eggs....brown vs white

[ProudGrandma]

Of course this time of year the subject of eggs is in the conversations around our house...in the form of colored ones. We have been eating only free range eggs for several years and every time at this time of the year, I debate whether or not to buy brown eggs and "try" to color them or to buy white eggs that are not from free range chickens. This year my son asked why some eggs are white and others are brown. I know it has something to do with the kind of chicken breed, right? But if that was the case then, can't the chicken breed that lays white eggs be free range? and if so, why do you (or at least I) NEVER see white eggs in the stores labeled "organic" or " free range" or even "farm fresh"....only brown eggs get that label. Can some one PLEASE set me straight on this??? Thanks.

[Liz CA]

Of course you could get white eggs from free range Leghorn hens, for example. For some reason, more brown eggs are being produced by free range and organic farms. I think the brown eggs have become associated (in the consumer's mind) with being special and therefore at a higher price. Nutritionally, there is no difference.

 

We have brown and greenish ones (from Araucanas) and we color them with pens instead of the dye.

[BrookValley.]

Yes, it has to do with the chicken breed. As to why you only see brown eggs that are organic/cage free? Marketing. People associate healthier, 'farm fresh' eggs with brown eggs. There's no nutritional difference (other than what you might get from healthier chickens).

 

Cage free and organic don't always mean much, either. Organic just means they are fed organic feed; cage free just means they are not kept in battery cages (they are often, however, kept in just as crowded/unhealthy conditions).

[Orthodox6]

I live in a large metropolitan area, in case that affects what is on the market. I can buy organic/free-range eggs with brown shells, OR with white shells. I shifted over to organic brown eggs a few years ago only because they "look more interesting" than do [organic] white eggs. (Talk about a dumb reason!)

[jar7709]

Marketing. You're right, hens that lay white eggs can be free-range. But people have figured out that things that are colored brown appear to be "healthier" whether they are or not, so most eggs marketed to the health-concious, organic crowd are brown. Nutritionally, they are the same. :)

[ProudGrandma]

so, then if I buy white eggs (although they are not labeled as organic) they are really just as healthy as brown eggs that are labeled organic or range free? Is that what you all are saying?? So that I have been paying more money for the same ole thing???

[Orthodox6]

Organic/Free-Range Brown Egg = Organic/Free-Range White Egg = same nutritional content, with variation stemming only from size of the egg yolk, overall size of the egg, and what nutrients/supplements were fed to the specific flock of hens. Same food fed to chickens raised via same method results in eggs of same nutritional value.

[GailV]

so, then if I buy white eggs (although they are not labeled as organic) they are really just as healthy as brown eggs that are labeled organic or range free? Is that what you all are saying?? So that I have been paying more money for the same ole thing???

 

Yes and no. If the chickens are raised the same way, the nutrition is the same. My friend's pet chickens probably have healthier eggs, regardless of egg color, because they eat better.

 

 

BTW, "free range" means something different than what most people assume it means. But I'll leave that for the chicken experts among us.

 

ETA: Orthodox6 posted at the same time -- she probably said it better!

[Dandelion]

We have free-range chickens and some lay white eggs and the others lay brown eggs. :) No difference in the nutritional value. The "brown = healthy" thing is all marketing.

[BrookValley.]

so, then if I buy white eggs (although they are not labeled as organic) they are really just as healthy as brown eggs that are labeled organic or range free? Is that what you all are saying?? So that I have been paying more money for the same ole thing???

 

I think it depends on the source. I raise chickens and having eggs from humanely raised birds is important to me. When my girls are bring slackers, I will gladly pay $4.49 for eggs from a local farmer. They are not labeled by the USDA as organic or cage free, but I know the farmer and know his chickens are free ranging every day and are fed a natural diet. I trust that much more than eggs labeled 'cage free' from walmart. In my opinion, those are the same as other eggs and not worth the money. Cage free hens from large commercial operations are still raised in crowded, unhealthy conditions and fed primarily corn and soy. Organic may be better, depending on the source, but I'm thinking there's a lot of variation in how those hens live. Organic only has to refer to the feed they are fed. They could still be crowded and fed mostly corn and soy--the feed would just be certified organic. Anyway, I think eggs are one of those things worth searching out a local source, if you can't keep chickens yourself. :)

 

ETA: there's a difference in the labels cage free and free range. Cage free is a label you'll see on commercial eggs and really doesn't mean the birds have better conditions. Truly free range is something different--those birds actually get to move around and see the sun.

