Q: Why are chicken eggs different colors? Is there any
difference between them (e.g. taste, yolk color, etc.)?
Q: Why are chicken eggs different colors? Is there any difference between them (e.g. taste, yolk color, etc.)?
A: In an equal world, there’s no difference between different colored eggs.
Different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs, according to the ICYouSee Handy-Dandy Chicken Chart, part of the ICYouSee online reference collection at Ithaca College in New York. For instance, Hamburg and Leghorn chickens produce white eggs, while Brahma and New Hampshire Red chickens create brown eggs. Other, less common colors exist, too. Plymouth Rock chickens lay lightly pinkish eggs, while Ameraucana chickens lay various shades of blue, and even green eggs.
No truly tangible difference in nutrition exists between these eggs, according to Oklahoma State University’s Department of Animal Science. In birds fed similar rations, the college found little difference between the cholesterol levels of white, brown or blue-green eggs, both fertile and infertile.
Still, some consumers claim that certain colors of eggs have better flavor than others. This is more likely a result of the chickens’ diet than anything else, according to the University of Illinois Extension, since it can have far more effect on the quality of an egg than breed type.
– By Melania Zaharopoulos,
Staff Writer
