Short Stuff: All About Egg Colors

Summary

Podcast Summary: Stuff You Should Know – "Short Stuff: All About Egg Colors"

Release Date: March 19, 2025

In the episode titled "Short Stuff: All About Egg Colors," hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant delve into the fascinating world of egg coloration. Through an engaging and informative discussion, they explore the biological mechanisms behind egg color variations, the implications for consumers, and best practices for sourcing and handling eggs. This summary encapsulates the key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions presented throughout the episode.

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1. Introduction to Egg Colors

[00:33] Josh Clark:
Josh opens the episode by setting the stage for an in-depth exploration of why chicken eggs come in various colors. He humorously hints at a journey through a chicken's oviduct to uncover the science behind these differences.

[00:55] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck contributes by acknowledging the current high cost of eggs, suggesting that for the sake of discussion, they'll proceed as if eggs are readily affordable and widely available.

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2. The Annual Frigid Fiesta and Discovering Egg Variations

[01:14] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck shares a personal anecdote from attending the "5th annual rather frigid fiesta," where his friend Justin from London, an avid chicken raiser, brings a diverse assortment of eggs. These included olive eggs, brown speckled eggs, and light tan eggs, sparking curiosity about their origins.

[02:33] Josh Clark:
Echoing Chuck's sentiment, Josh emphasizes the importance of understanding egg color variations despite the logistical challenges of egg scarcity.

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3. Nutritional Equivalence of Egg Colors

[02:31] Josh Clark:
Josh addresses a common misconception by asserting, "Regardless of the color of the eggs, I really hope this is true. One is not necessarily more nutritious than the other."

[03:28] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck agrees, stating, "A white egg is the same as a brown egg, nutritionally speaking." He explains that both types derive from various chicken breeds, such as Leghorns, Orpingtons, and Plymouth Rocks, which influence egg color.

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4. The Science Behind Egg Coloration

[04:01] Josh Clark:
Josh introduces the key players in egg coloration, crediting University of Georgia poultry scientist Githis Justin Fowler for his insights. He notes, "You can at least distinguish colored egg layers... based on their earlobes."

[05:27] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck humorously comments on the practicality of identifying egg colors through chicken earlobes, leading to a lighthearted exchange about the uniqueness of chicken anatomy.

[07:06] Josh Clark:
Josh provides a detailed explanation of the egg formation process within the oviduct, likening it to a "cartoon conveyor belt." He describes how the egg progresses through various segments, culminating in the formation of a calcium carbonate shell in the shell gland.

[08:05] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck reinforces that all eggs start as white due to their calcium carbonate composition. However, depending on the chicken breed, pigments are deposited onto the shell during formation, resulting in varying egg colors.

[09:54] Josh Clark:
Josh identifies the two primary pigments responsible for egg coloration:

• Biliverdin: Creates green and blue hues.
• Protoporphyrin: Produces reddish-brown tones.

[10:02] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck extends the discussion to other bird species, mentioning that robins produce famously blue eggs, highlighting the universality of these pigments across avian life.

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5. Commercial vs. Local Egg Production

[11:06] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck discusses the broader implications of egg sourcing, noting that commercially produced eggs in the United States are predominantly white due to the prevalence of Leghorn chickens. He differentiates these from more colorful eggs found in specialty or local markets.

[11:59] Josh Clark:
Addressing nutritional aspects, Josh mentions that while all eggs are similar, "genuine pasture-raised chickens... may have slightly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins."

[12:28] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck advises sourcing eggs locally, where they are often fresher and support smaller-scale farmers. He emphasizes the potential cost benefits and enhanced quality of locally sourced eggs compared to commercial options.

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6. Egg Handling and Safety Considerations

[13:03] Josh Clark:
Josh highlights a critical aspect of egg safety: the natural waxy coating on unwashed eggs protects against bacteria. He explains that while commercial eggs in countries like the U.S. are washed to remove contaminants like salmonella, this process removes the protective layer, necessitating refrigeration.

[13:08] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck concurs, suggesting that locally sourced eggs can be safely stored at room temperature if unwashed. However, once washed, they should be refrigerated to prevent bacterial invasion.

[14:29] Josh Clark:
Josh offers practical advice on cleaning eggs: "If you get locally sourced eggs... you can just leave them out. They don't need to be refrigerated. Once you do wash them, you need to refrigerate them."

