I have been reading the thread "Dumbest Things People Have Said About Your Chickens/Eggs/Meat" and now I have a dumb question. I got my first pullets last November. I have 2 White Leghorns, a Speckled Sussex, and I think a Barred Rock that are laying. I got more Speckled Sussex and some Ameraucanas in March. My EEs aren't laying yet but I know they will lay blue to green colored eggs. My dumb question is this...I was told that blue/green eggs taste different than the white or brown eggs. That they are richer and are sought after by chefs to use in quiches and other egg heavy recipes. By what people are laughing at in the "Dumbest" thread, that isn't correct. So do blue/green eggs taste different or not? Another question arising from the "Dumbest" thread, I was told what I feed my girls changes the taste and color. Not from white to brown, but that certain foods can make the brown eggs lighter or darker and that if fed things like flax seed the yolks have more Omega 3s, so they taste richer. So does what I feed my hens change the eggs in any way or no way at all?
No blue/green eggs taste exactly the same. What you feed your girls, can slightly change the taste. Very slightly! If you feed them a large amount of something such as tuna. It has been known to cause the eggs taste to be off. Extra Omega's won't necessarily change to taste but can increase the health value of the eggs. Happy healthy chickens, make happy healthy eggs!
Green and blue eggs will taste the same as white or brown eggs from the same flock of hens eating the same foods. The eggs themselves don't taste different from other eggs, but egg taste does change based on what the flock eats--does that make sense? Egg shell color doesn't change based on diet, but egg yolk color does. Yolks will be darker or lighter yellow depending on the amount and kind of greens a hen eats. The color of a yolk is due specifically to carotenoids, which are natural pigments found in some plants. Some carotenoids, like beta-carotene, have nutritional value since our bodies convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, but deeper-colored egg yolks only indicate the presence of carotenoids in general and don't indicate more beta-carotene specifically. An example of this is that some large egg producers will add marigold petals or extracts to feed to cause a darker yolk, but it doesn't change the nutritional profile of the egg. Adding flax seed to the diet will not change yolk color, but it will change the nutritional profile to include more Omega 3 fatty acids, which are different than carotenoids. In a free-range flock, you will see a range of shades of yolk colors since none of the hens will eat exactly the same diet. There is some evidence that free-range or pastured eggs are healthier than building-raised eggs, however. In summary--shell color makes no difference to egg flavor or nutrition. It can change intensity over the hen's laying cycle, but will not change it's fundamental color (no blue to brown). Yolk color will also change over the laying cycle in response to what the hen eats, and the nutrition may or may not change based on what she's eating. Some things can cause flavor changes, such as lots of garlic and onions or fish meal. You might find this link about egg myths interesting. http://www.redwicket.com/2013/01/egg-myths.html
