article-feed and breed important to egg taste

[BlackBart]

Results from a study out of Denmark.

http://www.worldpoultry.net/news/organic-eggs-breed-and-feed-important-for-taste-8260.html

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Interesting that the eggs from the chickens fed curly kale tasted the best.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Apart from using various feeding strategies the scientists also chose to use two very different hen lines. One was a modern, specialised egg layer, which has found application in organic egg production, while the other line was a traditional dual-purpose hen that could deliver both eggs and meat.

Egg quality was measured with regard to carotenoid content, appearance, taste, shell strength and albumen quality.

Dr Hammershøj said: "We found that there were marked differences in egg quality between the two types of hens. Eggs from the old-fashioned hen had a better yolk colour and albumen texture. However, the taste and the shell quality were poorer compared to the modern egg layer."

This is really interesting. I think most here would agree that what you feed the hen has a lot of influence on the flavor of the egg and the color of the yolk. But a difference in flavor because of the breed? There are a lot of us here who keep many breeds and varieties of birds. I can't say I ever noticed a difference in flavor from one breed to the next - not even between high production sex-links and low producing dual-purpose. Differences in shell quality, sure, but not flavor. Not if they all received the same feed and the same management I can't.

 

[BlackBart]

I agree. I would like to see the taste test as a blind taste test.
The eye has a lot to do with how something tastes........... preconceived notions.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

This has come up a couple of times. I've never noticed a flavor difference in the eggs from my chickens. At one point, I do remember reading about a fellow that used to get eggs from his friends. He preferred the eggs of a particular chicken in their flock, that was a different breed than the others. He could taste a difference between them.

There can be a big difference in the flavor of meats or plants, depending on the breed or variety, not just on how they were raised. So, I can believe that there could be a difference in the flavor of eggs between chickens of different breeds. I suspect it's not very common, though, since so few people notice it.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I agree. I've owned lots of different breeds from bantam to giants, white eggs, brown eggs, blue eggs, green eggs, speckled eggs and they all taste the same if they are eating the same feed. If there is a difference in taste in breeds I've never seen it.
There is a difference in the taste if the feed changes. Our eggs always taste more "eggy" in the spring and summer when they are free ranging eatting all kinds of green growing things, bugs and other natural goodies than in the winter when everything is dead, dry and they are mainly eating commercial laying pellets. We do give them as much natural food as we can in the winter, but it still makes a difference.

 

[spartacus_63]

Sounds like another marketing ploy to me. I'm just glad I have my own eggs...it would drive me crazy, standing in front of the egg display at the store...high omega3, better taste, better shell, free range, organic, cage free, brown, white?????

 

[donrae]

 

[Mahonri]

sounds weird but my marans eggs taste different.

They are larger and have more albumen...maybe that's the difference.

I don't like my marans for scrambled or boiled eggs. I like them for pancakes,cakes, cookies etc... as they make them 'fluffier' like duck eggs.

 

[Momo]

I had black sex links along with my Ameraucanas a couple of years back, and although they were living in the same coop and living an identical lifestyle, the Ameraucanas' eggs just plain tasted better to me. I know that the meat of different breeds of cattle etc tastes different, and certainly the taste of the milk (cattle, goats) is heavily influenced by breed as well as diet. So hey, why not eggs?