Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Egg protein is of high biological value as it contains all the essential amino acids needed by the human body. 12.5% of the weight of the egg is protein and it is found in both the yolk and the albumen (the white), although protein is more concentrated around the yolk, there is in fact more protein in the albumen.

Eggs contain most of the recognised vitamins with the exception of vitamin C. It’s a good source of all the B vitamins, plus the fat-soluble vitamin A and also provides useful amounts of vitamin D, as well as some vitamin E.

Eggs contain most of the minerals that the human body requires for health. In particular eggs are an excellent source of iodine, required to make the thyroid hormone, and phosphorus, required for bone health. The egg provides significant amounts of zinc, important for wound healing, growth and fighting infection; selenium, an important antioxidant; and calcium, needed for bone and growth structure and nervous function. Eggs also contain significant amounts of iron, the vital ingredient of red blood cells. Eggs contain only traces of carbohydrate and no dietary fibre.

11.2% of the egg content is fat. The fat of an egg is found almost entirely in the yolk; there is less than 0.05% in the albumen.  There are about 78kcals per medium egg.  Approximately 17% of an egg’s fatty acids are polyunsaturated, 44% monounsaturated and only 32% saturated.

Eggs may have different nutritional content depending on the feed and living conditions of the chickens that lay them. Research compared eggs from battery chickens and eggs from pastured chickens and found that when compared to the battery eggs, the pastured eggs contained, on average, four times as many omega-3 fatty acids, twice as much vitamin E, half the cholesterol and between two and six times as much beta carotene.

When your hens start to lay you need to give them time to get it right, some will lay the smallest of eggs while others will lay huge ones.  When cracking their eggs you should notice the difference in egg shell quality compared to a shop bought egg.  Once cracked you will see that there are three definite levels of the egg and it will sit tall with a good plump yolk.

What you feed your hens is what you’re going to get back again, it has nothing to do with her breed or colour.  Try and buy a good quality feed with Omega oils already present and no Hexane extracted ingredients.  Linseed is very high in Omega Oil as are Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds, try giving your hens a handful  of seeds a couple of times a week, she will put the goodness of the seeds into your egg.  Green vegetables and access to grass will help colour your yolk naturally, sweetcorn and mixed corn are also natural colourants.  Lettuce is not recommended.

It is also possible for a young hen to produce an egg with no yolk at all. Yolkless eggs are usually formed about a bit of tissue that is sloughed off the ovary or oviduct. This tissue stimulates the secreting glands of the oviduct and a yolkless egg results.

Sometimes an egg will be laid with a soft shell, this is not uncommon and nothing to worry about if it’s only now and again.  A soft shell is usually a sign of lack of calcium and or protein in their diet.  Make sure she has access to good grit and is eating enough pellets.  A good way to get calcium into them is to keep your egg shells, wash and bake them in the oven for 10 minutes, crush them up and feed them back to your hens.  Some eggs will have calcium spots or a buildup of excess calcium, neither of these is anything to worry about.

Also called meat spots. Occasionally found on an egg yolk. Contrary to popular opinion, these tiny spots do not indicate a fertilized egg. Rather, they are caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface during formation of the egg or by a similar accident in the wall of the oviduct. Less than 1% of all eggs produced have blood spots.

Chalaza - Ropey strands of egg white which anchor the yolk in place in the centre of the thick white. They are neither imperfections nor beginning embryos. The more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg. Chalazae do not interfere with the cooking or beating of the white and need not be removed.

To tell if an egg is raw or hard boiled, spin it.  If the egg spins easily it’s hard boiled but if it wobbles it‘s raw.

Boiled eggs that are difficult to peel are usually too fresh. Fresh eggs have a lower pH which does not allow the shell to separate easily from the underlying albumen,  they need to be about 4-5 days old for the removal of the shell to happen easily.