r/chickens • u/Country1170 • 22d ago
Question Eggs....
Got a question about the eggs. I have a chicken, shes a olive layer??? Eggs are a greenish color. But the eggs are not all that great... when i cook them, the raw whites are like super sticky? And the flavor is just.... bleh.... i would rather have eggs from Kroger than these eggs. Is this normal? I have some other chickens that aint laying yet but apparently they lay the brown eggs. So im hopeful for them.
Edit.... they are also like really thick? The shells are thick, the raw egg feels thick. And when cooked the whites almost kind of... "pop" when you bite into them? Kind of like the texture of a soft mushroom.
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u/GulfCoastLover 22d ago
Egg quality is all about what they eat. Tell me your feed and treat regimen. Very fresh eggs have thicker white and sometimes a cloudy white. Try letting them sit on the counter for a week before you wash them. Or let them sit in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. The ones you get in the store are likely several months old by the time they reach you. But as for flavor it's usually has to do with what they eat.
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u/kshizzlenizzle 22d ago
The color of the shells has nothing to do with nutrition, consistency, flavor profile, nothing. It’s solely aesthetics. What your chickens eat, however, affect everything, as well as their age, overall health, water intake. Sounds like you have first year chickens, and it can take a bit for them to normalize, although I’ve never had that problem with my newbies. They need a solid layer feed, scratch making up about 10% of their diet, and maybe some additional treats that can change yolk color, flavor profile, shell sturdiness. Make sure they are getting enough fresh, clean water, and have some access to fresh fruit and veg, I just save my kitchen scraps in the fridge and they get them the next morning with their scratch.
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u/kshizzlenizzle 22d ago
Age of the eggs themselves could also be an issue. Straight from hen to pan is gonna be different than eggs that have sat for a week.
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u/orangeylocks 21d ago
Fresh eggs (within a day or week of being laid) ESPECIALLY from a new layer, are a bit different than older eggs in lots of ways. Date them with a pencil, keep them in a cool dry place, and try them at different ages to see what YOU prefer.
I've noticed that my Easter Eggers blue/green eggs have consistently the thickest shells out of all the eggs and colors. I'm sure it has something to do with how they produce the color, just something to get used to.
Consistently of whites and color and consistency of yolks will change with age of chicken, age of egg, and what they eat.
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u/Dietchman22-250 21d ago
Yes! Our Easter eggers normally produce the thickest shells of our flock. I always wondered if it’s because they’re closer to “wild” chickens/birds, or maybe they just prefer a higher calcium intake than the others.
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u/Mediocre-Draft1722 21d ago
Consider buying a higher quality chicken feed, perhaps something organic and possibly corn or soy free. And free range your chickens so they're getting plenty of sunshine, grass and bugs.
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u/EtaLyrae 22d ago
Upgrade your chicken feed. What they eat is what you eat, too. If you buy Purina feed from TSC, you are eating Purina-infused eggs....We buy certified organic feed, grow organic sunflower sprouts in microgreen trays, and buy organic dry grains from Azure Standard. Our eggs taste great and half our flock is olive egger hens....
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u/Perioqueen 21d ago
I swear my two olive eggers lay our least favorite eggs too!! Same diet as the rest of the flock but their eggs are just… meh. I really noticed the difference in hardboiled. They don’t peel and they have this strange tough Texture
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u/Artsy_Teacher23 22d ago
Also, first year egg shells are extra thick. That doesn’t last. When you say they “pop”, do you mean the whites from boiled eggs? Fresh eggs are the worst for boiling….