Eggs are white, you scary furriners

[gymfresh]

Well, off-white. That's why eggshell is a color in the palate of choices to paint your living room. Eggs are not brown. I don't know what lurks under brown shells, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to eat it.

I remember staring with speechless horror the first time I saw brown eggs. I don't remember whether it was in New England or in Europe, but something seemed terribly wrong. It was like seeing blue bananas or orange broccoli.

What color are eggs where you live/shop? Does anyone find white eggs novel? (How could you?) Here's what's in my fridge tonight:

.

 

[B_Hickboy]

They're white here, brown in France. The yolks are a gorgeous golden orange amber c'mither color there, too. And they taste better.

 

[D_Portelay Porquesword]

Araucana eggs are greenish blue. The yolks are the same as regular white eggs.

 

[thadjock]

well you would be well advised to stay in the US,

you would freak out at the variety of eggs in europe. the chicken eggs we got there were brown and i still prefer brown chicken eggs , just from my early experiences, because there is no difference in taste or quality of the eggs contained in either white or brown shells

we also ate pheasant, quail, plover, duck and goose eggs at various times. some have holiday associations. each a unique color and speckled pattern. all very good.

 

[Calboner]

My sister keeps chickens, and the eggs that come from under them seem to be smeared with shit. Besides that, some are brownish, some are greenish.

I suspect that white eggs are as artificial a product as white bread.

 

[AquaEyes11010]

Shell color in chicken eggs varies from "eggshell-white" to dark chocolate brown, and all shades between. There are even bluish, greenish or slightly pinkish eggs, depending on the breed of chicken. They have nothing to do with taste. Eggshell color is based on the type and amount of pigment released while the shell forms. Yolk color varies with diet -- truly free-ranging or pastured chickens have access to more green food and are thus able to deposit more beta carotene in the yolks.

The reasons most of the eggs sold here are white is because the founding breed used to create the "factory farm" chicken was the white leghorn, which lays white eggs, and because there was a customer preference for white eggs. If you're curious to find out more, go to www.feathersite.com.

 

[B_Hickboy]

Shell color in chicken eggs varies from "eggshell-white" to dark chocolate brown, and all shades between. There are even bluish, greenish or slightly pinkish eggs, depending on the breed of chicken. They have nothing to do with taste. Eggshell color is based on the type and amount of pigment released while the shell forms. Yolk color varies with diet -- truly free-ranging or pastured chickens have access to more green food and are thus able to deposit more beta carotene in the yolks.

The reasons most of the eggs sold here are white is because the founding breed used to create the "factory farm" chicken was the white leghorn, which lays white eggs, and because there was a customer preference for white eggs. If you're curious to find out more, go to www.feathersite.com.

The man knows his birds.

 

[AquaEyes11010]

My sister keeps chickens, and the eggs that come from under them seem to be smeared with shit. Besides that, some are brownish, some are greenish.

I suspect that white eggs are as artificial a product as white bread.

Nah, it's just a genetic trait. There's a correlation between the color of the "earlobe" on the chicken and the color of the egg -- white lobes equals white eggs, red or otherwise pigmented lobes equals brownish eggs. And the greenish eggs is due to the release of small amounts of bile, I think, which gets incorporated into the shell. I'd have to go back and look that up to be sure. As far as I can remember, there's only one or two breeds that deviate from that rule. And I'd have to go back and look them up as well.

 

[Countryguy63]

This is a subject right up my ally :biggrin1:

gymfresh, what do you think is beneath the brown shells? I can tell you.. the exact same thing that is beneath the white and, blue, or green shelled eggs. The contents of the egg is not affected at all by the exterior color. There are lots of brown eggs in many grocery stores in the US.

When I was doing a "Farm Day" education program, I would do about 4 demonstrations during the day. For the 1st demo, I would take a white, brown, and green egg, and ask the kids what they thought the inside was going to look like. Many of them had the same assumption as you.

I would take and break each egg in a small clean salsa jar, and they (and some adults) would be shocked that they were all exactly alike.

For the rest of the day I would ask the kids to guess which shell went with each jar. (I had previously written the color on a piece of tape and stuck to the jar, which was then turned to the backside)

The general rule is that if a chicken has red ear lobes, it will lay a brown egg, and if it has white ear lobes, it's egg will be white. Of course like the rest of Mother Nature, there are acceptions.

O Y and Aqua Eyes, I am thoroughly impressed :smile:.

A few totally uselss facts for most here....

Araucanas (as known in the US- Britain Standard varies) were originated somewhere in South America. Their true shell color is a turuoise or blue. They were first imported into the US in the early 1930's. They are completely tail-less, missing the Uropigium (or Coccyx) which is what the tail feathers grow out of on other birds. Although there are others, they are the most common tail-less chickens. Those "Old timey sideburns" are called "tufts" and are feathers that grow out of the side of the face near the ears.

