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"WHAT'S in a name? That which we call a rose: By any other name would smell as sweet" has, it must be admitted, a far finer ring to it, than has, "What's in a colour? That which we call an egg: By any other colour would taste the same".

However, had Shakespeare chosen to have penned the latter lines rather than the former, they would have been equally as accurate.

What is it that makes a tray of brown eggs sell quicker than a tray of white ones? - provided that the hens that lay the brown eggs have been given exactly the same environment and feeding regime as the ones that laid the white ones, they do (and it has been scientifically proven), all taste the same. Nevertheless, position a Keyes tray of white eggs at the front of a stall at a farmer's market and a tray of brown eggs at the back; together with an invitation to "choose your own" and you will find that the brown eggs have sold more rapidly than the white. Of course, were you to conduct the same experiment in America, you would probably find that the white ones were favoured - something to do with white indicating cleanliness and purity in the mind of the average American consumer, or so I'm told.

There is a certain pleasure to be had from picking a freshly-laid egg from the nest box, no matter what its colour, but when it comes to placing a softly boiled one on to the breakfast table, the fact that it is brown certainly adds to the attraction. But, is the colour of eggs sufficient reason to choose a particular breed? Generally, the darker coloured eggs come from the types that are classified as "heavy" or at best, "dual-purpose" and, as such, will not lay as many eggs as the lighter Mediterranean breeds. It is sometimes said that ear lobe colour governs egg colour: if the hen has white ear lobes she will lay white shelled eggs, whereas red ear lobes indicate brown eggs.

However, having been briefed by the editor to produce an article on brown eggs possibly "with a French connection", where better to start than with Marans - a breed that originated in a village near La Rochelle, not a two hours drive away from where we now live in the Deux Sevres region of France.

Well known and loved in Britain, the Marans breed (note it is, or always should be, spelt with "s" at the end of the word, even when talking in the singular) is still very popular in its home country and the Marans Club of France (established in 1929) accept not only the most commonly seen plumage colour of silver-cuckoo, but also the golden-cuckoo; brown-red; black-tailed buff; black; white; wheaten and Columbian (ermine). To comply with their standards, an adult male should weigh between 3.5-4 kilos, whilst the hen should be around the 2.6-3.2 kilo mark. Unlike the UK standard, it is common to find French birds with a certain amount of leg feathering. Eggs to be hatched should weigh 70-80 grams and have a "deeply dark-brown coloured shell", which is the defining characteristic of this breed.

For the real French enthusiast, the egg colour is probably the most important factor and they will not breed from a pullet until she has laid several eggs and the colour proved to have remained consistent. The brown of a Marans egg is the result of a layer of pigment deposited over a finished egg as it passes through the oviduct. A hen that lays a single dark chocolate coloured egg and then reverts to those of a paler pigment, most likely does so due to an abnormality of glandular secretions as the egg passes through the oviduct and would not be considered suitable for inclusion in the breeding pen.

Other breeds of hens laying deep brown eggs also include the Welsummer, which originated in Holland. Their eggs are comparable to Marans, the only difference being that the shell of the Marans is glossy whereas that of a Welsummer is matt. Like the Marans, they should lay around 250 eggs a season. Interestingly, the darkest eggs often come from poor layers, while the better layers produce lighter coloured eggs. Therefore if a breeder selects hatching eggs that are deep chocolate in colour, he may be unwittingly also selecting for low egg production in the future.

Also from Holland, is the Barnevelder where, according to the acknowledged poultry expert Hans Schipper, despite having been around since the 12th century, the breed as it is today was developed sometime in the mid 1800s. "In those days, brown eggs were preferred to white ones. By crossing the existing Barnevelder poultry with imported stock such as Cochins, Malays, Brahmas and Langshans, the egg production was improved tremendously. French Marans were also used to improve the egg colour." Statistics seem to indicate that the average modern-day Barnevelder will lay 200-240 eggs in a season, but Hans tells an interesting story whereby "the inhabitants of Barneveld always claimed that their chickens laid 313 eggs if the year had 365 days. Being a very religious community, traditionally no work was done on Sundays (365 minus 52 Sundays =313)."

Other breeds that may be usefully considered by the explorer in search of a brown egg for breakfast are the Langshan; Australorp (created in Australia with the addition of Orpington stock, from where it gets its amalgamated name) and the Brahma. There are also commercial compromises. The Black Rock is a sex-linked hybrid created by crossing a male Rhode Island Red with a female Barred Plymouth Rock and will produce upwards of 28O brown eggs in a season. They are hardy and therefore perfect for the smallholder. Although obtainable through various agents, they are specifically produced by Muirfield hatcheries, who claim them to be the only commercial brown egg hybrid proven to be genetically suitable for free range.

Although it is known that it is somehow related to genetics, the breed does not alone guarantee a consistent supply of continually dark brown eggs. A male bird could hatch from a dark brown egg but may not have the genes to father pullets that produce dark brown eggs - it seems to be accepted by most that the father is the determining factor for the colour of eggs in the next generation. Egg shell colour is polygenic, meaning that there are a multiple of genes that affect the end result. The particular pigment that is responsible for creating a brown eggshell in the oviduct is a hemoglobin porphyrin, in effect, a blood product (Interestingly, eggs with a "blue" shell, such as those from the Araucana are created by zinc chelate of biliverdin, which originates as a result of a compound being synthesized in the liver).

If, as the French Marans enthusiasts do, one wishes to breed specifically in order to create the deepest possible brown egg, the basic way is to breed from birds that lay the darkest eggs over the longest period of time. Simple to write, but not so easy to achieve. Such a project may take a great deal of time and could result in keeping more stock than one would normally wish in order to ensure that you are only ever breeding from those that consistently lay the darkest of eggs.

Unless you are committed to showing eggs: provided that one is doing all one can to ensure that good sized eggs are being hatched; that their colours are as defined by the breed standard and come from hens that are producing the numbers of eggs expected from examples of the particular breed in question, is the depth of colour so very important - it is, after all, the contents of the shell that we eat and not the shell itself

Contacts
Marans Club de France - www.marans.eu; Black Rock hybrids - Muirfield Hatchery; 01577 840401; Marans Club of Great Britain - Mr A Heeks; 01270 882189; Croad Langshan Club (GB) - Mrs L Heigl; 01428 602992; Australorp Club (GB) - Mr and Mrs I Simpson; 01636 814958; British Barnevelder Club - Mr G Broadhurst; 01630 638630; Welsummer Club (GB) - Mr G Johnson; 01952 460274.

2:37pm Wednesday 5th December 2007

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