[Carol in Cal.]

I get half a dozen eggs/week from my CSA. Most of them are various shades of brown, but a few are white or a very pale bluish greenish color--maybe one per 2-3 dozen only.

I save the white ones for Easter, and plan to decorate but not eat them. They are for the Ukrainian egg work.

The very light brown ones are great to decorate with colored Sharpies, and one year I did that (in Easter colors), blew them, and threaded multicolored ribbon through them, knotting it in front of and behind each one, and laid it out on top of a short bookshelf for decoration.

I have not really tried anything with the blue/green/white ones.

 

The reason I prefer the CSA eggs for eating is that they are richer and healthier, demonstrably, than the typical store ones. And the reason I prefer them for coloring is that their shells are far thicker and less fragile. Sometimes the white store ones actually collapse.

[Liz CA]

so, then if I buy white eggs (although they are not labeled as organic) they are really just as healthy as brown eggs that are labeled organic or range free? Is that what you all are saying?? So that I have been paying more money for the same ole thing???

 

 

No. Organic means they have been fed organic feed. Free - range means no cage.

Other eggs (without any of the above labels) are often laid by hens in very small cages. During the hen's lifetime, she can never spread her wings or walk anywhere.

They are frequently injected with meds because crowded living conditions contribute to increased disease.

 

Your best bet would be to find a farm and take weekend trips to buy their eggs. You may be able to watch the hens and see them dust bathing and eating grass - which is what chickens ought to be able to do.

 

Sorry if this comes across as a little "uptight" but as a former chicken owner, I get a tight feeling in my stomach thinking of those beautiful birds so abused...yet they still bless us with their eggs. I now get eggs from a nearby farm where I can see the hens frolicking around the yard on the green grass.

[Amy in NH]

I still remember the little jingle: "Brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh!"

 

Of course they are. Our chickens lay brown eggs.

[kewb]

I live in a large metropolitan area, in case that affects what is on the market. I can buy organic/free-range eggs with brown shells, OR with white shells. I shifted over to organic brown eggs a few years ago only because they "look more interesting" than do [organic] white eggs. (Talk about a dumb reason!)

 

 

Well, if it makes you feel any better I buy brown eggs because I find them less glaring to the eye.

 

I do remember as a kid my mother buying brown eggs instead of white and my sister and I insisting they tasted different and were yucky. She told us to she was blue in the face that the only difference was the hen that layed them but we wouldn't listen.

[Meriwether]

FWIW, we liked how our brown eggs looked when dyed.

[Ravin]

Chicken eggs can be white, brown of various shades, including with speckles, green, or blue. Brown is the natural, dominant color, while white is recessive to it and the easter egger variants also recessive and rarer. Somewhere along the way white eggs were deemed the most marketable, and so the mass-market farms have bred chickens that only lay white. While some chickens that could be free ranged are white layers, generally they need to be more robust, hence less genetically rarified. Backyard vintage chicken keepers often go for the easter egger varieties just for the cool factor.

 

What matters to the health of the eggs is mostly the chickens' diet, and that the chickens don't over-produce. Color really doesn't have any thing to do with it.

[Orthodox6]

Chicken eggs can be white, brown of various shades, including with speckles, green, or blue. Brown is the natural, dominant color, while white is recessive to it and the easter egger variants also recessive and rarer. Somewhere along the way white eggs were deemed the most marketable, and so the mass-market farms have bred chickens that only lay white. While some chickens that could be free ranged are white layers, generally they need to be more robust, hence less genetically rarified. Backyard vintage chicken keepers often go for the easter egger varieties just for the cool factor.

 

What matters to the health of the eggs is mostly the chickens' diet, and that the chickens don't over-produce. Color really doesn't have any thing to do with it.

 

Thank you for all this info! Now I'm wondering whether there chances to be a connection with the perception of white sugar being "preferable". When white sugar became available, it was the costlier form, rarer, and became associated with having more money. Your mention of the white egg being recessive prompts my musing. . .

[Orthodox6]

 

Well, if it makes you feel any better I buy brown eggs because I find them less glaring to the eye.

 

 

 

 

I had a brief mental image of a white egg glaring, giving me the "evil eye"!

[qtkimi]

We had chickens several years back. They laid brown eggs so we dyed brown eggs. They turned out fine actually made some of the colors appear brighter.

