What color eggs do Cayuga Ducks lay?

Dark eggs that change through the season. **Do they lay black eggs? Yes — but mainly early in the laying season.** A hen's first eggs of the year can be near-black or dark charcoal gray; as she keeps laying, the dark surface coating thins and the eggs fade from black to gray to bluish-gray and finally near-white by season's end. So 'black eggs' are an early-season trait, not a year-round one.

Are Cayuga Ducks good for showing?

Yes. They are exhibited in the APA's **Duck class** as a single Black variety, judged on a rich **beetle-green sheen** over solid black plumage and correct medium type. The catch is age: Cayugas gain white feathers with each molt, so white plumage is a fault and show birds are usually exhibited young while still solidly black.

How hard are Cayuga Ducks to hatch?

No harder than other domestic ducks, but remember it's a **~28-day incubation with lockdown around day 25** — a week longer than chicken eggs — and duck eggs want higher humidity and benefit from daily cooling/misting after the first week. The dark shell pigment can make candling harder, so use a strong light. See our /hatching/duck guide for the full schedule.

Why is my Cayuga turning white?

It's normal. Cayugas gain white feathers over successive molts and can become largely white after several years, with the change happening faster in females than in males. It doesn't mean the bird is unhealthy — but for showing or breeding for color, younger and more solidly black birds are preferred.

Are Cayuga Ducks broody?

Moderately — broodiness is variable and not especially reliable. Some hens will sit, but many keepers use an incubator or a broody hen of another breed for a dependable hatch. Individual birds vary.

Where do Cayuga Ducks come from?

The Cayuga was developed in the United States near Lake Cayuga in New York and is thought to trace back to wild black duck stock, making it one of the few duck breeds that originated in America.

Cayuga Duck: The Beetle-Green Black Duck That Lays Dark Eggs

Verified September 2026Dark brown eggs

The short version

The Cayuga is an all-black American duck whose plumage carries a lustrous beetle-green sheen in sunlight, and it is famous for laying dark eggs that start near-black or dark gray early in the season and lighten through gray to white as the hen keeps laying. Developed near Lake Cayuga in New York, it is one of the few duck breeds that originated in the United States. It comes in a single color — Black — is a calm, hardy, dual-purpose bird, and typically lays around 100–150 eggs a year.

APA class: Duck

Egg color: Dark brown

Broodiness: Occasionally broody

Varieties: 1

Egg-color genetics

The Cayuga's dark egg is not a shell pigment baked all the way through — it is a heavy layer of dark gray-to-black pigment (a melanin-like coating) laid down over the shell as the last step before the egg is laid. Early in the laying season a hen deposits the most of this coating, so her first eggs of the year can look near-black or charcoal gray. As she lays through the season the same amount of pigment is spread over more and more eggs, so the coating thins out: eggs fade from black to gray, then to a bluish or greenish gray, and by late season to near-white. Because the pigment sits on the surface, a fresh dark Cayuga egg can even be rubbed partly clean. The progression restarts the following spring, so 'black eggs' are really an early-season phenomenon rather than a year-round trait.

Why do Cayuga eggs change color through the season?

The Cayuga's signature dark egg comes from a layer of dark pigment applied over the shell just before laying, not from color running through the shell. Early in the laying season a hen lays down the heaviest coating, so her first eggs can look near-black or charcoal. As she continues to lay, that pigment is spread thinner over more eggs, so the color fades from black to gray, then bluish-gray or greenish, and finally to near-white by the end of the season — a progression The Livestock Conservancy and hatcheries both describe.

This is why you should not expect black eggs year-round: the darkest eggs are an early-season phenomenon, and the same hen that laid a near-black egg in spring may lay a pale gray or white egg by late summer. The cycle resets the following spring.

The beetle-green sheen and whitening with age

In good light a quality Cayuga is not merely black but shot through with a green iridescence — the 'beetle-green' sheen most visible on the head of a drake and in direct sun. That green (rather than purple or dull) sheen over solid black is what breeders and judges select for.

