nope, it all just depends on breed of chicken.

According to the Egg Nutrition Board (and who should know better?), "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 taste or nutrition between white and brown eggs."

But Bill Finch of the Mobile Register suggests that brown eggs may have tasted better at one time. He says, "For years, the chickens preferred by commercial growers happened to lay white eggs. A few smart cooks sought out brown eggs because most of the home-reared American flocks, which had access to flavor-enhancing weeds and bugs, happened to lay brown eggs. Commercial egg producers eventually got wise to this. They started raising chickens that laid brown eggs, and charged a premium for them at the store.

"But because the white AND brown grocery-store eggs are the result of the same bland commercial diet, their eggs taste exactly the same. Many people still apparently don't realize they've been duped at their own game."

Which breed of hen will lay which color egg is pretty much well known in the industry: White Leghorns are the most popular breed used to lay white eggs, and Rhode Island Reds are most often used for laying brown eggs. (Check out this chicken chart to see what color eggs other hen breeds lay.)

for example, the pale-blue ones are Americauna eggs. the dark brown ones come from Cuckoo Maran hens

there is zero nutritional difference. white eggs come from white chickens, and brown eggs come from brown chickens. better to look at what the chickens were eating than what color their feathers are. ;)

Brown, blue, green and other colors are more photogenic. That's about it. Go by what the chickens eat (free ranging, pastured chickens that can eat lots of bugs, worms etc).

In the supermarkets, distinctionwise I've noticed the white eggs are the mass market ones and the brown ones are the omega 3/cage free/free range/blah blah blah types.

I understand they're just different breeds, and my suspicion is that they just feed/treat the brown egg layers differently so there's the obvious difference at the stores (to avoid arguments). i.e. $4.50 for a dozen brown omega 3 eggs is more understandable than $4.50 for a dozen white omega 3 eggs that look the same as the $2 dozen white eggs. Because hey, they're brown! :)

No.

To quote the straightdope, "According to the Egg Nutrition Board (and who should know better?), '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 taste or nutrition between white and brown eggs'... 'They simply come from two different breeds of chickens. Brown eggs, however, are more expensive because the chickens that lay them eat more than those that lay white eggs.' Among the breeds that lay brown eggs are the Rhode Island Red, the New Hampshire and the Plymouth Rock--all larger birds that require more food."

No, each hen has its own distinctive shell tinting. The fact that most commerical eggs are white means something is un-natural in the process. We are a country that eats with its eyes rather than its tongue.

White eggs are layed by chickens with white earlobes, feathers have nothing to do with the shell color. I have Brown Leghorns which lay white eggs just as White Leghorns would. I also have Lite Bramhas(which are white) Barred Rocks,and Golden Comets all lay biege to brown eggs. They have red earlobes Don't be fooled by eggs purchased in the supermarket,buy your eggs locally. You may pay a little more but there is a world of difference . I sell mine for 2.50 a dozen and 3.50 for 1-1/2 dozen and I can't keep up with demand.But remember buy local buy fresh.

I have some Americaunas (dont think I spelled that right) and, of course, they lay the green eggs. Oddly enough, they have green legs!!!!!! Now, I have some beautiful chickens called Silver Laced Wyandottes and they have legs that are a yellow-orange color and they lay brown eggs. Maybe its just a coincidence that their earlobes are the same color as their legs.............????????? I wonder....

Is it racist that one color of egg can't be cartooned with another? Can't the eggs just live in piece?

Although slightly more seriously I would think vegetarian feed chickens would be sicker than chickens that eat worms.