[mumto2]

In England the common eggs are brown. My kids have a good time shocking their friends with the knowledge that eggs come in white in the US.

[Ottakee]

We have chickens that lay brown, green, and bluish eggs. The brown ones are bigger and the green/blue ones are smaller. They still taste the same. Ours are free range chickens----a bit too free at times as they get on my deck and in my garage. I just need to make sure to save some of the bigger brown eggs for baking when recipes call for large eggs.

[WishboneDawn]

 

BTW, "free range" means something different than what most people assume it means. But I'll leave that for the chicken experts among us.

 

ETA: Orthodox6 posted at the same time -- she probably said it better!

 

 

It means my chickens get let out of the coop in the morning to freely range the property. I think that's what most people would think. Not sure what else it would mean...?

[WishboneDawn]

Organic/Free-Range Brown Egg = Organic/Free-Range White Egg = same nutritional content, with variation stemming only from size of the egg yolk, overall size of the egg, and what nutrients/supplements were fed to the specific flock of hens. Same food fed to chickens raised via same method results in eggs of same nutritional value.

 

 

I'd take free range over organic any day. Free range means there's foraging involved and the chickens have access to a more diverse diet. Crack a free range egg and you get a rich orange yolk rather then a pale yellow one and a different ratio of fats.

[countrygal]

I think the free range is brown just to be a selling trick. You can buy chickens that lay white eggs that free range. I don't know how healthy our eggs are though... our free range chickens get into everything - cat food, dead squirrel, oil spill from under a tractor, styrofoam. I hope that all gets filtered out of their eggs. Yum. Ours are really free range though. They were out playing in the snow today even.

[Spy Car]

One. "Free Range" simply means there is a small door to a penned in portion of outdoors during a prescribed portion of a chicken's short life. It does not mean a chicken actually spends time outdoors living an idyllic chicken life. By the time they open the door most chickens are acculturated to staying inside their confined space.

 

Two. There is a difference between chickens that lay white vs brown eggs. The white egg variety are Leghorns. These are chickens bred to be especially stupid, so they put up less trouble being confined in tiny cages where they can barely turn around their whole lives. Even so Leghorns raised in batteries of then have their beaks trimmed off so they don't peck each other to death under the stress of their confinement.

 

Chickens that lay white eggs usually lead a life that is brutal, nasty, and short.

 

There is no guarantee the life of brown egg layers is a whole lot better, but the best brown layers like Rhode Island Reds still have a natural chicken sense about them. They take less well to the cruelty Leghorns endure. Many "brown egged" breeds are called "production" breeds, meaning they are crossed with Leghorns (to make them more tolerant of abuse) while still being brown, so people might hope the chickens are being raised better.

 

The less one knows about commercial egg production the easier it is to sleep at night. It is a pretty harsh business.

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

[Truscifi]

 

It means my chickens get let out of the coop in the morning to freely range the property. I think that's what most people would think. Not sure what else it would mean...?

 

 

That's what it means at my house too, but in a large commercial operation all it has to mean (all they have to do to qualify for the free range label) is that they have access to a certain minimum square feet of outside area. Not per bird, but total. So it can still be extremely crowded and have little to no nutritive value. But at least the chickens do get to walk around. I suppose that's something.

[tammyw]

This video explains the organic / free range issue pretty well. Until I watched the video, I didn't quite understand all of it. Until then we had been buying Organic Free Range eggs. Then I watched the video and I've started buying only Organic Pastured eggs (which cost about $9/dozen in our local health store - yes, ridiculous, but after watching the video, I couldn't go back). Like Bill said, if you don't want to start buying the expensive Pastured eggs, then don't watch the video.

 

http://weedemandreap.com/2013/03/understanding-cage-free-free-range.html

 

Ideally, I'll find a great organic farm someday that can supply me with all the stuff I want!

[SKL]

Where I shop, I can get white or brown eggs that are organic and/or free range bla bla bla. However, the brand that includes white eggs also stamps every egg with a red stamp. Not sure if the stamp washes off but it doesn't look like a good choice for egg coloring. .... I have also been wondering whether the colors will be nice if we use brown eggs. Usually we get such wimpy colors, maybe the darker shell will help. Maybe I will try it both ways this year - do the darker colors on brown eggs and the lighter colors on white?

[DianeW88]

One. "Free Range" simply means there is a small door to a penned in portion of outdoors during a prescribed portion of a chicken's short life. It does not mean a chicken actually spends time outdoors living an idyllic chicken life. By the time they open the door most chickens are acculturated to staying inside their confined space.

