Are blue & green eggs Kosher?

[TheAlrightyGina]

Google Aracouna And The Derivative Breeds: - OU Kosher Certification it a Jewish web sight that explains why they are problematic

Very interesting! So basically, it's because the heritage of the Araucana is uncertain and might possibly include Green Junglefowl? I've never heard that particular theory of their origins.

 

[Meri Maura]

He sounds rediculous

 

[MetroMutt]

I have a customer coming to buy chickens and he said he thinks blue eggs are not Kosher but I cannot find anything to support that. Anyone?

If I am in the wrong topic kindly let me know. Thanks

Not sure if eggs in general are kosher are not as im not religious/dont know much about that but aslong as normal eggs are then blue/green ones are too. Theres no difference besides the eggshell color

 

[Aapomp831]

He sounds rediculous

My thoughts exactly.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

He sounds rediculous

My thoughts exactly.

Come on, fam. We need to be respectful of other's beliefs even if they don't sync up with our own, especially when they do us no harm. I'm not Jewish, but there is precedent for considering blue eggs not Kosher. Here is the link to the site that was suggested by @Rosenfeld for people who were curious about it: Aracouna And The Derivative Breeds: - OU Kosher Certification

Relevant quotes from the above source (emphasis mine): "The green jungle fowl, indigenous to the jungles of South East Asia, is not mentioned in the halachic literature, nor is there any Jewish community which is known to accept it as kosher. It stands to reason that if the Polynesian canoes reached the South American realm of the Aracouna Indian, they would have carried a domesticated hybrid form of the green jungle fowl. There are some who have hypothesized that the Aracouna Indians acquired some Polynesian chicken and were able to hybridize them with the native bird, the chachalaca. This hypothesis needs to be further researched. If it can be proven, then the Aracouna chickens would have an ancestry which is distinct from that of every other known breed of chicken...

...If the Aracouna chicken is simply the result of a genetic mutation, then it would be kosher...However, if the Aracouna chicken was developed through a unique and as of yet unknown domestication event, or through the hybridizations with unknown species, the bird cannot be certified."

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I learned a lot reading this article and others as my desire to grasp the concern expanded to other Kosher Chicken debates. Lots of cool history. Lots about concerns over the genetic health of chickens from a Kosher perspective. More about preservation efforts or desire to find traditional Jewish chicken breeds from Europe that most closely match what communities kept PreWWII and also preserving native land races in Israel and the Middle East. More then what I already knew about clean and unclean animals for food. I am even more excited now about my choice to add a Middle Eastern breed to my flock latter this year after reading up on all things Kosher Chicken related. The importance of tradition and mindful eating was really reinforced.

I do know egg color is not an indicator of GJF genetics though... my current birds lay very light brown eggs thus Kosher... but both breeds are said to have GJF in them.
Also the White Leghorns and thus their eggs the OU already declared Kosher; after concerns were raised over chicken behaviors; have GJF in them via the Onagadori breed. I think they are just covering all their bases, and want to check off a few more boxes. Historic precedence and tradition is very important it seems to deciding such matters too.

I am hopeful based on the science of blue egg genetics that indicate a natural adaptation to a retrovirus and breed genetics/history of breeds historically used like the Kosher approved Leghorn the good folks at OU will eventually say Blue Eggs are okay. But who knows they might decide nope, no way for reasons I can’t grasp.

Anyway learned new stuff... who knew eating chickens was pretty illegal in Ancient Greece, I didn’t till reading lots of articles.

 

[nicalandia]

Most people are ignorant to the fact that there are two allelic mutations of the Oocyan Allele.

Both Chicken and Quails are both Kosher and related to each other, so much that they can produce hybrids, try to explain that to a Rabi.

Some people think that Chickens just sprung out of thin air, they are the result of the domestication of mostly the Red Jungle Fowl but with input from both the Grey Jungle Fowl and the Ceylon Jungle Fowl, you can thank them the Yellow Skin, clear shanks and sex linked silver

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I hope someone at the OU is reading science papers, yeah the clean unclean animals pretty much for birds list behaviors and looks... I presume that is why the ancient Jewish people started eating chickens in the first place... as the birds checked off all the boxes for clean to eat. As chickens were introduced to the Middle East, historically they were foreign livestock at one time to the Tribes of Israel.

No one was good at telling species and subspecies apart not even early zoos got that right so expecting ancient peoples to do better in the olden times is pretty odd... as far as I know all chicken breeds are a big mixed bag of hybridization way in the past and nobody was keeping records in ancient world. It seems to me what happened is if a wild caught bird looked like a chicken they put it with their chickens and if they got more chickens yeah it was a chicken seems to be the universal original logic and breeding plan pretty universally or just let what people thought was a wild chicken breed with free roaming home chickens (most villages and farms free ranged in the real olden times... and natural crossing could easily occur)... then some where along the line somebody tried to get specific looks, or egg color or size or feather type or behaviors maybe, started penning up birds for breeding... all hit and miss at first no doubt.

I think there are more elements to the debate than historic reality of our collective chicken loving ancestors not knowing or caring if a Grey JF made babies with a Red one or science that no one is clearly stating... I read enough articles to know the desire to recreate or preserve uniquely Jewish breeds is an aspect of these debates though not explained well... but the first debate started over a Rabbi complaining he missed the chickens of his youth coupled with modern meat bird breeding issues (that part of the debate was similar to what you see on BYC sans the religious aspect). I am all for preservation breeding of PreWWII type chicken breeds (probably more light side dual purpose types) and Israeli native land breeds, but only a few people seemed to write articles that addressed this clearly.

Leghorns were debated hotly too for awhile... thankfully they got reaffirmed okay... as of right now I am pretty sure all my chickens are Kosher... they are not too big, have the right number of toes and in the right places, and lay light brown eggs.

Still reading up on this though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Well I gave him a print out of the link I put in my post but he still only took brown layers. I think maybe it is his wife who thinks they are not Kosher. Perhaps they will read it and share with their rabbi. He was so nice. He siad his wife is concerned about eating fertile eggs but he told me when they had only hens he still sometimes got blood spots in his eggs. I explained as long as he collects the eggs everyday and nobody sets on them he should be fine. He ended up getting a barred & a white rock and 2 sex links so hopefully nobody will go broody. He was OK with getting an araucana rooster though.

Thanks, I always like to learn new things to help customers make right decisions. I wonder what the Lord was thinking when he said no 5 toed chickens? I will have to ask Him someday .

I like to learn, too. Please show me where in the Bible it says God does not approve of 5-toed chickens. I have never seen that!

 

[nicalandia]

interestingly enough, Middle East, North African and West Asian breeds of chickens are the ones with the most Grey Jungle Fowl admixture.