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Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Not Available) wrote:

> Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
>

Depends on the health of the bird. ;-) Since I've run white leghorns with my flock, the white
eggshells are just as strong as the brown as long as they get plenty of oyster shell...

I've had older brown egg layers that got thinner shells with age, but only if we neglect the
supplemental shell.

K.

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On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:14:55 -0800 (PST), [email protected] (Not
Available) wrote:

>Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?

Eggs is eggs. The shell color has to do with the color of chickens that lay them, not any
nutritional content, feed, or structure.
 
"Not Available" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?

Speaking for personal experience, I don't know if it is the color...it seems to be more of a quality
issue. I used to buy eggs at the supermarket. About a year ago, I started buying eggs at a health
food co-op...locally-raised and so on. The eggs are excellent and I have noticed that, white or
brown, the shells are much harder than the supermarket eggs.

Paula
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Frogleg <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:14:55 -0800 (PST), [email protected] (Not Available) wrote:
>
> >Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
>
> Eggs is eggs. The shell color has to do with the color of chickens that lay them, not any
> nutritional content, feed, or structure.

I pretty much agree with most of that, exept that many brown egg layers are at least free in a barn
and not in Battery cages. The feed tends to be slightly different too as if they are loose, the
producers are often going for the whole "organic" effect as it triples the market value of the eggs.

I disagree with your addition of "feed" not making a difference. That is FAR from true! It can even
affect hatchability if that is what you are after! Same goes for emus, and any chick health no
matter what the bird... Bad feed = unhealthy newborns providing the eggs hatch at all.

I'm no expert on commercial raising of eggs as strictly a food source, I'm just going by what I've
personally observed at a local egg ranch that I occasionally get flats of "checks" (faulted) eggs
for rilly cheap in the winter when my own chooks are low on production. I don't use lights and let
them moult naturally.

I've also seen the effects of cheap cattle feed on newborn emu chicks.
:-( Amino acid and especially mineral deficiencies are ugly and cause
high chick mortality from various conditions.

If they eggs cannot produce a viable chick, they are deficient in nutrients as a food source also.

Feed also affects egg flavor. As my birds are in a nice big roomy pen, but not free ranged, I add
alfalfa pellets to their feed and also toss garden weeds and compost into the pen. They love it and
it gives them a darker and richer flavored yolk. Makes them higher in vitamin A feeding them
greenstuff. The pellets are just convenient. And they like them.

Thin shells are also a calcium deficiency, hence the common practice of offering free choice ground
oyster shell in a gravel feeder. it DOES make a difference in eggshell thickness! I'd stopped doing
it for awhile and some of my older birds were turning up with paper thin shells... We added that
back to the feed, (mixed it in the feed rather than offering it free choice to get them to eat more
of it) and the problem resolved itself. Diet DOES make a difference.

Just my 2 cents as a poultry breeder. ;-)

Oh, and Oberon (one of my two emu roosters) went broody this week and is setting on 10 emu eggs...
<G> Wish me luck! Roast young emu at 4 months of age is to die for, and they still fit in the oven
at that age! Daddy raised chicks are so wild, they don't make good pets so are easier to harvest...

K

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In article <[email protected]>,
"PaulaGarlic" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Not Available" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:12713-40207FCF-8@storefull-
> 3317.bay.webtv.net...
> > Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
>
> Speaking for personal experience, I don't know if it is the color...it seems to be more of a
> quality issue. I used to buy eggs at the supermarket. About a year ago, I started buying eggs at a
> health food co-op...locally-raised and so on. The eggs are excellent and I have noticed that,
> white or brown, the shells are much harder than the supermarket eggs.
>
> Paula
>
>

Better fed birds... Bet the are free ranged?

K.

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On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 05:03:15 -0600, Katra
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Frogleg <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:14:55 -0800 (PST), [email protected] (Not Available) wrote:
>>
>> >Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
>>
>> Eggs is eggs. The shell color has to do with the color of chickens that lay them, not any
>> nutritional content, feed, or structure.
>
>I pretty much agree with most of that, exept that many brown egg layers are at least free in a
>barn and not in Battery cages. The feed tends to be slightly different too as if they are loose,
>the producers are often going for the whole "organic" effect as it triples the market value of
>the eggs.