[14:59] Chuck Bryant:
Chuck shares his personal experience, stating, "I've eaten dozens and dozens of those eggs from Justin. Never washed them, never had a problem," reinforcing the safety of properly handled unwashed eggs.

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7. Conclusions and Takeaways

In wrapping up the discussion, Josh and Chuck reiterate that egg color is primarily a result of genetic pigmentation and does not correlate with nutritional value. They advocate for informed choices in egg sourcing, emphasizing the benefits of local, pasture-raised eggs while cautioning consumers about labeling discrepancies and the importance of proper egg handling to ensure safety.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Clark:
  "[...] regardless of the color of the eggs, I really hope this is true. One is not necessarily more nutritious than the other." ([02:31])

• Chuck Bryant:
  "A white egg is the same as a brown egg, nutritionally speaking." ([03:28])

• Josh Clark:
  "You can at least distinguish colored egg layers... based on their earlobes." ([04:29])

• Josh Clark:
  "They [washed eggs] have to balance[...] Do you want salmonella or do you want E. Coli?" ([13:03])

---

Final Thoughts

"Short Stuff: All About Egg Colors" serves as an enlightening episode that demystifies the reasons behind the diverse colors of chicken eggs. Josh and Chuck effectively blend scientific explanations with practical advice, making the topic accessible and relevant to listeners. By the end of the episode, audiences gain a comprehensive understanding of egg coloration, the nuances of egg sourcing, and essential egg handling practices to ensure both quality and safety.

Transcript

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[Josh Clark]

Hey, and welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh and there's Chuck. And we're about to take you on a ride through a chicken's oviduct at some point in this episode. And why we're doing that is to explain why chicken eggs have different colors in some cases. And we're going to get really into the weeds on it and it's going to be great.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right. And for this episode, we're going to pretend that eggs are not super expensive because we're going to talk about buying eggs and, you know, stuff like that. And that's just a fact of life. Eggs are really expensive right now. So let's just put that to the side for a moment.

[Josh Clark]

Well, we also have to presume that you can even find the eggs to buy.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, that's a solid point. This came about because I just went on our annual 5th annual rather frigid fiesta, which is my buddies and I try to get together and go to my camp on the coldest, one of the coldest days of the year. I make an MVC most valuable camper trophy. I earned that trophy for the first time this year.

[Josh Clark]

Very proud of you. Congratulations. Wow. What'd you do to earn it?

[Chuck Bryant]

I sous vide some wagyu steaks. I provided the camp. I think it finally dawned on everyone that that was kind of a big deal. I, you know, I partied in just the right way to impress everybody.

[Josh Clark]

Nice.

[Chuck Bryant]

And, you know, some other things. And that's generally how you win it. You kind of go above and beyond. And my comedy was on point. I was just on fire with the jokes.

[Josh Clark]

Wow.

[Chuck Bryant]

And DJing like, yeah, I kind of had it in the bag. But long way of saying my buddy Justin, whom, you know, from London, England, who raises chickens.

[Josh Clark]

Oh, I didn't.

[Chuck Bryant]

He always supplies the eggs. And he showed up with some olive eggs, some brown speckled eggs, a couple of sort of light tan eggs, and I Just started wondering about it, and now I know. And I told Justin the deal as well. Why his chickens are making different eggs.

[Josh Clark]

Did he want to know that?

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, he was very curious.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, good. Well, Chuck, one of the things that I think immediately pops up that we can't possibly get past without mentioning first is that regardless of the color of the eggs, I really hope this is true. One is not necessarily more nutritious than the other.

[Chuck Bryant]

No, those brown eggs. You gotta get those brown eggs. They're natural, Josh. They don't bleach them.

[Josh Clark]

You're thinking of rice or flour. Oh, non brown chicken eggs are not bleached. That is not true. That would be a really bad thing to do to an egg. But the white eggs that you see, that make up the vast majority of the eggs that you buy in the United States, they come from Leghorn chickens, as in Foghorn Leghorn, but he was a rooster. But the hens of his breed lay white eggs. They're not bleached. They just come out that way.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And most eggs in the commercial egg industry in the United States are from Leghorns, so most are white. So when you see, like, a fancy brown egg, it's the same egg. Well, that's if it's, you know, not, you know, the pasture rays and the stuff that were already expensive.

[Josh Clark]

That's the one distinction. Really.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And we'll talk about that later. But a white egg is the same as a brown egg, nutritionally speaking. They come from the Leghorns, Orpingtons and Plymouth Rocks. Those are varieties of chickens. They're going to lay the browns.

[Josh Clark]

They.

