In the coming years, consumers will probably no longer be able to choose between brown and white eggs in supermarkets. “Today you see brown eggs less and less, and soon there will probably be none left,” said Henner Schönecke, chairman of the Federal Association of German Egg Producers, to “Bild”. The reason is that many breeders are switching from brown to white chickens.
“White chickens have greater genetic potential than brown ones. They live and lay longer,” says Schönecke. “White chickens are easier to keep and more mobile than brown ones.” They find their food and water better, and they are lighter and smaller, as are their eggs. This makes laying less strenuous. Brown eggs are now only available from a few regional keepers.
Brown eggs: share in Germany is falling
White hens lay white eggs, while brown-feathered ones lay brown ones. According to Schönecke, this is the rule, at least for chicken breeds in Germany. According to the association, the proportion of brown eggs in supermarkets is still around 30 percent, and discounters often no longer have them. Ten years ago, more brown eggs were sold than white eggs in this country.
Brown eggs used to have firmer shells
A customer survey by the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry shows that brown eggs are still often more popular among older people. Younger consumers usually don’t care about the color; for them, aspects such as animal husbandry and regionality are more important. “The majority of consumers largely don’t care about the color of the shell,” said a spokesman for the trading company Rewe. An exception is Easter, where white eggs are clearly preferred.
Whether brown or white: this has no noticeable impact on consumers. According to Schönecke, brown eggs used to have a firmer shell, but not anymore. There are no differences in taste. The 51-year-old, who is a laying hen keeper himself and runs a fourth-generation family business between Buxtehude and Hamburg, switched completely to white hens a year and a half ago.
In any case, things won’t get that far in Austria. “Brown eggs are a tradition in Austria, and that won’t change,” says Markus Lukas, chairman of the Austrian Poultry Industry (GWÖ), in an interview with the Kleine Zeitung.