So, you can dye brown eggs afterall...

Normally I'll pick up two 18-packs of the old store-bought white eggs for Easter.  This year I have eggs coming out my ears as my thirty laying hens have started picking up the pace.  A quick search on www.backyardchickens.com turned up evidence that you indeed can dye your own homegrown brown eggs and that the results are wonderful!


I used three dye tablets for each cup and increased the white vinegar to equal about half of the liquid.  I think now that two tablets would have been enough.  It helps to let the eggs sit just a bit longer, for a couple of minutes or so.

Brown eggs will render a variety of deep, jewel tones.  Very pretty!  I especially like the varying shades of emerald, sapphire and violet.  Yellow will come out a beautiful, glowing shade of goldenrod.  Red comes out a warm, dark coral.  Depending on how long you leave them in the cup and how light or dark your brown eggs were to begin with, you will get a much greater variety of colors than you would with the plain white eggs.

Another benefit is that eggs from your own chickens, which are fed much better than factory-farm chickens, will have harder shells and be less likely to crack when your young children drop them quickly and unceremoniously into the cup.

I had quite a surplus of eggs this time and held back several dozen for a couple weeks on purpose to let them age so they'd peel easier.  We did up eight dozen eggs altogether.  Can you believe the kids actually got tired of dyeing eggs?  They told me they needed to take a break.  Sounds like work, huh?

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday with your loved ones and may you rejoice every day in the new life we have in Christ Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us.