There is also a breed called the Ameraucana that also lays the turquoise or blue eggs. These were develop in the US in the 1970's by breeders that did not want to contend with the fatal gene that accompanies the tail-less gene. These birds not only have a tail, but the tufts are replaced with a "beard and muffs", which are downy like feathers encircling the lower side of the face and front of neck, much like a Amish beard.

The blue egg gene is dominant,so either of these breeds crossed over other breeds produces a whole range of different shades including blue, green, and pinkish hues. Most "Araucanas" sold in hatcheries are just such crosses and correctly referred to as "Easter Eggers".

The "chocolate colored eggs referred to by Aqua Eyes come from French Breeds such as the Maran, Barnvelder, and Welsummer, to name a few. There are actual competitions based on the darkest color being the most desirable.

Bettcha didn't know and didn't care about the above, lol :tongue:

Don't often get to talk about these kinds of "Cocks" and Hens on the big cock board. lol

 

[SpoiledPrincess]

Brown eggs, its been years since I've seen eggs with white shells, I believe the UK started only having brown eggs when wholefoods began to be popular, they were perceived as more wholesome looking. I know that the egg inside is the same nutritionally but white eggs do look pallid and unhealthy now.

 

[arthurdent]

In the UK, the hens eggs sold in supermarkets are brown. When I was a teenager, I had a Sunday morning job, collecting eggs at a nearby farm. I never saw a white egg, although I saw loads where the shell was actually soft.

The only white eggs I've seen are goose eggs.

 

[AquaEyes11010]

This is a subject right up my ally :biggrin1:

gymfresh, what do you think is beneath the brown shells? I can tell you.. the exact same thing that is beneath the white and, blue, or green shelled eggs. The contents of the egg is not affected at all by the exterior color. There are lots of brown eggs in many grocery stores in the US.

When I was doing a "Farm Day" education program, I would do about 4 demonstrations during the day. For the 1st demo, I would take a white, brown, and green egg, and ask the kids what they thought the inside was going to look like. Many of them had the same assumption as you.

I would take and break each egg in a small clean salsa jar, and they (and some adults) would be shocked that they were all exactly alike.

For the rest of the day I would ask the kids to guess which shell went with each jar. (I had previously written the color on a piece of tape and stuck to the jar, which was then turned to the backside)

The general rule is that if a chicken has red ear lobes, it will lay a brown egg, and if it has white ear lobes, it's egg will be white. Of course like the rest of Mother Nature, there are acceptions.

O Y and Aqua Eyes, I am thoroughly impressed :smile:.

A few totally uselss facts for most here....

Araucanas (as known in the US- Britain Standard varies) were originated somewhere in South America. Their true shell color is a turuoise or blue. They were first imported into the US in the early 1930's. They are completely tail-less, missing the Uropigium (or Coccyx) which is what the tail feathers grow out of on other birds. Although there are others, they are the most common tail-less chickens. Those "Old timey sideburns" are called "tufts" and are feathers that grow out of the side of the face near the ears.

There is also a breed called the Ameraucana that also lays the turquoise or blue eggs. These were develop in the US in the 1970's by breeders that did not want to contend with the fatal gene that accompanies the tail-less gene. These birds not only have a tail, but the tufts are replaced with a "beard and muffs", which are downy like feathers encircling the lower side of the face and front of neck, much like a Amish beard.

The blue egg gene is dominant,so either of these breeds crossed over other breeds produces a whole range of different shades including blue, green, and pinkish hues. Most "Araucanas" sold in hatcheries are just such crosses and correctly referred to as "Easter Eggers".

The "chocolate colored eggs referred to by Aqua Eyes come from French Breeds such as the Maran, Barnvelder, and Welsummer, to name a few. There are actual competitions based on the darkest color being the most desirable.

Bettcha didn't know and didn't care about the above, lol :tongue:

Don't often get to talk about these kinds of "Cocks" and Hens on the big cock board. lol

Thanks...not bad for someone who lived almost all his life within a half hour of manhattan, huh? I read a lot.

About the Araucanas...I think it's not the tail-less trait that's lethal in homozygous form, it's the "ear tufts." Since there are other tail-less breeds but none that have the ear tufts, it's making sense to me but again, I'd have to look it up to be sure. And I think the Ameraucana developed to carry some of the appearance of the Araucana without the lethal gene (ear muffs, different gene that's non-lethal in homozygous form).

I think Europe is changing the laws regarding humane chicken keeping, and the battery-hen style is being phased out (if not already in the UK). This return to a less intensive form of egg-farming allowed other breeds to be used again, many of which laid brown eggs. And consumers make an association -- white eggs from cages, brown eggs from free-range -- even if it isn't entirely accurate.

 

[Countryguy63]

Thanks...not bad for someone who lived almost all his life within a half hour of manhattan, huh? I read a lot.

About the Araucanas...I think it's not the tail-less trait that's lethal in homozygous form, it's the "ear tufts." Since there are other tail-less breeds but none that have the ear tufts, it's making sense to me but again, I'd have to look it up to be sure. And I think the Ameraucana developed to carry some of the appearance of the Araucana without the lethal gene (ear muffs, different gene that's non-lethal in homozygous form).

