Tough yolks!

[Bizzy]

My 18 week old Golden Comets starting laying this weekend - Yippeeeee! :-D

We scrambled 5 of the eggs yesterday, & here's my issue. While the taste was okay, the yolks are tough! They seem to have a thick membrane around the yolk that I really had to kind of chop thru before scrambling. The store-bought eggs seem to have "soft" yolks that fall right apart when you poke at them. Consequently, the scrambled eggs were kind of chewy, not soft & tender like I like 'em! :-(

Is this normal? Will it go away? Does it have anything to do with what I'm feeding them? (commercial feed, veggie treats, whatever bugs they find in the pen)

 

[shaggy]

not sure if it is normal or not

but add a little milk or half-n-half to the eggs before scrambling

 

[greathorse]

Normal and desired as far as I am concerned. That tough stand up yoke is a indication of freshness, chickens getting some excercise. Pretty sure this is not scientific but I can tell you that your concern is what I consider very desirable traits.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Yep, that "tough" yolk is a healthy yolk. It is not a yolk that is partially broken down, nor a yolk that is from a hen who is straining to put together the nutrients to form an egg. A good egg isn't one that you drop into a pan and have leak over the bottom, the greater concentration of proteins and vitamins that are still fresh enough to build a baby chick and feed it for 3 days post hatch give it a thicker consistency, versus a store egg that is "fresh" up to 45 days post packing.

You can try letting your eggs sit for a month in the fridge before eating, or just add some milk or water to thin it out. When they grow up a bit more, their egg size will increase too, so that may also help with the "toughness" as there will be more egg per surface area. Trust me though, eat these guys for a month and then just try to eat bland, soggy, spongy, and limp eggs from the store.

 

[TipsyDog]

Quote:
Yup - sign of a REAL egg. You have been on store bought eggs too long and aren't used to healthy fresh eggs. Give it time and you'll get used to them. Then you'll never go back

 

[Bizzy]

Thanks guys!! I appreciate your advice & insight. Sounds like "fresh eggs" are an acquired taste. Until then, I'll try mixing milk in & maybe holding some others for a while, see if there's a difference. What an adventure!