Category Archives: Chickens

When laid, an egg is coated with a protective coating called “bloom” which dries on the shell and seals it. The bloom helps protect the egg and keep it fresh by blocking gasses and bacteria from passing through the porous egg shell. Eggs also get other material on them from the hen’s feet, or the […]

Fresh eggs have a variety of benefits over commercial eggs including flavor, eye appeal (yolk color, shell color, and consistency), and even nutritional content. According to an oft-cited 2007 study by Mother Earth News Magazine, eggs laid by hens raised on pasture, as compared with eggs laid by confined factory farm chickens have:

Every now and then a little red dot will show up in a fresh egg.  This is a bloodspot.  Bloodspots are caused by abrasions or other irritation in the hen’s oviduct. Contrary to what most believe, a bloodspot does not indicate fertilization.  Fertilization can only occur when a male chicken has access to the laying […]