You segregate chickens by color? And feed them differently? As far as I've been able to determine,
white eggs come from chickens with white feathers, and brown eggs from chickens with 'red' (brown)
feathers. If some are prepared to pay extra for brown eggs in the belief that these exhibit some
'organic' benefits, I'd certainly take advantage of it and raise all brown chickens.

>I disagree with your addition of "feed" not making a difference.

I did NOT say that feed might not make a difference. I said that *color* was not an indicator of
feed or nutritional content. And I was keeping emu in mind as terra incognita in my experience. :)
 
>Frogturd farted:

>[email protected] wrote:
>
>>Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
>
>Eggs is eggs. The shell color has to do with the color of chickens that lay them, not any
>nutritional content, feed, or structure.

As per usual the pinheaded functionally illiterate Frogturd ******* did not answer the question.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon
```````````` "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
 
To the best of my knowledge, the color of the egg is determined by the breed of the hen. The
hardness of the shell has to do with other variables (feed, treatment).

There's a difference in expectations having to do with region. When I lived in Miami, supermarket
eggs were white. I don't think I'd ever seen a brown egg until I was in my late teens. That was in a
health food store with eggs from free range hens. Apparently the small farmer who had the free range
hens chose a breed that lays brown eggs. When I moved to upstate New York, suddenly supermarket eggs
were all brown. The white ones were special for Easter. Now in New England, they come in both
colors. You have to read the package to know more about where the eggs came from. I shop by price
since I've found the quality to be excellent regardless of the color.

--Lia
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Frogleg <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 05:03:15 -0600, Katra <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> > Frogleg <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:14:55 -0800 (PST), [email protected] (Not Available) wrote:
> >>
> >> >Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
> >>
> >> Eggs is eggs. The shell color has to do with the color of chickens that lay them, not any
> >> nutritional content, feed, or structure.
> >
> >I pretty much agree with most of that, exept that many brown egg layers are at least free in a
> >barn and not in Battery cages. The feed tends to be slightly different too as if they are loose,
> >the producers are often going for the whole "organic" effect as it triples the market value of
> >the eggs.
>
> You segregate chickens by color? And feed them differently? As far as I've been able to determine,
> white eggs come from chickens with white feathers, and brown eggs from chickens with 'red' (brown)
> feathers. If some are prepared to pay extra for brown eggs in the belief that these exhibit some
> 'organic' benefits, I'd certainly take advantage of it and raise all brown chickens.

It's not that they segregate them by color, but their "organic" chickens are all brown egg layers,
at least at Congdon's egg ranch. They use Red

shelled egg.

But, the OP was asking about shell hardness by color, not the nutritional content. I got
carried away. <G>

Shell color should not have anything to do with how thick the shell is. It depends on the
nutritional state of the chicken.

>
> >I disagree with your addition of "feed" not making a difference.
>
> I did NOT say that feed might not make a difference. I said that *color* was not an indicator
> of feed or nutritional content. And I was keeping emu in mind as terra incognita in my
> experience. :)

Ok, I'm just eggcited that Oberon has gone broody! <G> He did not hatch any chicks last year, so I'm
hoping for 3 or 4 this year. I like to process them at about 16 weeks while they will still fit in
the oven. Roast whole young emu is a real treat!

I might let one get bigger. My barbecue outside will fit an 8 to 10 month old emu with no problem...
Excellent roasted whole with the hide ON!

K.

--
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Frogleg wrote:
> On Wed, 04 Feb 2004 05:03:15 -0600, Katra <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>>Frogleg <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Tue, 3 Feb 2004 21:14:55 -0800 (PST), [email protected] (Not Available) wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Do brown eggs have tougher egg shells than white eggs?
>>>
>>>Eggs is eggs. The shell color has to do with the color of chickens that lay them, not any
>>>nutritional content, feed, or structure.
>>
>>I pretty much agree with most of that, exept that many brown egg layers are at least free in a
>>barn and not in Battery cages. The feed tends to be slightly different too as if they are loose,
>>the producers are often going for the whole "organic" effect as it triples the market value of
>>the eggs.
>
>
