Why are brown eggs harder to crack

Indian Dish of the Month Meal Planning. January Edition Updated 4 hours ago 76 comments. Baking What Are You Baking? Quick Links. Get fresh food news delivered to your inbox Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest tips, tricks, recipes and more, sent twice a week. However, in the past, brown eggs cost more because brown-laying hens tended to be larger and lay fewer eggs than white-laying hens.

Therefore, brown eggs needed to be sold at a higher price to make up for the extra costs 2. Today, brown-laying hens have nearly the same production costs as white-laying hens. Nevertheless, their eggs still tend to have a higher price tag 2. This may be because specialty eggs, such as free-range or organic, tend to be brown rather than white. Brown eggs used to cost more because brown-laying hens produced less and weighed more.

So what should you take into account when buying eggs? Eggs that are certified as organic in the United States and European Union have come from chickens given only organic and non-GMO feed. In addition, they have not been given antibiotics or hormones, though hormones are never permitted for laying hens The organic label means antibiotics may only be used when medically necessary. Otherwise, low doses of antibiotics are often given via feed and water, which can contribute to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Currently, no evidence shows that organic eggs are more nutritious than conventional eggs 17 , While conventionally raised hens in the United States are housed indoors in very small, individual cages, cage-free hens are housed in an open building or room However, the conditions for cage-free hens are often still very crowded, with no access to the outdoors.

Cage-free living may be slightly better for the hen. However, in terms of nutrition, cage-free eggs are probably no healthier than conventional eggs. It may also increase the nutritional quality of the eggs, since hens that are exposed to sunlight produce eggs with much higher vitamin D levels Omegaenriched eggs come from hens fed a diet enriched with healthy omega-3 fats.

Omegaenriched eggs provide an alternative source of omega-3 fats, which are traditionally very limited in the human diet. Choosing omegaenriched eggs may offer some health benefits. Recent studies show that subjects consuming omegaenriched eggs every day experienced lowered blood triglycerides and blood pressure 19 , Another older study found that consuming two omegaenriched eggs every day for 6 weeks increased the omega-3 fat content of the breast milk of breastfeeding mothers Eggs that come from backyard flocks or those bought directly from small, local farmers are likely to be the freshest and usually come from hens that live in more natural environments with plenty of access to sunshine.

NotTheMomma Songster 10 Years. Mar 31, 11 Virginia is for Chick Lovers! Most of mine are very hard. My DH's aunt was here this weekend, and we started baking. She couldn't believe how hard the shells were to break!

BUT, I've also had eggs without a shell, and shells so thin you could break them just picking the egg up! My flock have only been laying about 1. Seems like yesterday they started, but I know it's been awhile. I haven't gotten in thin shell, or shell-less eggs in a few weeks now. Jul 5, 1, 10 Manvel Texas. My hens eggs were rock hard to break open Last edited: Sep 16, Clay In Iowa Songster 11 Years. Oct 9, 10 Near Wilton Iowa. It means your birds are healthy and well fed. Some "farm fresh" eggs are produced by chickens that rarely see the outside.

Apr 30, 1, 14 Central KY. We're somewhat new to fresh eggs, and I'm amazed at how tough the shells are. Hard to crack is one thing, but check this out Last night, our LGD was being picky about his food.. When it's dark out, he likes to keep his eyes and ears open and he can't do that and eat at the same time. Well, I just happened to find an egg in the coop so I decided I'd crack it into his food bowl. I've done it before It hit the metal bottom and bounced back up at me like a superball, then landed in the rocks and grass outside the bowl..

I finally got it cracked over his food -- which took two good whacks on the side of the bowl -- and he proceeded to eat every last spot of kibble and licked the inside clean as a pin.

That's not an egg - that's a weapon! Post reply. For more about Fertile Eggs. Newer post. Older Post. Be social! Fresh Eggs Daily, Inc. For more details see the Privacy Policy and Affiliate Disclosure.