The egg-sact colour

It seems that all eggs in England are brown. Someone once told me that you used to be able to get white ones not so long ago. Back home, you can choose which colour you want to buy - brown or white. But what makes the eggs a particular colour?

All eggs start out white. The final colour of an egg shell is a result of pigments deposited during the formation process. It's down to genetics. Some breed produce white eggs, some produce brown and you get lots of variation in between. Some chickens can even produce bluish or speckled eggs. You can rub off the eggshell colour if you get to the egg as it is laid and while it is still damp.

White eggs do not come from battery hens any more than brown ones come from free-range chickens.

In general, chicken breeds with white ear lobes lay white eggs, whereas chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs. Although there is no significant link between shell color and nutritional value, there is often a cultural preference for one color over another. For example, in most regions of the US, chicken eggs are generally white; while in the northeast of that country and in the UK, they are generally light-brown.