember, as these chickens won’t sit on the eggs.
If you plan on breeding with Green Queens or any other Easter Eggers: they don’t breed true. So Easter Egger parents won’t give you an Easter Egger chick.
Personality
Green Queens are friendly, kind, and docile birds that do not need much extra care other than water, food, and shelter. They’re extremely beginner-friendly and excellent backyard companions if you have small children running around. The breed is not aggressive or assertive towards other chickens.
Green Queen chickens are calm and docile, which makes them happy in confinement, but they’re also great foragers. If you have the space, you can let them free-range without any issues. But if not, you can keep them in an enclosed run; check out the space requirements with the help of our ‘Coop Size Calculator‘.
Green Queens are both heat and cold hardy, so they can be kept in any climate. But keep in mind any animal needs extra care during extreme weather conditions like heat waves.
There are hundreds of chicken breeds in the world! If you want to get to know them all, rare or common, heritage or hybrid, go to our ‘All Chicken Breeds & Types Worldwide: List of 500+ Breeds‘.
If you want to learn more about chicken breeds that lay colored eggs, check out our article ‘10 Popular Chickens With Colored Eggs‘. Or go to our listicle breed summary on ‘The Classroom‘, or, if you’re unsure where to start, take a look at our ‘Chicken Breeds: Ultimate Beginners Guide‘.
Related Questions
Green Queen is a relatively new variety of Easter Eggers. They were developed by Meyer Hatchery and introduced to their customers in 2020. Green Queens are a mix of two different birds to create a breed that lays beautiful green-colored eggs. No Green Queen will look precisely the same.
Green Queen hens are bred to lay green or olive-colored eggs, but nothing is certain until they start laying. There is a possibility the egg will be cream, tinted, brown, or pink instead of green or olive.
Green Queens hens are very good egg layers. They can lay up to 310 eggs per year, that’s four to six eggs per week. All eggs are medium to large-sized.
It varies. Some Green Queens have feathered feet; some don’t. Green Queens are not a recognized breed but a created hybrid breed, and none look alike. Their characteristics vary from chicken to chicken, making it impossible to tell how the bird will look.
Credits Featured Image: @izzies_chickies (IG)
