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240 Million Hens Lay 50 Billion Eggs Yearly In The U.S.

egg day

June 3 is an excellent day to practice egg puns and recognize National Egg Day.

One of the most perfect foods, eggs are packed with protein, amino acids and have no carbohydrates or sugar.

  • Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in cookery. Due to their protein content, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) categorizes eggs as Meats within the Food Guide Pyramid. Despite the nutritional value of eggs, there are some potential health issues arising from egg quality, storage, and individual allergies.
  • About 240 million laying hens produce some 50 billion eggs each year in the United States. That’s roughly one hen for every man, women and child in the country.
  • White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. There is no difference in nutrition between white and brown eggs.
  • An average hen lays 300 to 325 eggs a year. A hen starts laying eggs at 19 weeks of age.
  • The hen must eat 4 pounds of feed to make a dozen eggs.
  • While it is customary to throw rice at weddings in many countries, French brides break an egg on the threshold of their new home before stepping in for luck and healthy babies.
  • The egg shell may have as many as 17,000 tiny pores over its surface. Through them, the egg can absorb flavors and odors. Storing them in their cartons helps keep them fresh.
  • Eggs are placed in their cartons large end up to keep the air cell in place and the yolk centered.
  • Eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator
  • Eggs can be kept refrigerated in their carton for at least 4 to 5 weeks beyond the pack date.
  • Eggs contain the highest quality food protein known. It is second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition.
  • The largest single chicken egg ever laid weighed a pound with a double yolk and double shell
  • The most expensive egg ever sold was the Faberge “Winter Egg” sold in 1994 for $5.6 million.
  • Brown eggs are more expensive than white, but it’s not because they’re healthier.  Brown eggs cost more because the hens that lay them are physically bigger breeds than the white-egg-laying chickens. Because bigger hens need more food, farmers have to spend more on feed.
  • Egg yolks will range in color—from pale yellow to deep orange to even a bright red—based on a hen’s diet.
  • Although your carton says you’re getting “Large” eggs, not every egg in that paper box is exactly the same size. Rather than requiring a specific size and weight for individual eggs, the USDA has guidelines for egg weights per dozen. That’s because there will invariably be differences between individual eggs.
  • Those curly, white strings that bunch up at the edges of egg yolks are called chalazae. They’re actually twisted membranes that join the yolk to the end of the shell. Not only are these fibers completely edible, their presence is actually a good sign: The more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg, according to IncredibleEgg.org.
  •  In 1806, a con artist named Mary Bateman inscribed “Crist is coming” on chicken eggs before shoving them back up into the chicken. She charged a penny to witness the eggs being laid.
  • The Araucana Chicken is also called the “Easter Egg Chicken” because it lays natural blue, green, pink, and brown eggs
  • A hen turns her egg nearly 50 times each day to keep the yolk from sticking to the side.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Eat This

Kick Ass Facts

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