What makes an eggshell

According to an incredibly interesting book called "Made to Measure" by Philip Ball:. The calcite is basically floating in solution around the shell, and it deposits on the shell like a forming crystal. The egg grows its own shell! Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Continue till the egg shells crack. If you weigh the books you had placed on the shells to see how much weight the eggs could take, it will be much more than the average weight of a hen.

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A simple experiment You can actually test this with a simple experiment. Why some chickens lay brown eggs and some lay blue, the chemistry of eggshell colour explained. TV star Bert Newton is honoured with a state funeral in Melbourne.

Follow our live coverage for the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic. While the quality and taste of an egg can be changed by what the chicken eats and their living conditions, the colour of the eggshell is determined by the hen's genes. Nathan Kilah, senior lecturer in chemistry at the University of Tasmania, got interested in the chemical make-up of eggshells when he got backyard chooks. All eggshells are made of the same stuff, with colours added by chemicals that either coat the shell or permeate through it.

The protoporphyrin is deposited as a layer on top of the calcium carbonate, so brown eggshells are white on the inside. Brown eggs are laid by some of the most commonly kept backyard breeds, such as barnavelders and Rhode Island reds, while white eggs come from breeds including silkies and leghorns. Blue coloured eggs are starting to become more common as backyard breeders look for variety with breeds such as araucana and ameraucanas.

While a blue egg layer will never lay a brown egg, crossbreeding of chickens can bring out a range of eggshell colours. Pigments and protoporphyrin change the colour on the outside of an egg, another chemical changes the colour on the inside. Unlike the outside of an egg, the colour and taste of its contents is affected by the chicken's diet and living conditions.