All About Eggs

What are Eggs? 

Pretty much everyone is familiar with eggs. They are vessels laid by various different species that contain a zygote from which an embryo can develop. They can be fertilized, unfertilized, and come in varying different sizes. They are composed of several different parts including the shell, membrane, the albumen (the white part), and the yolk (the yellow part). The yolk is where the embryo is formed in the case of fertilization. 

Fun fact; a hen is born with all of the eggs she will ever lay, and each egg starts as an ovum. Hens are born with two ovaries although only one is functional. A hen can lay approximately one egg every 24 hours. The yolk releasing takes 15 minutes, the albumen forming takes approximately 4 hours, and the eggshell takes around 21 hours. 

Chicken eggs are used in numerous ways. They are popular as an ingredient for baking and are typically used as an emulsifier, glaze, or leavening agent. They an also be cooked on their own. Not only are they fairly cheap, but they are also a nutritious option with 6 grams of protein per egg.

What do you need to get eggs? 

You only need a hen if you are looking for eggs. Roosters are only necessary if you want fertilized eggs or a protector for your flock. A hen needs to sit on a fertilized egg for at least 72 hours for the embryo to develop from the yolk. When a hen does this, she is referred to as a “broody”. If you are not looking for a nest of cheeping little chicks, you should collect eggs, at minimum, once a day. Our preferred time is at dusk when we are putting the flock in their coop. You can also get “rotten” or “spoilt” eggs by leaving them out longer. 

Most hens will begin laying when they are between five to six months old with some consideration given to the season. Most breeds will stop laying in the winter. Some people will put an artificial light in their coop to keep their hens laying. Using this method will shorten your hens laying life as many of them need the natural break that cold weather provides.

How many eggs can you expect in a year? 

Most hens will lay around 250 eggs a year. Hens will take breaks from laying when it is time for them to molt and typically will not lay many, if at all, in the winter when there is less daylight. You can buy certain breeds, such as Brahmas, that are known to lay eggs during the winter season if you are looking at having eggs year-round.

Other breeds, such as Rhode Island Reds and ISA Browns lay primarily in the spring and summer when the weather begins to warm. 

Why are some eggs bigger?

When a hen first starts laying, their eggs may be smaller or even malformed. After a few weeks, this issue will typically resolve itself unless the hen is dealing with a nutrient deficiency. Additionally, egg size also varies depending on breed.

Rarely, a bigger egg will have a double yolk. This happens when a hen releases two yolks into the same shell and can typically be seen in hens that are nearing the end of their laying career. The biggest egg recorded to date had nine yolks inside and spanned nine inches.  

Why are my eggs different colors? 

The color of your eggshell is dependent on what breed has laid the egg. Many people will buy hens for their ability to lay colored eggs. Brahma’s lay a light brown eggs, Easter Eggers a light pink eggs, Olive Eggers green eggs, Coco Marans a dark brown eggs, and Leghorns lay a white egg. While the shades may vary, if a chicken lays a brown egg, they will always lay brown eggs. An egg of any color has the same nutrients and does not differ in that aspect. 

Why is my yolk a different color?

The yolk of the egg is an indicator of what the chicken has been eating. A yolk of a paler color, such as one bought at a grocery store, indicate that the chicken was fed a diet of grains. The deeper, orange yolk of a farm fresh egg comes from the chicken digesting fresh vegetables and vegetation. That isn’t to say they aren’t also fed grain, but it does indicate that their diet has been diversified. 

What do the labels on my egg carton mean?

We will always be firm advocates in eating farm fresh eggs. However, during the winter when they are not readily available, we have been known to go down the egg aisle in the grocery store. The trick in picking the best carton is knowing your labels. 

Cage free is fairly self-explanatory; it means that the chicken was not caged during its laying life. This should not be confused with free range as it could merely mean the chicken was kept in a building and should not necessarily be equated with the chicken being outside.

Free range is when the chickens are given a time period outside, usually during the day, to forage.

Organic eggs are from hens fed vegetarian diets that are free from genetically modified foods and do not receive any sort of vaccines. 

Pasteurized eggs are heated for a period of time to help kill any bacteria, such as salmonella. 

Are there any benefits to eating eggs?

The common train of thought used to be that any more than one egg a day was bad for your health and could potentially raise your cholesterol. However, eggs are a good source of vitamin D, E, and essential fatty acids. Eggs are rich in selenium as well as zinc, iron, and copper.

The egg yolk contains more fat while the egg white contains more protein. It used to be thought that eggs adversely affected your blood cholesterol levels. In over 50 percent of people, they do not raise cholesterol level at all.

Eggs also contain choline which is a nutrient that is used to help build cell membranes and helps produce singaling molecules in the brain. 

Why you should eat eggs

There are numerous benefits to your health and wallet when you consider adding eggs to your dietary rotation. Not only are they a rich source of protein, but they provide many of the nutrients that you need to intake daily.

They also offer a great way to be more sustainable. Chickens are able to meet several different food requirements if you are looking to source your food at home. If you are new to homesteading and are looking at taking baby steps, eggs are a great way to start. Raising chickens for eggs gives you an opportunity for more control over the quality of your food and the ethical treatment of livestock.