One of joys of having chickens is the ability to go out every day and eagerly collect those beautifully colored eggs. You know what you’re having for breakfast! You get your eggs to the kitchen, eye them proudly and prepare for cracking, already savoring the deliciousness you are about to enjoy! You crack your egg into a dish and are immediately puzzled because of some flaw in the much anticipated lovely deep hued yolk of perfection! Let’s take a look at some of those flaws and discover exactly what they are.
What’s that in my egg?
First let’s consider the color of the yolk. I often hear folks say that the darker the yolk, the richer the taste and more nutritious the egg. Is this true? What makes egg yolks dark in color and rich in flavor? Yes, the dark yellow, almost orange coloring of an egg yolk is a good sign of a healthy chicken, but did you know that it is what your chickens eat that is responsible for the color of the egg yolks they produce. Have you ever heard of Carotenoids? They are the yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as some bacteria. These pigments are what give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, corn, tomatoes, salmon, lobster, shrimp, and marigolds, to name a few. There are over 1,000 known carotenoids. Although animals don’t produce carotenoids they do need them for their antioxidant properties, immunity, reproduction and other health benefits. So, it’s a good idea to feed your chickens safe colorful fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, weeds and flowers. Carotenoid rich foods will affect the color of your chickens egg yolks. Commercial egg producers will poll consumers and then use
natural carotenoid extracts or synthetic carotenoids to achieve the specific yolk color that they believe their customers desire. The primary ingredients of most commercially produced chicken feeds is corn and soybean meal as well as some synthetic carotenoids.
Check out the label on your commercially produced layer feed to see what it contains. The carotenoids in these products will generally provide a medium yellow egg yolk. If you supplement a commercial feed with colorful treats, free-range your chickens, or
provide a versatile feeding program of colorful foods for your hens, you can expect darker variations of yellow and orange in your birds egg yolks. It’s all in the foods you provide! If you’re looking for a dark rich orange color, try including tomatoes and marigold petals in their diet and see what happens! As for the taste and nutritional value of the egg yolk, color isn’t really a good indicator of a more or less nutritious yolk. Scientifically speaking, lighter egg yolks are just as tasty and nutritious as darker colored yolks.
The color of the yolk is affected by what your chicken eats!
Have you ever spotted a small white circle somewhere on the surface of the yolk and wondered what the heck that was? This white spot is called the germinal disc and is more noticeable on fresh eggs. It’s the entrance to a tiny path that leads to the center of the yolk. It’s this path that the sperm in a fertilized egg will travel to create the embryo to form a baby chick. Once the egg is fertilized, several rings form around the dot, which is the one visible indication of a fertilized egg. This white spot is harmless, safe to eat and does not affect the taste of the egg.
The germinal disc
How about the long, white, squiggly, stringy things that can often be seen floating around the yolk and white of your egg? What is it called and what is it doing in my egg? When you crack a very fresh egg, you might see thin, white ropes trailing from the yolk. These are called chalaza and are simply twisted strands of protein that anchor the yolk in place in the center of the egg white. They are normally only visible in very fresh eggs. They are perfectly
edible, but you can remove them before cooking your egg if you prefer. Like little anchors, they attach the yolk’s casing to the membrane lining the eggshell. The more prominent they are, the fresher the egg.
Chalaza
Have you ever wondered what that small brown spot floating around in the egg white is. Nope, not the beginnings of a baby chick! These brown spots are called meat spots. They are most commonly found in the egg white and are typically formed from pieces of tissue picked up by the egg during formation when passing through the oviduct. These tiny protein deposits are totally fine to eat, but again can be removed before egg preparation.
Meat spot
Have you ever noticed a spot of blood on your egg yolk? When I was young, I was told that blood spot was a sign the egg had been fertilized and it was the beginning of embryo development. Not true! Occasionally you’ll find an egg with a tiny red speck (and sometimes not so tiny!) on the yolk called a blood spot. This is not an indication of a fertile egg, it’s merely a blood vessel that ruptured sometime during the formation of the egg. Although it’s perfectly edible, many people prefer to remove the spot before preparing the egg to eat.
Blood spot
Sometimes when I crack my egg into a dish the yolk will immediately break and begin to run. Is it rotten? The vitelline membrane is a thin covering that helps to keep the yolk contained. It’s strongest when the egg is fresh. This membrane allows fresh yolks to stand up nice and tall and not spread out when the egg is cracked. As the egg ages, this membrane thins and becomes weaker, making the yolk more likely to break when you crack it into your skillet. Even though the yolk breaks easily, it is still good to eat as long as there is no foul oder or abnormal coloring of the yolk or egg white.
The vitelline membrane
In most cases, the little oddities in your freshly cracked egg are harmless, though it is often best to err on the side of caution. If the egg looks off to you or smells funny, or if you simply don’t feel comfortable eating it, then don’t!
Resources:
https://www.organicvalley.coop/blog/what-does-egg-yolk-color-mean
