Boiled eggs

[Spuddy]

Pawclaws.

One for the language difference then, we call a male chicken a "Cock" or "Cockerel".
We used to have white and brown eggs here in the UK 30 years or so back but now the standard is the brown egg. In some countries in europe a whiter shelled egg is standard. I cannot say I can tell any difference in flavour, in fact (as most other breeders will agree) there are greater taste benefits to be had from a good diet and the ability of the hens to free range and forage than from a simple thing like the colour of the shell (which is just a pigment that is deposited on the shell only minutes before it is layed; the inside and the main body of the shell is always the same colour regardless of the colour of the outside).

[pawclaws]

Fascinating! Our "free range" birds produce the best eggs as well. I'm particularly fond of the occasional hint of wild onion or wild garlic present in the yolk.

[J.P.]

Wild garlic and onion hint? I've never had that in an egg...

Oh, I've missed out on so much!!

If I recall correctly,

Free range eggs are often fed egg shell, and often eat various minerals (and stones(?)),
esp. during winter, because the specific foods are absent that help make the shells hard.
I remember being told, that occasionally, during winter
(when they were unable to get the correct minerals) chickens would lay soft shelled eggs.

So, and getting back to my original point, all these things would,
I'd assume constitute to the colour of the egg, too.

[pawclaws]

Yes sir JP. When the chickens ingest garlic or onion tops they do indeed produce eggs which have the flavor. The pebbles and gravel they ingest, according to grandma now, ended up in their gizzards or crops and supposedly helped with their digestion. I'm not certain of the accuracy of that supposition. I guess I have seen possibly less than a half dozen "soft shelled" eggs. Never gave it a thought as to potential cause. Must be a lack of lime/calcium needed to produce the shell. Grandma used to feed supplements of ground oyster shells, which she called grit, with their daily scatter of field corn. Wow! So much to learn; so little time!

[Spuddy]

Exactly right Pawclaws.

The ground oyster shell provides calcium to make the shells and soft shells are in indication of calcium defficiency. Most rearers now use "layers pellets" for egg layers as this is a processed mixture containing mixed grain and additional nutrients in the correct proportion.
Mixed grains on there own are usually only fed to birds destined for the table as they don't need the additional calcium.

Grandma was right the grains are stored in the crop where the ingested gravel and pebbles grind against them to break them down in to digestible form.

Are you thinking of getting some?

[J.P.]

That's it, now you've said it it reminded me!!

Yes, the pebbles wern't for the shells, was for digestion...

But I'm sure they were fed egg shells back, to help with soft eggs.

[pawclaws]

Yes JP I am considering that. I really really do not like being tied down to the place; but, the wife and I seldom vacation together so if I can get her to go along with a little "job sharing" I think I am going to propose the acquisition of a couple dozen layers as well as a Spring steer and a couple hogs. Since my success with the wild game is diminishing as quickly as the purchasing power of my fixed income and my habit of eating regularly remains surprisingly consistent!

[Spuddy]

But I'm sure they were fed egg shells back, to help with soft eggs.

You're quite right, the shells are safely recyclable by baking in the oven to dry them and kill any bacteria (this also changes the flavour so they don't start taking a liking to the taste of eggs) before being crushed and added to their feed as a substitute for grit.

[countrybumpkin]

Hi,

Whoever wanted to know what breed of chicken lays the brownest eggs, Marans, especially French Copper Black, I think the Wheaten Marans too but not sure.
Welsummers
Barnvelders
These all all pure breed varieties, if you want egg numbers go for a hybrid, Speckledys are based on a Maran, and lay a fairly good brown egg, I'm not sure about the other hybrids, I have Speckledeys and French Copper Blacks, to see the brown colour of a FCB is a shock, they are conker coloured.

Countrybumpkin

[pawclaws]

Lordie, this will let you read more about chicken breeds than you ever thought existed! Look particularly at the end of the page. Think there is enough here for a PHD in Chicken!

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/eggs/res10 ... story.html

[Boycebangers]

This is my very first posting although I have been loitering in the background for a couple of weeks!

In the village where my in laws used to live was the obligatory wonky table outsied a house selling fresh laid eggs....we kept driving past and one day actually remebered to stop and purchase a dozen after all far, far better than the ancient shop ones. I had the fright of my life when we got home as the shells were green, the kind of green that glows in the dark!

After asking a farming friend, it transpires that the chickens were obviously eating too much grass but honestly it was really off putting having green eggs in your basket! Tasted okay though....

[Paul Kribs]

I wonder if they were Araucanas, from Chile.. they lay a blue/green egg?

Regards, Paul Kribs

[countrybumpkin]

Eating grass doesn't affect the shell colour - that is already determined by the breed, grass will make the yolks a good strong yellow, there are several breeds of chicken that lay a blue/green egg:- Cream Legbars, Aracunas and Old Cotswold Legbars (hybrid), If you use a blue egg cockeral on a brown egg hen, then the resulting female offspring should lay an olive green egg.

[pawclaws]

Countrybumpkin, can you fix me up with a mated pair that will produce a camo pattern? Happy New Year all!

[countrybumpkin]

I'm sure I probably could - given enough time