[Chuck Bryant]

There's a chicken called an Americana, and not Americana because it has an au in there. That is a breed which gives the. It permeates that pigment, goes all the way through. And so the inside color of the egg is bluish as well as the outside, which is a pretty cool fact.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. We need to shout out a University of Georgia poultry scientist named Githis Justin Fowler.

[Chuck Bryant]

Amazing.

[Josh Clark]

It is amazing. And so he provided a lot of the insight on how all of this works. And he basically said it's genetics. But you don't have to run a chicken's genome to figure out what color eggs it's going to produce. It's much easier than that. You can at least distinguish colored egg layers, not necessarily the color, but whether they're going to lay an egg that has some sort of tint to it versus ones that are going to lay just white eggs based on their earlobes. Couple of things about This. I didn't know that you could judge the color of a chicken's eggs by looking at its earlobes. I also didn't know that chickens had earlobes.

[Chuck Bryant]

I knew you were going to say that because you know what? I told Justin that he has chickens and he said the same thing.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, I mean, I've seen them a million times. They're like, they almost look like mutton chops, like meatloaf from Rocky Horror Picture show. But they're on chickens faces instead. Those are their earlobes.

[Chuck Bryant]

Can you imagine if his name was Greg Fowler?

[Josh Clark]

Why?

[Chuck Bryant]

He'd have the name Egg in his name too. Oh, yeah, he could go by GR Egg Fowler. Anyway, if you got a white chicken, it's going to lay a white egg because they probably have white earlobes or generally lighter earlobes or lighter feathers. If they have colored feathers. And colored earlobes are going to have colored eggs.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, but again, not necessarily like the same color as that. But it just means that they're producing more pigment than other chickens and they like to really show off by laying some of that pigment on the eggs. And I say we take a break and we come back and we take that trip down the oviduct when we return.

[Chuck Bryant]

All right, let's.

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[Chuck Bryant]

Stuff you should know.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, Chuck, get your miner's cap on. Turn on the light.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yep.

[Josh Clark]

Maybe don some gloves.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah.

[Josh Clark]

And we're going to go in the oviduct of a chicken, a hen, and. And when you go in there, we're going to see the ova that is the chicken yolk. And it forms in the chicken's ovaries. And an ovum leaves the ovary and it gets deposited in the oviduct. And it's almost like a cartoony conveyor belt. Like I can almost see like mechanical gloved hands shaping things along the way.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, for sure. In the oviduct on that conveyor belt, there are gonna be five different sort of in order because it's a conveyor belt segments that they're gonna go through, that yolk is gonna go through, or the Ovum. And it's in the fourth one of those five where that shell is formed. It's a calcium carbonate shell that comes from the shell gland. And that is where the shell forms around the ovum and that's where it gets pigmented.

[Josh Clark]

Right, That's Greg Fowler's middle name. Shell gland. Greg Shell Gland Fowler or his fraternity nickname.

[Chuck Bryant]

But they all start white, right?

[Josh Clark]

Yeah, because they're made of calcium carbonate and that is white in nature. And so all chickens, eggs are white. That's all you really need to know, except for everything else that's about to follow. And that is that once the egg is formed and it's a white egg, some kinds of chickens deposit a pigment on it. Yeah, again, like a Leghorn white earlobe. No pigment deposit. But other kinds, like you said, Plymouth Rocks, Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, they all put a little bit of pigment, I guess, just to kind of make the world a slightly brighter place. I can't think of any other reason for this, evolutionarily speaking. But we have narrowed it down to two distinct pigments that are responsible for the galaxy of colors. Maybe not galaxy, but the wide array of colors that chicken eggs come in.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, and do you know, by the way, I heard a recording of the actual sound. They got a microphone inside a chicken. The sound of the pigment being placed on it is kind of like this. Hey, let me try another take just in case.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. Does it come out of like a pastry frosting bag?

[Chuck Bryant]

Well, sure, you can call it that, Chris. All right, so back to sorry about that 12 year old Chuck showed up for a minute. Those two pigments that like you said, are the ones responsible for the different shades are Biliverdin. Biliverdin.

[Josh Clark]

I like Biliverdin.

[Chuck Bryant]

And protoporphyrin. Or protoporphyrin, Porphyrin.

[Josh Clark]

Okay, so that's it. Yeah, that is. Those two make the whole thing. The greens and blues are the Biliverdin and the protoporphyrin make the reddish browns.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

And it's not just chickens that this happens with. You know, robins lay Tiffany box blue eggs.