I think Europe is changing the laws regarding humane chicken keeping, and the battery-hen style is being phased out (if not already in the UK). This return to a less intensive form of egg-farming allowed other breeds to be used again, many of which laid brown eggs. And consumers make an association -- white eggs from cages, brown eggs from free-range -- even if it isn't entirely accurate.

Now that you mention it, I believe that you are correct. It is the tuft gene that is lethal, not the tail-less. Good Call :smile:

The appearance of the Ameraucana is actually very different than the Araucana, As they were developed also to have "table quality", in other words, more of a "plump body"

The only problem I see with the discontinuation of battery cage style egg farms is that the price of eggs will rise significantly. However if it is the only choice that the public has, it won't be as big of an issue. Not sure, but I believe that Leghorns (thus white eggs) will still be the primary breed as their production is higher.

pm coming your way:wink:

 

[JustAsking]

Brown and sometimes white. Mostly brown. New England and Ohio

 

[L_Lynn]

I don't know as much as some of the above avian experts above, but my grandmother had chickens, including Araucanas, and it was rare we ever had a white egg. Varying shades of brown and tan, speckled, green and turquoise blue, they all tasted great.

 

[Indelicate]

Now that you mention it, I believe that you are correct. It is the tuft gene that is lethal, not the tail-less. Good Call :smile:

The appearance of the Ameraucana is actually very different than the Araucana, As they were developed also to have "table quality", in other words, more of a "plump body"

The only problem I see with the discontinuation of battery cage style egg farms is that the price of eggs will rise significantly. However if it is the only choice that the public has, it won't be as big of an issue. Not sure, but I believe that Leghorns (thus white eggs) will still be the primary breed as their production is higher.

pm coming your way:wink:

Good Job Guys! I have had my Ag lesson for the week. I am ready for an early breakfast with all this talk of eggs...

 

[Pitbull]

The chickens that lay white eggs have better egg production (Eggs/year layed)

But another factor is that the hens that lay the brown ones eggs are larger birds and the cost of feeding them are higher.

:smile:

 

[ManlyBanisters]

They're white here, brown in France. The yolks are a gorgeous golden orange amber c'mither color there, too. And they taste better.

You've only had free range here because that's what I buy, or what the neighbours give me. And it's all any half decent restaurant will buy either. Price difference is minimal, quality difference is noticeable. The eggs you've had in Ireland were probably from free range hens fed with organically produced feed, cos my folks like their organic stuff - personally I don't taste the difference there, though.

Well, off-white. That's why eggshell is a color in the palate of choices to paint your living room. Eggs are not brown. I don't know what lurks under brown shells, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to eat it.

I remember staring with speechless horror the first time I saw brown eggs. I don't remember whether it was in New England or in Europe, but something seemed terribly wrong. It was like seeing blue bananas or orange broccoli.

What color are eggs where you live/shop? Does anyone find white eggs novel? (How could you?)
.

Brown here. When I have white eggs they tend to be duck or goose eggs - though my neighbour up the road does have a couple of hens that lay white.

You'll notice that when you crack a brown egg the inside is still yellow and translucent (or white if cooked) - and tastes of egg :smile:

But I know what you mean - my first blood orange grossed me out to look at , but I tasted it and oh boy, was a I glad I did!.

The chickens that lay white eggs have better egg production (Eggs/year layed)

But another factor is that the hens that lay the brown ones eggs are larger birds and the cost of feeding them are higher.

:smile:

We do quality over quantity here

 

[MarkLondon]

In the UK, years ago, most hens' eggs were white and brown eggs sold at higher prices than white ones because they were perceived to be tastier (though they're not, actually). I ain't seen white eggs on sale in a very long time.

Also, over here "eggshell" is a type of paint, not a colour. It has a soft sheen, halfway between the mattness of "emulsion" and the shinyness of "gloss".

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

Well, off-white. That's why eggshell is a color in the palate of choices to paint your living room. Eggs are not brown. I don't know what lurks under brown shells, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to eat it.

I remember staring with speechless horror the first time I saw brown eggs. I don't remember whether it was in New England or in Europe, but something seemed terribly wrong. It was like seeing blue bananas or orange broccoli.

What color are eggs where you live/shop? Does anyone find white eggs novel? (How could you?) Here's what's in my fridge tonight:

.

Actually "Egg Shell" isn't a an off white colour, it's a semi-reflective finish which is supposed to mimic the sheen on the outside of egg shells. You may be thinking of "Duck Egg" blue which is a light blue colour which was very popular in the 18th century as an interior wall paint colour.

Egg shell colours reflect nothing about the taste of nature of the egg, merely the kind of grit or sand included in the food the chickens ate. What really matters is the colour of the yoke, the richer the colour, be it yellow or orange, the richer the flavour.

I have a friend who hates brown eggs and a friend who hates white eggs, needless to say I don't invite them to breakfast on the same day :tongue::biggrin1: