Cholesterol Content vs Egg Shell Color

The blue-green eggs of the Araucana chicken have been items of interest for several reasons. They are unusual because of the color and the breed has sometimes been called the "Easter Egg" chicken because of the pre-colored eggs. The Araucana is not a new breed in the U.S. The origin of the breed has been traced to the country of Chile and the birds were brought to the U.S. around 1920.

Another reason for attention is the report that Araucana eggs contain little or no cholesterol. Researchers at Kansas State University have published research results that indicate that the color of the shell has no influence on cholesterol content. The research work, published in Poultry Science, March 1977, compared eggs from the Leghorn and Plymouth Rock breeds with the Araucana. The results are shown below and it can be determined that in fact the Araucana eggs contained the highest level of cholesterol of the three breeds checked.

Further tests at Kansas State compared eggs from different areas of the U.S. Results of these tests indicate that there is some variation in eggs, but that the difference is not of practical value.

Cholesterol content of yolks from eggs laid by Araucana, White Leghorn, and Plymouth Rock hens.

Average of 6 composited samples.

An egg is an egg no matter what color the shell, is perhaps a good way to answer questions concerning cholesterol from the Araucana. Although differences do exist, from a practical standpoint the differences are not of a significant magnitude.

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