I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

John Savage wrote:
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)
These are the result of cross bred hens. The uniform size is caused by
their grading process and the colours are probably graded that way too.
But never fear nothing is wasted and all the egs not conforming get used
in other ways. But it causes a major waste in resources in labour to do
this. Supermarkets making the demand as a rule.

Re dyeing eggs, Dont think its necessary, but could be done I suppose,
but creates another process which I think they would rather avoid. Its
cheaper to just grade them.

John Savage wrote:
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket, and am left wondering whether these are the product of
brown/black hens, or are the product of white hens but dipped in a
brown dye bath to satisfy 'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not
the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface
of the shell the same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even
when the shell's outside is brown? -- John Savage
(my news address is not valid for email)

we have our own chooks - but i'm reliably informed by some breeders
around here the shell colour is pretty much dependant on the feed....

just avoid the ones that glow in the dark ;-}

ushere wrote:
John Savage wrote:

I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket, and am left wondering whether these are the product of
brown/black hens, or are the product of white hens but dipped in a
brown dye bath to satisfy 'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not
the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface
of the shell the same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even
when the shell's outside is brown? -- John Savage
(my news address is not valid for email)


we have our own chooks - but i'm reliably informed by some breeders
around here the shell colour is pretty much dependant on the feed....

just avoid the ones that glow in the dark ;-}
From this website, information as I wrote previously. I do believe that
some feed is now available to colour them differently. So the other
answer is also right in a way..
http://www.eggs.ab.ca/egg_industry/farm1.htm

Why are some eggs brown and some white? It is a matter of genes. Some
breeds of hen such as the Rhode Island Red lay brown eggs, while others,
like the White Leghorn, lay white eggs. Brown or white, there is no
difference in nutritional value or cooking performance.

"John Savage" wrote in message
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black
hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to
satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell
the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?

Yuck. I've just dug through my compost bucket in the kitchen to aid
in your research. I hope you appreiate it :-)) My hens produce eggs
that are as uniformly brown inside as they are outside.

"Jonno" wrote in
John Savage wrote:
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black
hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to
satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the
shell the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the
shell's
outside is brown?

These are the result of cross bred hens. The uniform size is caused
by
their grading process and the colours are probably graded that way
too.
But never fear nothing is wasted and all the egs not conforming get
used
in other ways. But it causes a major waste in resources in labour to
do
this. Supermarkets making the demand as a rule.

Re dyeing eggs, Dont think its necessary, but could be done I
suppose,
but creates another process which I think they would rather avoid.
Its
cheaper to just grade them.

I grew up on a poultry farm and I agree with everything Jonno has
written.

Farm1 wrote:
"Jonno" wrote in

John Savage wrote:

I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the

supermarket,

and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black

hens,

or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to

satisfy

'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its

translucent

white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the

shell the

same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the

shell's

outside is brown?


These are the result of cross bred hens. The uniform size is caused

by

their grading process and the colours are probably graded that way

too.

But never fear nothing is wasted and all the egs not conforming get

used

in other ways. But it causes a major waste in resources in labour to

do

this. Supermarkets making the demand as a rule.

Re dyeing eggs, Dont think its necessary, but could be done I

suppose,

but creates another process which I think they would rather avoid.

Its

cheaper to just grade them.


I grew up on a poultry farm and I agree with everything Jonno has
written.


So Do I
Jonno (Grin!)

"John Savage" wrote in message
om...
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to satisfy
'changing consumer demands'.

i believe people really do prefer brown eggs & think they are "healthier".

The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?

my chooks' eggs, same all the way through.

you raise an interesting point. because i haven't had my chickens for long,
i am (firstly) minutely interested in all their habits; and (secondly)
haven't had time yet to work some things out while i am observing them. for
example, i have 7 game hens, which all but one look identical, yet lay eggs
which vary in colour from white to very pale brown. they all eat the same
stuff (i assume). i have 3 isa browns in 2 colours, which lay 3 colours of
egg. again, they eat the same stuff etc. (the smallest isa brown lays
WHOPPER eggs too, which is interesting).

so i'm quite intrigued about how the level of colour of the shells are
decided. and much of the time i'd be guessing about who laid which egg
(except i can obviously tell which breed did it ;-), so i don't know if the
colour varies at times, or if the same individual just has its particular
egg shell colour & sticks with it. i always thought the latter. does anyone
know?
kylie

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message

Yuck. I've just dug through my compost bucket in the kitchen to aid
in your research. I hope you appreiate it :-)) My hens produce
eggs
that are as uniformly brown inside as they are outside.