 

Two. There is a difference between chickens that lay white vs brown eggs. The white egg variety are Leghorns. These are chickens bred to be especially stupid, so they put up less trouble being confined in tiny cages where they can barely turn around their whole lives. Even so Leghorns raised in batteries of then have their beaks trimmed off so they don't peck each other to death under the stress of their confinement.

 

Chickens that lay white eggs usually lead a life that is brutal, nasty, and short.

 

There is no guarantee the life of brown egg layers is a whole lot better, but the best brown layers like Rhode Island Reds still have a natural chicken sense about them. They take less well to the cruelty Leghorns endure. Many "brown egged" breeds are called "production" breeds, meaning they are crossed with Leghorns (to make them more tolerant of abuse) while still being brown, so people might hope the chickens are being raised better.

 

The less one knows about commercial egg production the easier it is to sleep at night. It is a pretty harsh business.

 

Bill

 

And this is why we only get our eggs from my BIL's four fat, happy, sassy, bossy, backyard hens. They are truly free range, and we know them so well, we can even tell who laid which egg by its shape. They have the most vibrant yellow yolks I've ever seen.

 

Oh, and just for fun, does anyone remember the Tonight Show where Johnny Carson was making up advertising slogans for different products? The one for eggs had a photo of a bunch of chickens and the slogan: "Eggs. From our butt to your mouth." :D We say that all the time whenever eggs are on the menu here. ;)

[Hilltop]

 

The less one knows about commercial egg production the easier it is to sleep at night. It is a pretty harsh business.

 

Bill

 

I agree.

[Truscifi]

One. "Free Range" simply means there is a small door to a penned in portion of outdoors during a prescribed portion of a chicken's short life. It does not mean a chicken actually spends time outdoors living an idyllic chicken life. By the time they open the door most chickens are acculturated to staying inside their confined space.

 

Two. There is a difference between chickens that lay white vs brown eggs. The white egg variety are Leghorns. These are chickens bred to be especially stupid, so they put up less trouble being confined in tiny cages where they can barely turn around their whole lives. Even so Leghorns raised in batteries of then have their beaks trimmed off so they don't peck each other to death under the stress of their confinement.

 

Chickens that lay white eggs usually lead a life that is brutal, nasty, and short.

 

There is no guarantee the life of brown egg layers is a whole lot better, but the best brown layers like Rhode Island Reds still have a natural chicken sense about them. They take less well to the cruelty Leghorns endure. Many "brown egged" breeds are called "production" breeds, meaning they are crossed with Leghorns (to make them more tolerant of abuse) while still being brown, so people might hope the chickens are being raised better.

 

The less one knows about commercial egg production the easier it is to sleep at night. It is a pretty harsh business.

 

Bill

 

 

Bill pretty well nailed it, except there are other breeds than the traditional commercial bird - the white Leghorn - that lay white eggs. Even the brown Leghorns are more like regular domestic chickens as they have not been so specifically bred to be caged.

 

If you want healthier eggs from happier chickens, go for pastured. Or get them from small farms where you can go see the birds running around. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go chase chickens out of my garden. :tongue_smilie:

[Snickerdoodle]

Yardbirds...

[WishboneDawn]

Two. There is a difference between chickens that lay white vs brown eggs. The white egg variety are Leghorns. These are chickens bred to be especially stupid, so they put up less trouble being confined in tiny cages where they can barely turn around their whole lives. Even so Leghorns raised in batteries of then have their beaks trimmed off so they don't peck each other to death under the stress of their confinement.

 

 

We've had several Leghorns, two at the moment. They are not stupid birds, are originally from Italy and have a relatively long history as a breed. Our Leghorns have been pushy, clever birds that quickly placed themselves at the top of the pecking order in a mixed flock. Ours were very much like our Polish Crested, another light bodied chicken that lays white eggs. The big difference between those two breeds being that the big crest on a Polish generally gets it pushed to the bottom of the pecking order very quickly.

 

I haven't heard of commercial brown egg layers that are crossed with Leghorns. I know there are brown Leghorns but they lay white eggs. As far as I know the commercial brown egg layers are generally sex-linked chickens, brown or black hens that can be a mix of White Rock, RIR, Barred Rock, etc. It's obvious when you lock at them because they're body size is much more like the dual-purpose breeds then the Leghorns which are pretty much exclusively used for eggs. They make up the majority of our flock and the distinguishing feature that makes them popular, besides being great layers, is simply that the male and female chicks are different colours and so very easy to sex.

