Guest guest Posted March 30, 2002 Report Share Posted March 30, 2002 Is there a nutritional difference in brown chicken eggs and white chicken eggs, if the hens are raised the same way? Why are some brown and others white, is it the breed of chicken? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2002 Report Share Posted March 30, 2002 > Is there a nutritional difference in brown chicken eggs and white > chicken eggs, if the hens are raised the same way? Why are some > brown and others white, is it the breed of chicken? It is the breed of the chicken. Believe it or not, the eggs of a particular breed are the same color as that breed's ear. I've heard that those breeds that produce brown eggs are considered to be hardier stock. Portland, OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2002 Report Share Posted March 30, 2002 > > Is there a nutritional difference in brown chicken eggs and white > > chicken eggs, if the hens are raised the same way? Why are some > > brown and others white, is it the breed of chicken? > > It is the breed of the chicken. Believe it or not, the eggs of a > particular breed are the same color as that breed's ear. I've heard > that those breeds that produce brown eggs are considered to be hardier > stock. > > > Portland, OR Most of the white egg layers are mediterranean breeds, and yes, they are smaller and not as plump, hence not as able to handle cold weather. All my heavy breeds (Buff Orpingtons, NH Reds, Black Australorps, Dominiques) lay brown eggs. All my little chickens (except one, and I think she's an English Game hen) lay white eggs. And the Araucanas lay green eggs! Lierre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2002 Report Share Posted March 30, 2002 At 07:04 PM 3/30/02 +0000, you wrote: I've heard >that those breeds that produce brown eggs are considered to be hardier >stock. > > >Portland, OR True New Englanders pretty much consider white egg farmers as not being from New England and knowing that brown egged breeds do best here. Wanita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2002 Report Share Posted March 31, 2002 At 03:54 PM 3/30/2002 +0000, you wrote: >Is there a nutritional difference in brown chicken eggs and white >chicken eggs, if the hens are raised the same way? Why are some >brown and others white, is it the breed of chicken? I'd be tempted to say that brown and white have the same nutrition, but given that they are discovering all kinds of things about pigmentation who knows? I'd guess the really are the same though: the difference depends on the breed of chicken. Aracanas have blue, green, or pink eggs and are my favorite. Of course, the white eggs seem to come from the more 'bred' breeds, which may have something to do with the egg's nutrition too. The breeds that are called " Excellent layers " have been really optimized to pump out eggs, and they tend to be small, flighty birds, and I'd bet they use up their nutritional stores faster -- and more of those breeds seem to lay white eggs, probably because that's what they like to sell in the supermarkets. " All purpose " breeds are usually raised by small farmers, not factories, and they lay fewer eggs, but are bigger and better for eating too -- and for some reason most of those breeds lay brown eggs. Aracanas are a newer breed, from South America rather than Europe, and they seem more intelligent and wild then the more purebred lines, but they don't lay so many eggs. " Meat chickens " have those huge breasts and grow really fast and are usually white (so the pinfeathers don't show when they are plucked). Probably most of the factory birds lay white eggs and have white feathers -- the feathers are also sold for pillows etc. and the pillows always seem to be stuffed with white feathers. Most of the chicks sold to people raising a few chickens seem to be " all purpose " brown-egg chickens: maybe because white chickens are just too boring. I like them the best -- I got one " excellent layer " once and she was just too nervous and I felt sorry for her. The " all purpose " breeds seem more self-reliant and smarter -- not that chickens are generally smart. I haven't tried getting some real " heirloom " chickens though that seems like a good idea. I judge the nutritional content of an egg by two things (this is not verified by science, just by my gut instinct): 1. How thick is the shell? If the shell is thick, then the bird is getting enough calcium and is probably in good shape. 2. Is the yolk fat (a ball, not a pancake) and orange? Yellow flat yolks mean the bird isn't fed well (also, the flatter, the older the egg probably). You can judge how old the egg is by how well if floats in water. If it just sits on the bottom, it's fresh. If it tilts up, it's older. If it floats, throw it out! -- Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 31, 2002 Report Share Posted March 31, 2002 > All my little chickens > (except one, and I think she's an English Game hen) lay white eggs. > And the Araucanas lay green eggs! Hmmm, I wonder what kind of pigs make green ham? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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