Want to know all about eggs?

You already know that eggs are highly nutritious.  Each egg contains 6 to 7 grams of protein, 24% of your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin A, 13% of your RDA of calcium and 25% of you RDA for Iron.  They are also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus and Selenium - all for only 70 calories!

One common misconception is that the color of the egg shell affects the nutritional value and flavor of the egg.  In reality - the color of the egg is based upon the breed of the hen.  As a rule, breeds with white earlobes (like White Leghorns) lay white eggs, and those with brown earlobes lay brown eggs.  In addition, there are breeds that lay cream colored, buff, speckled and even green or blue tinted eggs!  But you can rest assured that the shell color has nothing to do with taste - or nutrition value of the egg.

What does affect nutrition and taste? 

It's dependent on the diet of the hen.  Hens that are allowed to forage on pasture, just like they have for hundreds of years, tend to lay eggs with much darker yellow yolks which are higher in nutrients including heart-healthy Omega-3's.  This is because she can consume grass and other plants that cause the yolk to be much darker yellow and this natural diet impacts the nutritional content as well. In commercial egg facilities, hens are usually fed a diet that includes corn, alfalfa meal, marigold petals and red or yellow bell peppers to help assure a dark, beautiful yolk, but even these don't compare to the color and loft of an egg produced by a hen that can forage for herself.

Should I buy eggs from hens that are fed a 100% vegetarian diet?

For the most part, no.  Chickens, in their natural state, are ominvorous.  They will eat plants, seeds, bugs, worms and other protein sources.   They will even eat mice if they can catch them!

Feeding hens a 100% vegetarian diet goes against the way Nature intended them to eat.  And we should recognized that hens that are claimed to be fed a 100% vegetarian diet cannot be pastured hens, because that would mean they would consume bugs and other critters that violate that "vegetarian" guarantee.  The most flavorful eggs come from hens that are allowed to roam and scratch as nature intended, supplemented with a high quality commercial feed.

What about organic? 

There is no evidence to support that organic eggs have any health benefits over non-organic.  To be truly organic, egg laying hens must be fed certified organic feed only from their 2nd day of life onward.  For most small flock raisers, the price of certified organic feed is prohibitive - in some areas, egg prices can be set high enough to cover the costs. 

In the end, it's personal choice.  If you are willing to pay a premium for organic eggs, and truly feel they are better, then go for it!  Bristolville Farms is happy to announce we do offer a limited amount of organic eggs, as we converted one coop to an all-organic flock. 

So what is the difference between cage-free, free-range, and pastured hens?

Cage Free simply means that the hens are not confined to a cage, and are usually housed in barns or warehouses.  Cage free does not require that hens have acces to the outdoors and there is no 3rd party audit process to verify the claim.

Free Range - There is no legal definition of this term for egg production facilities.  Typically, it means that the hens must be allowed access to the outdoors for at least a few hours per day - but this does not mean that the outdoor area is anything but a small dirt lot.

Pastured - Again, there is no legal definition of this term either.  Typically, this means the hens have access to actual grass pastureland for at least some portion of the day.  Bristolville farms has mobile coops and fencing, which allows us to move the hens periodically so they have fresh pasture.  In the fall and winter, we provide alfalfa hay for them to scratch and pick through, since the ground is frozen and, unfortunately, covered with snow.  Chickens do NOT like snow.

All three of these settings will allow the hens to engage in some degree of natural behaviors, and are far better than the conditions caged hens endure.  Being allowed to roam about also reduces the stress level in the hens, which also affects egg quality. 

Foodies (and food magazines such as Bon Appetit and Saveur) state that pastured hen eggs are the best in quality and tase.  If you want to confirm that the eggs you are buying are from truly "pastured" hens, we recommend asking to pay a visit to the farm to observe the conditions in person.  Be sure to ask if the pastures are treated with any pesticides or commercial fertilizers.  We do not use pesticides or fertilizer on our pastures, as the hens neatly take care of pest control and fertilize the soil naturally as they move about.

What about egg shells?

Shell thickness and quality depends on a combination of factors.  The hens' diet, if lacking calcium, will result in weak-shelled eggs.  Stress can also play an interesting part in shell development - a stressed hen may "hold on" to an egg longer than normal, allowing additional calcium to build on the shell - with interesting effects such as raised bumps, different coloration from the different layers, and super thick shells.

These two eggs were among several interesting eggs that were laid shortly after I moved the coop for the first time. Now the hens are used to being moved, so I don't see any difference in the eggs.

The egg in the middle is a pullet egg...

What size eggs are the best?

Again, this topic lends itself to certain misconceptions.  Many people feel that the larger the egg, the better.  But hens produce eggs that gradually increase in size as the hen ages.  You may notice that Jumbo eggs have much more "runny" or watery whites - this is due to the effect of aging on the hen, which also results in lower quality.

(Watery or runny whites can also be caused by hens that have (or had) infectious bronchitis - in other words, a cold.  Even after they recover, their eggs may continue to have "watery" whites.  This doesn't affect the nutritional value, however, and the eggs are safe to eat.)

Usually, the best quality eggs come from the younger hens, which would mean small, medium and large sized eggs. Some cultures prize the pullet eggs (which are the really small, first few eggs the hens lay) as "virgin" eggs and claim they have the best taste and nutritional content.  Be warned, though, if you are baking with pullet eggs -  it takes about three pullet eggs to equal one large egg so it is important to weigh the eggs or verify the volume (depending on the recipe). (see photo above).

What causes those little blood spots I sometimes see in eggs?  Are they safe to eat?  Yes, they are perfectly safe.  Those little blood spots are caused when the egg forms inside the oviduct.  They are harmless, though not very asthetically pleasing.  Commercially sold eggs are inspected (using a method called "candeling" where the egg is held against a bright light source inside a dark room, allowing the contents to be visualized) to cull out these eggs.  Local egg providers that do not sell commercially typically do not candle eggs, and brown eggs are more difficult to candle.

How about washing eggs?  Most eggsperts (sorry) agree that washing eggs removes the delicate layer called the "bloom" from the egg.  This thin layer, which looks wet on a freshly laid egg, then dries to a very fine white film, and is part of the egg's natural protection against contamination.  Removing the bloom reportedly will shorten the shelf life of the egg, and also may make it susceptible to absorbing odors which may affect taste.

Commercial eggs are required to be washed to reduce the likelihood of contamination of the external shell with Salmonella.  Most small scale local producers do not wash eggs, to preserve the freshness and taste of the eggs.

You should always get to know your source if eggs are locally provided - ideally with an actual visit to the site.  Check for cleanliness of the nest boxes - they should be clean, with clean nesting materials, or ideally of a roll-out design where the eggs roll into a protected tray.  This keeps the eggs much cleaner and free of any gross contamination. 

However, even the best kept hens may occasionally produce a messy egg.  These eggs should be washed with warm water and a soft cloth  or brush (which should be disposable, or put into the laundry or sanitized immediately) prior to use.  More heavily soiled eggs can be cleaned with lukewarm water and a mild soap.

Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling soiled eggs.

Have any questions you'd like us to answer?  Email us at Lara1234@iCloud.com.