Cayugas also whiten as they age, gaining white feathers over successive molts and sometimes becoming largely white after several years, with the change happening faster in females than males. For exhibitors this makes young, solidly black birds the ones to show.

Breeding notes

Select hard for the beetle-green sheen and solid black color: the show ideal is a greenish (not purple or dull) iridescence over jet-black plumage, so breed from your greenest, most uniformly black birds and cull dull, brownish, or purple-cast individuals.
The famous dark egg is a seasonal, early-year trait — the pigment coating is heaviest on the first eggs of the season and thins as laying continues. If you want the darkest eggs to reproduce that tendency, set hatching eggs from hens that lay the darkest eggs early in the season, since egg-color intensity is heritable.
White feathers increase with age: Cayugas gain white feathering over successive molts and can turn largely white after several years, faster in females than males. For breeding stock and show birds, favor younger birds and lines that stay solid black longest.
A hardy, cold-tolerant breed that forages well; broody behavior is moderate and unreliable, so plan on an incubator or a dependable broody of another breed if you want a predictable hatch.

Showing notes

Exhibited in the APA's Duck class as a single variety — Black. Judges reward a rich, even beetle-green sheen over deep black plumage; a purple or blue cast or a dull, brownish tone is less desirable than clean green iridescence.
Age is the exhibitor's enemy here: because Cayugas throw more white feathers with each molt, white in the plumage is a fault, so show birds are typically exhibited young and conditioned to keep the black solid and glossy.
Present a well-conditioned bird with clean, glossy feathers and correct medium body type; keep birds out of harsh sun and mud before a show so the green sheen reads at its best under the judge's light.

Hatching & incubation

Treat like other domestic duck eggs (not Muscovy): about a **28-day** incubation with lockdown around **day 25**, versus 21 days for chicken eggs — see /hatching/duck for the full schedule.
Duck eggs want higher humidity than chicken eggs and benefit from daily misting/cooling once they are past the first week; the dark surface pigment can make candling harder, so candle against a strong light and don't scrub the shell.

Recognized varieties

Black (lustrous beetle-green sheen)

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Cayuga Ducks lay?: Dark eggs that change through the season. Do they lay black eggs? Yes — but mainly early in the laying season. A hen's first eggs of the year can be near-black or dark charcoal gray; as she keeps laying, the dark surface coating thins and the eggs fade from black to gray to bluish-gray and finally near-white by season's end. So 'black eggs' are an early-season trait, not a year-round one.
Are Cayuga Ducks good for showing?: Yes. They are exhibited in the APA's Duck class as a single Black variety, judged on a rich beetle-green sheen over solid black plumage and correct medium type. The catch is age: Cayugas gain white feathers with each molt, so white plumage is a fault and show birds are usually exhibited young while still solidly black.
How hard are Cayuga Ducks to hatch?: No harder than other domestic ducks, but remember it's a ~28-day incubation with lockdown around day 25 — a week longer than chicken eggs — and duck eggs want higher humidity and benefit from daily cooling/misting after the first week. The dark shell pigment can make candling harder, so use a strong light. See our /hatching/duck guide for the full schedule.
Why is my Cayuga turning white?: It's normal. Cayugas gain white feathers over successive molts and can become largely white after several years, with the change happening faster in females than in males. It doesn't mean the bird is unhealthy — but for showing or breeding for color, younger and more solidly black birds are preferred.
Are Cayuga Ducks broody?: Moderately — broodiness is variable and not especially reliable. Some hens will sit, but many keepers use an incubator or a broody hen of another breed for a dependable hatch. Individual birds vary.
Where do Cayuga Ducks come from?: The Cayuga was developed in the United States near Lake Cayuga in New York and is thought to trace back to wild black duck stock, making it one of the few duck breeds that originated in America.

Sources

Cayuga Duck (breed history, egg color & characteristics) — The Livestock Conservancy (Breed club)
Cayuga Ducks (breed profile: plumage, egg color, temperament) — Metzer Farms (Hatchery)

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