We’ve had many people ask about the differences in eggs, specifically what are the differences in colored eggs compared to white eggs? Do they taste different? Are they healthier? Are white eggs bleached?
The short answer is: There is no difference based on shell color. A brown egg has basically the same taste & nutritional value as a white or blue egg.
Store Bought Eggs
A carton of store bought white eggs are uniform in size & color because they are all layed by the same type of chicken. When there is an egg with a slight variation it gets tossed & never makes it to the supermarket.
Our chicken eggs come in a variety of sizes & colors because we have a variety of chicken breeds. They will all taste equally delicious.
The breed of chicken determines the color of the eggshell. Some breeds lay white eggs. Others lay brown or blue eggs. White eggs are not bleached. They are produced by hens that lay white eggs.
Egg Color
It doesn’t matter if your egg is speckled or has some other funky coloring. It will still be yummy.
The dark brown color on an egg is added during the last process of egg formation. The speckles come from an uneven distribution of the brown pigment.
Egg Size
Size doesn’t matter. The small egg will taste the same as the large egg.
Size is determined by the chicken laying the egg.
Foraging Chickens
The nutrients of an egg is determined by what the chicken eats, not by the color of its shell.
It is said that true pasture raised chickens produce healthier eggs. When a chicken is able to forage, eating greens & bugs, they are eating the things they naturally need. In return, they produce an egg with less cholesterol, less saturated fat & more vitamins A & E. Check out this article to read more about the health benefits of free range chickens.
I’m not a foraging snob. It is not logical for us to let our chickens fend completely on their own for food. I don’t know anyone who lets there chickens only eat what they forage. Our chickens are able to free range, but are also fed chicken feed. This seems to be a good balance. Our chickens are happy, well fed & lay plenty of eggs.
Be aware that although your grocery store eggs might say cage free or free range the words don’t always mean exactly what you are envisioning. Free range should mean that the chicken is roaming freely eating what it wants like our chickens in this pic. More often than not, though, eggs coming from factories claiming free range or cage free are produced from chickens living only on dirt or concrete and not really able to forage at all. But, by golly, they aren’t in cages. I get it. It’s not always easy letting your chickens roam free. I’m sure it’s even more difficult with a factory worth of chickens. My problem is with the words they are able to put on their cartons knowing full well it is a lie. This topic of tricking the consumer will need to be continued later…
To Sum it All Up
I hope this has cleared up a few misconceptions about chicken eggs. The contents of the egg are not determined by the color of its shell, but by the food the chicken eats.
I find it fascinating that most people are set in their preferred way to get their eggs. I have friends who are weirded out by any other egg than a white egg from the store. I also know people who won’t eat anything except eggs from backyard chickens. To everyone I say, Enjoy your eggs! They are nutritious & delicious.
