Did you know why are chicken eggs different colors?
We are certainly familiar with eggs, because almost every day we always eat it, a variety of flavors and color of chicken eggs we have ever met. Eggs are one source of animal protein that has a delicious flavor, easy to digest, and high nutritious especially protein content, in addition to the eggs easily obtained and the price is cheap. In terms of color there are white, spotted, slightly brownish and there are also some chickens that produce blue eggs.
According to Michigan State University Extension egg color is determined by the genetics of the hens. The breed of the hen will indicate what color eggs she will produce. For example, Leghorn chickens lay white eggs while Orpington’s lay brown eggs and Ameraucana produce blue eggs.
Why different colors?
Different flavors in eggs actually have something to do with what foods are eaten by the chicken lifestyle itself. While the color of the eggshell is determined by the chicken genes and this is the opinion of many scientists.
Egg color is closely related to the type of chicken and its chemicals. All eggshells are actually formed from the same material. It's just the color appears because the chemicals that coat or absorb in the shell. The eggshell is made up of calcium carbonate which is a mineral compound. The brown color of the egg pigment due to protoporphyrin, this is like a group of hemoglobin in human blood. But because the eggs that do not have ferrum so that will be brown color.
Blue chick eggs are now better known to the community after breeders look for variations of offspring produced from cross-breeding between araucana chickens and americana chickens that produce ameraucana chickens. Ameraucana chicken eggs are blue due to cross-breeding process so it will not produce brown eggs. If the marriage between the blue-spawn chickens and the brown egg-laying chickens mated, then we will produce green eggs.
Conclusion
From that few reference that we can conclude the occurrence of color differences in eggshells also actually begins in the uterus. The color of the shell depends on the pigment present in the poultry. This pigment originates from the hemoglobin blood pigment. So that pigment is a dye that can give color to the network. There are many pigments. So the eggs will also produce a variety of colors.
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