 

Chickens themselves, even my much maligned Cornish X's, are chickens and so behave like chickens. Some are more docile, many have had the instinct to brood bred out of them, but their essential chickeness is still there. Raised in factories they can be stupid and un-chickeny but there's nothing innate about Leghorns that makes them a stupid bird.

 

Your warning about what free-ranged means is a good one though. I'd encourage anyone who's interested in free-range eggs to pick a small, local producer and visit their operation.

[WishboneDawn]

 

Bill pretty well nailed it, except there are other breeds than the traditional commercial bird - the white Leghorn - that lay white eggs. Even the brown Leghorns are more like regular domestic chickens as they have not been so specifically bred to be caged.

 

If you want healthier eggs from happier chickens, go for pastured. Or get them from small farms where you can go see the birds running around. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go chase chickens out of my garden. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

My Leghorns are white. You can't get a more obnoxious, pushy, flighty, intelligent chicken then my white Leghorns.

 

I can't be the only one here who has and loves her Leghorns?

[creekland]

When we got our farm one of the first things I did was have hubby buy me chickens for my birthday. I can't stand the way "normal" birds are raised.

 

Our birds are brown egg layers and we've dyed them every year - they turn out VERY nice IMO - with deeper tones than their white counterparts.

 

We certainly can tell the difference in flavor between our cage free birds vs typical store bought (even cage free). My boys could tell the difference at a young age even when they didn't know which eggs were being served. The yolks are also a different color.

 

Over the winter when we have to buy some store bought eggs (like for Christmas cookies), I will ALWAYS buy cage free (either color) as those birds at least have a little bit more going for them than those housed in the small cages. It might not be much, but it is something. From spring to fall we don't need to buy eggs. That's my preference. In winter we really cut back how many we use in order to not have to buy many.

 

I don't care about organic as much, unless it's organic free range (which is what ours are).

 

It is so worth it to have chickens IMO.

 

Oh, and regarding leghorns... we had one once when a neighbor brought it to us and gave it to us. That poor chicken only lasted a day before she drowned herself in one of our horse watering buckets. It wasn't pretty. We've never had that happen to any of our Orpingtons. It's a very limited bit of data, but it left the impression with us that they weren't as smart a bird for free-ranging purposes. We won't ever get one again. Besides, I love my Buff Orpingtons way too much to change breeds.

[Spy Car]

 

 

We've had several Leghorns, two at the moment. They are not stupid birds, are originally from Italy and have a relatively long history as a breed. Our Leghorns have been pushy, clever birds that quickly placed themselves at the top of the pecking order in a mixed flock. Ours were very much like our Polish Crested, another light bodied chicken that lays white eggs. The big difference between those two breeds being that the big crest on a Polish generally gets it pushed to the bottom of the pecking order very quickly.

 

I haven't heard of commercial brown egg layers that are crossed with Leghorns. I know there are brown Leghorns but they lay white eggs. As far as I know the commercial brown egg layers are generally sex-linked chickens, brown or black hens that can be a mix of White Rock, RIR, Barred Rock, etc. It's obvious when you lock at them because they're body size is much more like the dual-purpose breeds then the Leghorns which are pretty much exclusively used for eggs. They make up the majority of our flock and the distinguishing feature that makes them popular, besides being great layers, is simply that the male and female chicks are different colours and so very easy to sex.

 

Chickens themselves, even my much maligned Cornish X's, are chickens and so behave like chickens. Some are more docile, many have had the instinct to brood bred out of them, but their essential chickeness is still there. Raised in factories they can be stupid and un-chickeny but there's nothing innate about Leghorns that makes them a stupid bird.

 

Your warning about what free-ranged means is a good one though. I'd encourage anyone who's interested in free-range eggs to pick a small, local producer and visit their operation.

 

The Leghorn that might have come from Italy back when, is going to be different than commercial production strains used in the commercial egg industry. Driven by the profit motive there is constant breeding by artificial selection to find birds that can be described positively as "docile" or "gentle," or more pejoratively as "stupid." Either way it is the same thing. It is against the interests of egg laying factory farms to have chickens whose natural instincts are intact (so they attempt to breed them out) and they also breed for those who endure cramped quarters best.

