Monday, April 7, 2008

White eggs or brown eggs?



I get asked about white eggs vs. brown eggs a lot. It can be, like other issues of colour, a complicated subject for some. I hear of lots of people who refuse to eat brown eggs. My best egg customer doesn't eat brown eggs. She buys them for everyone else in her family, though. My mom used to avoid brown eggs, but she enjoys them now when she's here. Most of the commercial egg market is still white-egg dominant. Most people choose to buy white eggs. Usually because they're cheaper. Brown eggs tend to be more expensive because the hens that lay them are a bit bigger and eat more, thereby providing the farmer with more cost.

Some people think that there is a difference in taste between the white egg and the brown egg. And others have expressed not liking how deep yellow or orange the yolk is - it freaks them out.


Biologically speaking, there isn't a difference between the two colours. They should taste the same. The difference in taste that you might be experiencing is likely attributed to freshness and quality of feed/grains. That stuff DOES make a difference.


Our chickens lay brown eggs. All different shades of brown.

Just like much of the human species, a brown chicken lays a brown egg. And a white chicken lays a white egg. Determined by the colour of the feathers and the ear lobes, it is easy to spot what chicken is laying what egg. We recently bought some chickens that have white feathers, but they haven't started to lay yet. Our cartons will have a nice arrangement of colour to them. We should get some Araucanas or Ameraucanas - they lay blue and blue/green eggs! But, their feathers aren't blue. So, there blows the whole feather/ear lobe story.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just started using brown free range. They cost more but I feel better about the process.
The taste...I guess is a little more "rich". LOL
I try not to make a big deal about the change in egg shell colour. Hoping the kids won't notice. I'm sure they will...I thought I could hide ground flax seed in the pancake mix too....NOT

Sue

Renee said...

I never buy brown eggs - not sure why. I buy 2 packs of 18 each week and they only do the 18 packs with white eggs. I think I'll try some brown ones next week for fun, after reading this. :) I wish I lived closer to you so I could get my eggs from you!

-Renee

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