> You segregate chickens by color? And feed them differently? As far as I've been able to determine,
> white eggs come from chickens with white feathers, and brown eggs from chickens with 'red' (brown)
> feathers. If some are prepared to pay extra for brown eggs in the belief that these exhibit some
> 'organic' benefits, I'd certainly take advantage of it and raise all brown chickens.
>
>
>>I disagree with your addition of "feed" not making a difference.
>
>
> I did NOT say that feed might not make a difference. I said that *color* was not an indicator
> of feed or nutritional content. And I was keeping emu in mind as terra incognita in my
> experience. :)

This is 30 yo information, so it's probably not quite accurate anymore, but White Leghorns are the
highest producers of eggs, and they lay white eggs. They are also smallish birds, so they don't need
as much room as other breeds. So they are popular with egg farmers because the production costs are
cheaper. Rhode Island Reds are the highest producing brown egg layers. They are quite a bit larger
than leghorns, so they need more room, but they are better for meat production.

Neither of these breeds has a very good disposition. Barred Rock is a better chicken for a farmyard
flock; I think they lay brown eggs, and they are good eating.

I suspect there are new hybrid breeds now with cryptic numeric names than have even higher egg
production than White Leghorns.

Best regards, Bob
 
zxcvbob wrote:

> Neither of these breeds has a very good disposition.

I have to disagree. I grew up spending a lot of time on my great aunt's farm and they had Leghorns,
Rhode Islands, and Bantams. The Leghorns were not very amenable to taming but the RI Reds were
lovely cuddly chickens. I loved them. The Bantams were also very friendly, especially the hens. The
roosters could be quite incalcitrant but my sister was able to get them tamed. We called her
"Chicken Girl".

> Barred Rock is a better chicken for a farmyard flock; I think they lay brown eggs, and they are
> good eating.

As for eating we usually at the Bantams. I don't recall ever eating a RI Red or Leghorn. We may have
done so, but I mostly remember the Bantams because they were so small - little mini fried chickens.

Kate

--
Kate Connally “If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.” Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that
smiles back, Until you bite their heads off.” What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all
about? mailto:[email protected]
 
Kate Connally wrote:

> zxcvbob wrote:
>
>> Neither of these breeds has a very good disposition.
>
> I have to disagree. I grew up spending a lot of time on my great aunt's farm and they had
> Leghorns, Rhode Islands, and Bantams. The Leghorns were not very amenable to taming but the RI
> Reds were lovely cuddly chickens. I loved them. The Bantams were also very friendly, especially
> the hens. The roosters could be quite incalcitrant but my sister was able to get them tamed. We
> called her "Chicken Girl".
>
>
>> Barred Rock is a better chicken for a farmyard flock; I think they lay brown eggs, and they are
>> good eating.
>
>
> As for eating we usually at the Bantams. I don't recall ever eating a RI Red or Leghorn. We may
> have done so, but I mostly remember the Bantams because they were so small - little mini fried
> chickens.
>
> Kate
>

*Many* years ago, we had a mixed flock of chickens, and I think they were mostly Dominiques (we
called them "Domineckers") and a few RI Reds and a few big white chickens that I have no idea what
the breed was, Cornish maybe? A web page I just looked up says Dominiques are almost extinct now as
a breed. :-(

The bad disposition of RI Reds is something I read from a long-forgotten source. It probably is only
a problem for commercial egg producers who try to raise hens in less than 1 cubic foot of space per
bird. Under those conditions, they are prone to cannibalism. I don't recall any problems with our
chickens being mean (except you had to keep your eye on the rooster).

Best regards, Bob
 
In article <[email protected]>, zxcvbob
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
> The bad disposition of RI Reds is something I read from a long-forgotten source. It probably is
> only a problem for commercial egg producers who try to raise hens in less than 1 cubic foot of
> space per bird. Under those conditions, they are prone to cannibalism.

Can Mad Chicken Disease be far behind?

>I don't recall any problems with our chickens being mean (except you had to keep your eye on the
>rooster).

That would have been Mack, our rooster. We used to tease him. He took it out on Mom. Once. Mack met
The Knife.

>
> Best regards, Bob
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 1-31-04 A good friend will come and bail you out of jail; a
true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn,that was fun!"
 
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 13:26:09 -0600, Melba's Jammin'
<[email protected]> wrote:
>That would have been Mack, our rooster. We used to tease him. He took it out on Mom. Once. Mack met
>The Knife.
>
>>
remind me to be nice to your mom.

your pal, blake