 

And yes, this involves a lot of hybridization between different breeds, and selection within breeds for those that are laying machines with low chicken instinct.

 

The classic old breeds (non-production strains) are preserved mostly by backyard enthusiasts. Many are endangered, and others are contaminated "production strains" that have been hybridized, but that's what they've got at the local feed store.

 

We have to go to some effort to find "classic" (non-production) chicks when our flock of Rhode Island Reds Bantams needs replenishing.

 

Bill

[celticmom]

I know that I have only seen white leghorns once at the feed store. They don't seem to be very popular with backyard chicken raisers in this area. I have not tried them yet but if they don't have good instincts the local hawks would probably eat them if I did get them.

[Carol in Cal.]

 

 

I had a brief mental image of a white egg glaring, giving me the "evil eye"!

 

This reminds me of something funny. A few years back a friend of mine organized a big natural Easter egg dyeing party. We had smelly vats of cabbage, onion skin, turmeric, and one or two other natural dyes on the stove. We put in our dead white eggs to boil and boil, and time and time again the ones in the deep purple cabbage bath would come to the surface, stubbornly completely white. They never picked up any color at all; and the contrast with the bath was so striking that it really did look like the eggs were glaring a bit!

[redheadmom]

Instead of free range you should look for pastured eggs. Pastured is what most people think of as free range....out in the grass eating bugs and what not. You will see much darker orangey looking yolks from pastured chickens.

 

If raised the same there isnt a difference between a white or brown or blue or whatever color egg.

 

Egg color is determined by I believe the ear color of the chicken if I am remembering correctly. I choose to raise chickens that lay dark eggs for a few reasons. First they tend to be docile and free range easily. Second they are a larger size bird that can handle the cold a little better. We love our eggs from our birds.

[WishboneDawn]

The Leghorn that might have come from Italy back when, is going to be different than commercial production strains used in the commercial egg industry. Driven by the profit motive there is constant breeding by artificial selection to find birds that can be described positively as "docile" or "gentle," or more pejoratively as "stupid." Either way it is the same thing. It is against the interests of egg laying factory farms to have chickens whose natural instincts are intact (so they attempt to breed them out) and they also breed for those who endure cramped quarters best.

 

No, I'm not buying that. My experience and from what I've read of the experience of other backyard chicken folk is that Leghorns are intelligent chickens and anything but docile. I find them ideal for free ranging because of that intelligence, their ability to fly short distances and their temperment (they are the first to bolt when someone or something comes near - a very natural and good thing). And I don't use any heritage version of the Leghorn. I buy the chicks from the same hatchery that supplies local commercial producers. I'd like to see some links about Leghorns being bred for stupidity.

 

I'll agree about natural instincts being bred out of them but most of that happened long ago with most domestic breeds precisely because they're domestic. That's the whole nature of the beast. It's not natural for a chicken not to get broody and insulate their eggs and yet I only have two out of 22 that do that on occasion. It's not natural for a chicken to be as sweet and docile as a Rhode Island Red or Plymouth Rock and yet my girls are quite willing to be picked up and patted.

 

I am not defending commercial producers at all. I think big egg farms are unethical and vile but the Leghorn I know is not the stupid, docile beast you seem to think it is. Perhaps there are some breeding programs going on now to render them imbeciles but it hasn't reached the hatchery I buy from and the qualities it supposedly produces haven't become commonly attributed to Leghorn in the chicken community.

 

Raise a Leghorn. You'll see what I mean.

[WishboneDawn]

Instead of free range you should look for pastured eggs. Pastured is what most people think of as free range....out in the grass eating bugs and what not. You will see much darker orangey looking yolks from pastured chickens.

 

If raised the same there isnt a difference between a white or brown or blue or whatever color egg.

 

Egg color is determined by I believe the ear color of the chicken if I am remembering correctly. I choose to raise chickens that lay dark eggs for a few reasons. First they tend to be docile and free range easily. Second they are a larger size bird that can handle the cold a little better. We love our eggs from our birds.

 

I'll have to call my chickens "pastured" from now on. :)

 

It's the ear lobe colour that tells you egg colour I think. My Polish and Leghorn had white lobes and laid white eggs. My RRI, Plymouth Rocks, Bantam Brahma, and sex links all have red lobes and lay brown eggs. My Cornish X lays montrous brown eggs and has red lobes.

 

I read somewhere that the dual purpose tend more towards brown as well while the slender, upright breed like Leghorns generally lay white eggs.