Saturday, February 11, 2012

Are the shells of chicken eggs soft when first laid?

This is a sincere inquiry. I've been told it depends on the chicken feed, whether it's pasture or pen raised as well as the color of the eggs; i.e. white v. brown. Does anyone know the answer to this question?

Are the shells of chicken eggs soft when first laid?
the contents of the egg are wrapped in a perfect, seamless, incredibly strong shell as though by magic! Eggs are objects of art.



It turns out the chicken has little to do with the formation of an egg's shell -- the egg actually grows the shell around itself! It does this using processes that are also seen in bones and seashells.



Around the egg is a membrane, and evenly spaced on the membrane are points where columns of calcite (a form of calcium carbonate) form. These columns stack together side by side to form the shell. According to an incredibly interesting book called "Made to Measure" by Philip Ball:



The nucleation points are defined protein nodules called mammillary protrusions, and the mineral is first deposited as particles of aragonite with random orientation of the crystal planes. On top of these aragonite piles, columns of oriented crystalline calcite begin to grow upward.

The calcite is basically floating in solution around the shell, and it deposits on the shell like a forming crystal. The egg grows its own shell!

The egg shell is hard at the time of laying and the feed has a limited role in deciding its colour.



Egg shell color is caused by pigment deposition during egg formation in the oviduct and can vary according to breed, from the more common white or brown to pink or speckled blue-green. Although there is no significant link between shell color and nutritional value, there is often a cultural preference for one color over another. For example, in most regions of the United States, eggs are generally white; while in the northeast of that country and in the United Kingdom, eggs are generally light-brown.
Reply:Not really, once the shell is laid down in the shell gland, and the egg is ready to be laid, the shell is relatively hard.
Reply:MOST CHICKEN EGGS ARE HARD WHEN LAID , COLOR ,OR FOOD THEY EAT ,OR WHERE THEY ARE RAISED HAS NOYHING TOO DO WITH IT , HOWEVER EVERY ONCE IN BLUE MOON A HEN WILL LAY ONE WITH A SOFT SHELL , FLOOK OF NATURE ,


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