Egg Facts-Color

This is the fact that really started all this. My cook's daughter had made a comment at the store about brown eggs and not wanting brown eggs and she didn't want eggs that came from a brown chicken...she was trying to be funny.

Her mom laughed at her and said "That's not how they get brown eggs". At this point in the story, I stopped her and said "I think she's right. I'm almost positive I heard that somewhere as a true fact." So, of course I had to look it up. And this is what I found:

The color comes from pigments in the outer layer of the shell and may range in various breeds from white to deep brown. The breed of hen determines the color of the shell. Breeds with white feathers and ear lobes lay white eggs; breeds with red feathers and ear lobes lay brown eggs. White eggs are most in demand among American buyers. In some parts of the country, however, particularly in New England, brown shells are preferred. The Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire and Plymouth Rock are breeds that lay brown eggs. Since brown-egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more food, brown eggs are usually more expensive than white.

So, she was right! The first fact I had only mentioned the ear lobes. I didn't even know chickens had ear lobes! I'll have to check it out.