Brown free run eggs

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servilia
servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The other day my husband brought home brown free-run eggs (free-run meaning the chickens are not locked in cages all day long). I was pleased because I'm trying to eat more ethically where I can. I did notice that the eggs were not as yellow as my regular white eggs. Anyone know why? Is it that they were brown (I usually get white) or that they were free-run? Ok it's not the deepest question of the world but I'm curious.

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  • pritichandran
    pritichandran Posts: 23 Member
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    It's because they are fresher.
  • redefiningmyself
    redefiningmyself Posts: 476 Member
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    Good on you for making the switch, I eat free run eggs too. :)

    My guess (I'm not a farmer) is that the colouring has to do with what the chicken was eating.Traditional eggs are fed particular mixes, whereas free run chickens also eat bugs, and plant stuff in addition to their food.

    In general I don't find any difference in white or brown eggs. But I do find a difference between regular store bought and free run. I find free run eggs taste better. But it could just be all in my head because I feel its a better ethical choice.
  • starwhisperer
    starwhisperer Posts: 367
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    I do know that the color of the shell is only brown because of the color of the chicken, not sure about the white itself though. when we use to eat fresh eggs on my grandma's farm the white was white.
  • ktmccorkell
    ktmccorkell Posts: 79 Member
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    It's becuase of what they eat. We have chickens and they are feed a lot of our own corn and their yolks are really yellow. They are propbably lighter because they eat a lot of grass. But fresh eggs a re so much better I think.
  • yvonnej1
    yvonnej1 Posts: 904 Member
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    My understanding is that the colour of the yolks can depend on the diet and in fact some commercially produced eggs have very yellow yolks because the hens are fed ingredients to specifically produce yellow yolks as consumers find them more attractive.

    edit: oops I see the question was already answered whilst I was typing
  • dirty_diana
    dirty_diana Posts: 27 Member
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    The "yellowness" of the egg yolk is primarily dependent on the amount of corn in the diet of the chicken that laid it. Free range chickens tend to eat less corn as they are allowed to roam freely and forage in the grass.
  • KavemanKarg
    KavemanKarg Posts: 266
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    Free run means they are not confined to cages, it is not a regulated term though. They may still be crowded to heck in dark coops all day.

    Eggs are brown cause the chicken is brown. Eggs are white if the chicken is white.

    The color of the yolk is often controlled by diet.

    The consistency of the white is often an indicator of freshness. If the white is watery, the egg is older. If it is viscous, the egg is fresher.
  • redefiningmyself
    redefiningmyself Posts: 476 Member
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    *correction* I eat free range not free run. When i answered earlier I thought that was the same thing.
    but i did find a link I think you might find interesting...

    http://eggs.ab.ca/about-eggs/egg-types
  • ktmccorkell
    ktmccorkell Posts: 79 Member
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    The color of the egg depends on the type of chicken. They are excatly the same. The color of the ear of the chicken will tell you what color egg they produce. There even chickens that lay blue and green eggs they are really cool!
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    I eat fresh eggs from my chickens, who are outside the majority of the day in the yard. Their shells are brown and blue. The yolks are much darker than normal eggs. But oh so good...
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    Truly pastured eggs have a bright orange/yellow yolk. "Cage free" from the store doesn't mean the same thing.

    this has pics of the difference:

    http://www.foodrenegade.com/healthy-eggs-what-to-buy/
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    My chickens' eggs are more yellow than the store-bought eggs, because my chickens eat grass. In the winter, when there's not much grass available, the yolks get a bit more pale, bur during the spring and summer, they're very yellow. My suspicion is that the chickens were running an area that was already stripped of vegetation.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    ahhh ok thanks for all the input! There's so much I didn't know about this. I checked your links too, thanks!
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    If you have a yard, check the local regulations and see if you're allowed to keep backyard chickens. Many municipalities allow chickens. Before building our chicken coops, my sister and I went on the "Funky Chicken Tour," in Austin, TX, to see how others were keeping backyard chickens. Chickens are easy to take care of, very entertaining to watch, and a great source of eggs. You don't need a rooster to have eggs, and it's much quieter without a rooster. After 3 years, I recently accepted a free rooster, but I live in the country, so the crowing is not a problem. Do your research and get the docile breeds. My 5 chickens are 3 different breeds. My rooster is a cross between an Americauna and a Rhode Island Red. I love my chickens!
  • tegla
    tegla Posts: 132
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    omg fresh eggs!! And just thing how much happier and healthier backyard chickens are! I live in the outskirts of town, and I have 3 hens, since my son started up with him for FFA thru school. They all lay wonderful brown eggs. It's been an amazing experience and I suggest everyone who can should have a couple hens about. They are social creatures so there should be at least 2. But very easy to care for and very entertaining for sure. Plus they help make amazing compost : ) And eat all your salad scraps (which I suppose there shouldn't be, but... : )
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
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    Different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs. Some are brown, some are pink, some are even green. Also, cage-free or free range just means that the chickens aren't in cages. They are often just stuffed by the thousands into one room, unable to move.
    If you want to eat ethically, buy eggs marked "certified humane". Because of how good the conditions are, it is nearly impossible to get salmonella from them :)

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