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, look at you.

[Josh Clark]

I think it's usually described as Robin's egg blue, but that's from the same process. It makes that same sound. Can we hear it again? Yeah. There's also a bird called the common muir and they have a blue egg that sometimes is speckled. I think all of this is so wonderful, but really there's nothing that can compare to an Easter egg that's been dipped In a vinegar, food dye dip, herb blend and held by that little wire thing that you kind of bring it out with. And then you mark or no, you start with the crane and then you, you dye it. Like, let's see a chicken do that. Make a chevron pattern on your egg. Naturally chicken, you can't do it.

[Chuck Bryant]

I totally agree. And here's the thing. We talked about nutrition earlier and you said it's all the same, and that's true. The inside of a white egg is the same as the inside of a brown egg. If you get like, you know, the. Really now they're super expensive. Not the free range. Cause you know, I worked in the chicken industry and I've tried to dispel that myth that generally if it says free range, that just means that the door is open to the barn, but they're not really out there.

[Josh Clark]

Same with cage free too.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, cage free. But a genuine pasture raised chicken, they can actually be more nutritious if they're foraging on greens and eating insects and things that just a better variety of stuff that even the cage free and the free range aren't getting. If you get those really, really expensive pasture raised ones, they may have slightly higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. And be forewarned because in the United States at least, the term pasture raised is not regulated. You could slap that on any egg you wanted, but do some research. Luckily there are some certification groups that go through and actually certify these are pasture raised. So you want to look for certifications like certified humane is a legitimate one. That means that that chicken actually was walking around pecking at the ground, not in like some big metal shed with a trillion other chickens.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah. And I'm going to recommend, especially now that eggs are so expensive, like try and source them locally. Guarantee you in your town, there is a farmer's market with some stinky hippie that's gonna sell you some eggs in a funny looking container or at the very least a used egg carton from somewhere else. Or if you have a friend like I do that, you know, they'll give us eggs. Cause those used to be like, oh gosh, they're so pricey. But their prices aren't jacked up because they're not, you know, the locals aren't suffering from the commercial egg industries woes. So now some of those are cheaper than grocery store eggs.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah.

[Chuck Bryant]

And you know where they're coming from and they're walking around eating insects and grass.

[Josh Clark]

Yeah. But there's some things that you need to know about this. If you're eating locally sourced eggs, one is that they probably haven't been washed, which is fine that they don't normally come washed. Unless you're buying the commercially produced eggs in Australia, the us, Japan, you have to wash them. The problem with washing an egg, though, is that it removes the little waxy coating that the egg is naturally encased in that keeps bacteria out of the shell. As hard as the shell seems, it's actually kind of porous and bacteria can make it right into the egg and kill you and everyone you love, but that waxy coating keeps that from happening. The problem with all this is, and this is the reason why the United States and Japan and Australia require their commercially produced eggs to be washed is that coating really hangs on to things like salmonella and chicken yard poop and all this stuff. So you kind of have to balance the two. Do you want salmonella or do you want E. Coli? Which one do you want? So if you get locally sourced eggs, it makes sense to keep them unwashed until you want to eat them. Then you wash it. Use a little bit of dawn, some water, you wash that off and then you eat it washed.

[Chuck Bryant]

I would not recommend using dawn, but that's just me.

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Why?

[Josh Clark]

What's wrong with Dawn? I love Dawn.

[Chuck Bryant]

Great.

[Josh Clark]

They have a free and clear with the. It's got a little duck on it. It's totally natural.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, I'm sure it's free and clear.

[Josh Clark]

It is.

[Chuck Bryant]

The good thing, though, about getting eggs from your friends or someone that doesn't wash their eggs is you can just leave them out. They don't need to be refrigerated.

[Josh Clark]

True debt. But once you do wash them, you need to refrigerate them because again, bacteria can invade them pretty easily.

[Chuck Bryant]

Yeah, but I'll tell you, I've eaten dozens and dozens of those eggs from Justin. Never washed them, never had a problem.

[Josh Clark]

Really?

[Chuck Bryant]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh Clark]

Did you get a little poop in your eggs?

[Chuck Bryant]

No, they're great.

[Josh Clark]

Cool. Well, there. There you go. Everything you need to know about locally sourced eggs from your friend, Chuck B.

[Chuck Bryant]

That's right.

[Josh Clark]

Chuck said. That's right. And that means, obviously the short stuff is out.

[Chuck Bryant]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio.

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[Chuck Bryant]

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