Aren’t these eggs beautiful?
This would be a typical mix of colors from my wife’s sister Beverly and her husband Brent’s hen house. I’ve never had a better egg than one fresh from the tap.
Ameraucana breed of chicken lays various shades of blue and green eggs, while around 90% of all white eggs we get in the store are laid by a strain of the Leghorn chicken. Australorp and Rhode Island Red chickens lay brown eggs and Barnevelders lay very dark reddish brown eggs with a matte finish. There are hundreds of chicken breeds, laying different sizes and colors of eggs. Some chickens are layers, some are bred for cooking. Some are quiet, some are loud, some lay a lot of eggs, some a few.
Did you know that a chicken is born with all the eggs she could ever lay already in her? That is about 4000, even though most chickens rarely lay over 1500 eggs in their life and the average layer lays between 250 and 270 eggs per year.
More importantly eggs are almost a perfect food. Read this from the Incredible egg site:
New USDA study shows eggs have 14% less cholesterol and more vitamin D.The amount of cholesterol in a single large egg has decreased by 14 percent according to the new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition data*. Consuming an egg a day fits easily within dietary guidance, which recommends limiting cholesterol consumption to 300 mg per day.
Eggs now contain 41 IU of vitamin D, which is an increase of 64 percent from 2002. Eggs are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of vitamin D, meaning that one egg provides at least 10 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption, helping to form and maintain strong bones. The amount of protein in one large egg – 6 grams of protein or 12 percent of the Recommended Daily Value – remains the same, and the protein in eggs is one of the highest quality proteins found in any food. Eggs are all?natural, and one egg has lots of vitamins and minerals all for 70 calories. The nutrients in eggs can play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more. At less than 15 cents apiece, eggs are an affordable and delicious breakfast option. *In 2010, a random sample of regular shell eggs was collected from locations across the country to analyze the nutrient content of eggs. The testing procedure was last completed with eggs in 2002, and while most nutrients remained similar to those values, cholesterol decreased by 14% and vitamin D increased by 64% from 2002 values.
Jughandle is in the process of starting a back yard chicken coop with a starting flock of 6 chickens. That should get me between 1 1/2 to 2 dozen eggs per week. By the way, if you don’t like to hear that constant crow of the rooster, don’t get one. You don’t need a rooster to have chickens lay eggs. More to come- Jughandle
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