We regularly get questions about the difference between brown and white eggs. Because what is it really?
The breed determines the colour
It is genetically determined what colour egg a chicken lays. One breed lays white eggs and the other brown eggs. You can also tell what colour eggs a chicken has by its earlobes: chickens with red earlobes lay brown eggs and those with white earlobes lay white eggs.
White chicken = white egg and brown chicken = brown egg?
Usually, white chickens lay white eggs and brown chickens lay brown eggs, but this is not always the case. There are also white chickens that lay brown eggs.
The food
The food a chicken gets has nothing to do with the brown or white colour of the egg.
White laying hens with white eggs
White laying hens, which are reared on a large scale, are a breed that has been bred to achieve high egg production. These white hens require relatively little, but high-energy, feed to produce an average egg of 60 grams. Synthetic amino acids are added to this type of feed to meet the needs of this chicken. A biodynamic farmer cannot (and will not) use this, and as an organic poultry farmer we do not want to either.”
Efficient chicken with white eggs
If you look purely at input (feed) and output (egg), such a white chicken is very efficient, which means it can be a lower-priced egg. Other breeds need more feed for the same egg. However, the living conditions of the chicken and organic or non-organic feed have not been taken into account.
The more efficient the chicken, the less it has left for reserves. So the feed has to be exactly right. You cannot always achieve this with organic ingredients alone. Also, as an organic or organic farmer, you cannot control the changing conditions in the countryside. If such a chicken has a reduced resistance, it can lead to illness.
Organic white eggs
There are also organic white eggs. The hens get more space than white laying hens that stay inside. This also means that these hens need more feed for a 60 gram egg.
Biodynamic brown eggs
The biodynamic eggs are eggs from biodynamic agriculture. These eggs come from chickens with a good life. They have a lot of space in the stables and a large green runway. During the day, they can go outside to scratch and take a sand bath. There is one cockerel for every 30 chickens. The chickens are fed organic feed. They keep their beaks intact so that they can peck without a care in the world.
Sustainable choice
As a consumer, you want to make the best choice. The more information and insight into the specific situation of a certain farmer, the better you can make that choice. Hopefully this has at least made our vision on eggs and the choice in our egg range a lot clearer.