A hens diet can affect how her eggs taste, but not as much as you might think.
Now that you raise your own chickens, you are likely convinced that the eggs your chickens lay taste better than store bought eggs.
Its no mystery that eggs from your backyard are fresher than their commercial counterparts. But do they actually taste better?.
Does a hens diet affect the taste of her eggs? Do certain foods a hen eats determine what her eggs will taste like? Is it possible to get better tasting eggs from your chickens?.
I was actually curious myself — and do get asked all the time by readers if feeding chickens things like garlic or onions will taint the taste of their chickens eggs — so I decided to do a bit of research.
Even though chicken and eggs look like they go together, their tastes are very different. As a passionate home cook and food science fan, I’ve been thinking about this cooking mystery for a long time. If eggs come from the same bird as chicken, why don’t they taste like chicken?
I looked into this question in great detail by reading a lot of research and talking to food chemistry experts. What I found is very interesting because it shows how an egg’s journey from the hen house to the frying pan changes its flavor.
The Origin of Egg Flavor
An egg’s flavor begins forming even before it’s laid
The hen’s diet significantly influences egg taste. When hens are fed a variety of grains, plants, and insects, their eggs taste stronger than eggs from hens that are fed standard commercial feed. Pasture-raised hens yield especially flavorful eggs.
Additionally, the breed matters. Heritage breeds like Plymouth Rock tend to lay more full-bodied eggs than commercial breeds.
As the egg develops inside the hen, proteins and fats impart flavor. One key taste compound – dimethyl disulfide – forms as the egg ages, contributing a signature sulfurous aroma.
Once laid, an egg’s flavor remains static unless it’s fertilized. Fertilized eggs develop more dimethyl disulfide as the chick embryo grows, intensifying flavor.
How Eggs and Chicken Differ
Some compounds found in both chicken meat and eggs are the same, like glutamates, which give food a savory umami taste. But several key differences make their flavors distinct:
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Fat – Eggs have more fat than chicken, enriching their taste. The predominant fatty acid, oleic acid, adds a buttery quality.
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Texture – Eggs are creamy and smooth while chicken is fibrous, changing mouthfeel.
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Sulfur compounds – Abundant in eggs, these add characteristic egg aroma. Less prevalent in chicken.
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Carotenoids – Pigments like lutein give egg yolks their bright color and subtle fruity tones. Not found in chicken meat.
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Protein – Eggs and chicken contain different protein balances, influencing flavor.
Cooking Chemistry
Cooking further differentiates eggs from chicken through complex chemical reactions.
Heat transforms egg proteins – coagulating and denaturing them – to yield characteristic textures. These transformations also generate new volatile aromas.
High heat alters cholesterol in eggs, forming oxidative compounds that leave an aftertaste. Chicken fats respond differently to heating.
Preparation methods like boiling, frying, or scrambling eggs also diversify flavors as proteins undergo distinct chemical changes.
Perception Plays a Role perception affects how we interpret egg and chicken flavors too. Sight, smell, texture, and even sound (like sizzling) shape our tasting experience.
Food associations also influence perception. For some, the close relationship between chickens and their eggs unconsciously translates to expecting an egg to mimic chicken flavor.
In the end, an egg’s flavor remains inextricably egg-like. While chickens and eggs share an origin story, their flavors sing independent arias. The next time you crack open an egg, savor its unique symphony of tastes.
Are There Foods that CAN Affect the Taste of a Chicken’s Eggs?
Things that can supposedly negatively affect the taste of a chickens eggs include:
- Garlic/onions
- Fish meal
- Flax seed or oil
So lets take a look at each, one at a time, to decide if theres any validity to the claims.
To improve my chickens’ immune and respiratory health, I give them garlic powder every day and put fresh garlic cloves in their water on a regular basis. I can tell you from personal experience that giving your chickens garlic won’t make their eggs taste like garlic.
I don’t give my chickens onions because they aren’t nearly as healthy as garlic and can be harmful in large amounts, so I can’t say anything about that.
However, everything Ive read says that feeding onions and garlic will affect the taste of the eggs. So, Im guessing in moderation, the garlic is not a problem as far as egg taste goes?.
It would have to be very much garlic and onions for you to notice a difference in the taste of your eggs.
(Although I love garlic and wouldnt actually mind garlic-flavored eggs!)
So Im going to say that neither garlic nor onions will change the taste of your eggs.
So if onions and garlic wont affect the taste of a hens eggs, will other foods?
There are several commercial chicken feed brands that use fish meal as the protein in their feed. Fish meal can definitely make eggs taste fishy. I have used several fish meal-based feeds in the past and they did make my chicken eggs taste a bit “off”, to the point that I stopped using that particular brand of feed.
If you are finding your chickens eggs taste fishy, would avoid those brands that use fish meal completely, but if youre determined to keep using them, check your labels. The fish meal should be less than 1 to 1.5% of the feed ingredients to prevent your hens eggs from tasting fishy. So it does pay to shop around and try different brands of feed because each formulation is a bit different.
I do feed my chickens fish scraps, lobster and shrimp shells quite often and have never noticed any off-putting taste in my eggs, so dont worry about that. And the fish and shellfish are great sources of protein for the chickens.
So except for the very rare case, as described above where fish meal is used as the protein source in commercial feed, offering your chickens fish and shellfish scraps isnt going to change the taste of their eggs.
Flax seed or oil can make certain chickens eggs taste fishy as well. But only in some chickens. Most chickens livers produce an enzyme that neutralizes the fishy aspect of the flax after they ingest it.
But some hens lack that gene or have a defective gene that inhibits production of the enzyme. In those hens, the fishy aspect will not be neutralized and instead will be concentrated in the yolks of the eggs she lays.
I wouldnt avoid flax in my chickens diet. It contains beneficial Omega-3s that contribute to better chicken, chick and human health, and as long as the chicken metabolizes the flax correctly, there shouldnt be any discernible difference in taste. In fact, some say that flax in a hens diet makes her eggs richer and creamier.
I add ground flax to my chickens daily feed and have never noticed a “fishy” smell or taste to my eggs. So once again, I am going to say that except for the rare case described above, flax isnt going to change the taste of eggs.
Better Nutrition from Eggs
Now, while certain foods wont affect the taste of your chickens eggs, the healthier diet you feed them, the more nutritious their eggs will be. Thats a completely different topic, but it has been proven that a hen can direct the nutrients in the food she eats directly into her eggs.
So adding the garlic, fish meal and flax to your chickens diet will make the eggs they lay more nutritious.
Why don’t eggs taste like chicken
FAQ
Why do eggs not taste like chicken?
Eggs and chicken meat taste different because they are distinct parts of the chicken with different compositions and functions. Eggs are essentially nutrient-rich food for a developing embryo, while chicken meat is muscle tissue.
Why do eggs taste weird lately?
Freshness: Older eggs can develop off-flavors, including a fishy taste. As eggs age, the proteins and fats within them can break down, leading to undesirable flavors.
Do other eggs taste like chicken eggs?
Caviar – fish eggs have their own unique flavor. Duck eggs are similar in flavor to chicken, and when scrambled you really can’t tell the difference.
Why don’t you like the taste of eggs anymore?
There are many reasons why some people don’t like eggs, such as: Taste and Texture: Many people strongly prefer or dislike certain tastes or textures The consistency of cooked eggs can be off-putting for some. Smell: Eggs can emit a sulfurous odor when cooked, which some individuals find unpleasant.