Hundreds of hens who lay unique pastel-colored eggs have been stolen from a family 's farm just weeks before Easter . Gerald Leuschen , who hand-raised the chickens on Buddy 's Farm in Sonoma County , California , said he has been left emotionally and financially devastated by the loss - which he predicts will cost him around $ 22,000 . ' I miss my birds , ' he told the Press Democrat . 'They 're so beautiful ! ' Leuschen , who runs the farm with his wife and their two young sons , said he first noticed about half of his 600 to 700 'Easter Egger ' hens were missing after returning to work following a brief illness . Scroll down for video . 'Taken ' : The owners of Buddy 's Farm in California ( pictured ) have had hundreds of chickens stolen . The targeted hens are known for laying colorful eggs which are particularly in demand around Easter . Special : The 'Easter Egger ' chickens lay pink , blue , green and cream eggs ( pictured ) but owner Gerald Leuschen said his family is now collecting just half of the eggs they would expect to have right now . He told KTVU that the birds apparently vanished overnight from their coop , which he had always left closed but unlocked until the theft . It came just days after he noticed the coop was wide open and that some of the birds were outside , so he told his sons , aged 11 and 13 , to make sure they secured the door behind them . 'For someone to come in and do that is a violation . It 's a huge violation , ' he told KTVU . ' I 'm angry they 're taking the food right out of my family 's mouth , but I ca n't carry that anger . ' He believes someone who knows the farm and knows chickens could be responsible , and that too many chickens have disappeared for an animal to be responsible , the Press Democrat reported . Heartbroken : Leuschen , pictured , runs the Sonoma County farm with his wife , sons and brother-in-law and said he is emotionally and financially devastated by the disappearance of the chickens . Loved : He said he misses his beautiful Easter Egger chickens , all of whom he hand-reared from birth . Leuschen , who started the business a few years ago , said he is down around $ 75 a day in earnings from eggs and about $ 100 invested in each chicken , for a total of more than $ 22,000 . Easter Eggers are a mix of different breeds . Their eggs may be blue , green , pink , brown , olive or cream . Each hen will give lay just one egg color - they do not each lay a variety . Egg colors occur when pigments are deposited as an egg moves through the hen 's oviduct . The exact color then hen will lay is determined by their genetics . For example , some breeds lay only white eggs ( Leghorns ) or brown eggs ( Orpingtons ) , while others lay more colorful eggs . An Olive Egger lays green eggs because it is the result of cross breeding between brown- and blue-laying chickens . Likewise , because Easter Eggers are a hybrid breed , a coop will lay a mixture of colors . Quite often the color of the chicken 's earlobe ( the flappy piece of skin at the side of their heads ) will indicate the colors of their eggs . If a chicken has white earlobes , it will likely lay white eggs , while if the earlobe is pink , the eggs will likely be non-white . Despite the different colors on the shell , the eggs inside are the same and there are no major differences in flavor . Instead , flavor is determined by the chicken 's diet . Easter Eggers are kept for their eggs but are not large enough to be used for meat . The birds , which he and his family incubated inside their home before hand-rearing , are a mixture of heritage and standard breeds , which allows for their colorful eggs . The demand for the eggs , which are blue , pink , grey , green and olive , is particularly high ahead of Easter , now less that two weeks away , the family said . Leuschen explained they should be collecting around 30 dozen eggs a day , and would expect to be getting as many as 50 dozen a day in a month - but right now they 're only collected 21 dozen . 'Alas , someone else will reap the benefit of our time , money and efforts , ' he wrote on Facebook as he appealed for friends and customers to share his story . But he added that they are committed to rebuilding their business and is offering a $ 250 reward for information leading to their return . In the meantime , he is padlocking the birds ' enclosure and asking friends and neighbors to be on the lookout for anyone with new colorful eggs in the area . 'Maybe you have seen someone selling laying hens on craigslist or Facebook , ' he wrote in his Facebook plea . 'Maybe the guy down the street just put up a sign . 'Perhaps your local feed store has some really beautiful chickens that do n't fit any variety specifically . They could be our birds . ' He asked for anyone with information about the whereabouts of his stolen hens to contact the Sonoma County Sheriff 's Office , which said it is unclear if it will investigate . See below for video .
Half of the 700 to 600 chickens on Buddy 's Farm in Sonoma County , California were apparently stolen earlier this month . Devastated owner Gerald Leuschen , who raised the birds by hand , says the theft has cost him as much as $ 22,000 . The 'Easter Egger ' hens lay pink , blue , green and cream eggs , which are particularly popular around Easter . Leuschen is now appealing for information to get his chickens back .