Postscript: I boiled some eggs today and noticed that not all of the
eggs were universally brown right the way through. One was white
inside when I peeled back the membrane but still brown on the outside.

brown inside brown outside
i read that red ear lobed chickensd lay brownshelled eggs and white ear
lobed birdds lay white shells
food has nothing to do with shell colour....

this fits with my small experience of chickens.
maybe there are a lot more commercial cross bred red lobed birds round
now?????


"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"John Savage" wrote in message
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black
hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to
satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell
the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?

Yuck. I've just dug through my compost bucket in the kitchen to aid
in your research. I hope you appreiate it :-)) My hens produce eggs
that are as uniformly brown inside as they are outside.

There are apparently some feeds available to colour eggs, but being
artificial it will probably have side effects.

SyrianPrince wrote:
brown inside brown outside
i read that red ear lobed chickensd lay brownshelled eggs and white ear
lobed birdds lay white shells
food has nothing to do with shell colour....

this fits with my small experience of chickens.
maybe there are a lot more commercial cross bred red lobed birds round
now?????


"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"John Savage" wrote in message
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black
hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to
satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell
the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?
Yuck. I've just dug through my compost bucket in the kitchen to aid
in your research. I hope you appreiate it :-)) My hens produce eggs
that are as uniformly brown inside as they are outside.

But its illegal to do so
See here http://www.poultryhelp.com/eggtrivia.html




Jonno wrote:
There are apparently some feeds available to colour eggs, but being
artificial it will probably have side effects.

SyrianPrince wrote:
brown inside brown outside
i read that red ear lobed chickensd lay brownshelled eggs and white
ear lobed birdds lay white shells
food has nothing to do with shell colour....

this fits with my small experience of chickens.
maybe there are a lot more commercial cross bred red lobed birds round
now?????


"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"John Savage" wrote in message
I've been puzzled by the uniformly-toned eggs we buy from the
supermarket,
and am left wondering whether these are the product of brown/black
hens,
or are the product of white hens but dipped in a brown dye bath to
satisfy
'changing consumer demands'. The eggs, not the hens. :-)

To assist in solving this, I'd like to hear from people who raise
their own chooks: after you empty the shell and peel off its
translucent
white membraneous liner, is the revealed inside surface of the shell
the
same brown tone as the outside, or is it white even when the shell's
outside is brown?
Yuck. I've just dug through my compost bucket in the kitchen to aid
in your research. I hope you appreiate it :-)) My hens produce eggs
that are as uniformly brown inside as they are outside.

In article ,
"0tterbot" wrote:

you raise an interesting point. because i haven't had my chickens for long,
i am (firstly) minutely interested in all their habits; and (secondly)
haven't had time yet to work some things out while i am observing them. for
example, i have 7 game hens, which all but one look identical, yet lay eggs
which vary in colour from white to very pale brown. they all eat the same
stuff (i assume). i have 3 isa browns in 2 colours, which lay 3 colours of
egg. again, they eat the same stuff etc. (the smallest isa brown lays
WHOPPER eggs too, which is interesting).

We have two Isa Browns. One lays paler eggs than the other! I have always
assumed that the darker eggs came from the bird with darker plumage, but
perhaps not.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

"Jonno" wrote in message
u...
But its illegal to do so
See here http://www.poultryhelp.com/eggtrivia.html

Thank god for that. I love brown eggs. But it will kick me if I knew they
were being artificially produced.

"SyrianPrince" writes:
brown inside brown outside
i read that red ear lobed chickensd lay brownshelled eggs and white ear
lobed birdds lay white shells

I can't just recall ever seeing a hen with white ear lobes. You can
extend your rule of thumb to Chinese bantams--they are white birds but
with bright blue wattles IIRC and I think their egg shells are blue.

food has nothing to do with shell colour....

Pretty much what I think, unless there are dyes that are now added to
some prepared pellets for the purpose of colouring the shells.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)