Marans Eggsperts--Myth or Fact?

[TerriLaChicks]

I checked out a book from our library & it said that, quote,

"there has never been a confirmed case of salmonella in a Marans egg"

(not that there are many reports in other breeds, OK? I already checked that out) but, supposedly because the molecular structure of the shell in Marans eggs is denser than other breeds.

Myth or Fact? Curious minds want to know your opinion!

We do feel that the eggs from our Marans are thicker & harder to crack than the others; but -- what do you Real breeders think?

 

[Katy]

I've had my cuckoos for 6 years and other than the shell color I don't think their shells are any different than my other breeds.

 

[KellyHM]

My opinion would be myth...just b/c it's not confirmed doesn't mean it doesn't happen...it just means they couldn't specifically trace it to a Marans egg (probably b/c you don't know until after you eat it and then you can't trace it...).

 

[seriousbill]

Well, I'd say it's a myth with a small component of truth--in the overall scheme of things Marans are fairly scarce, so it's simply a matter of statistics. Most of the confirmed cases of salmonella are undoubtedly in large battery operations--huge numbers of birds crammed together. I'd be willing to bet there's never been a confirmed case of salmonella in a Buckeye egg either--or any other lesser known breed.

As far as I know, the difference between a Marans egg and any other egg only has to do with the amount of pigmentation on the shell. The shell is just as porous as any other egg--otherwise the darn things wouldn't hatch. What keeps the bacteria out of an egg isn't the shell density (since eggs have pores), or the pigment, it's the bloom or cuticle, which is a very thin, clear mucousy secretion that is the last layer deposited before laying and which dries on the outer egg just after it is laid:

The egg shell consists of about 94 to 97% calcium carbonate. The other three percent is organic matter and egg shell pigment. There are also as many as 8,000 microscopic pores in the shell itself. The outer coating of the shell itself consists of a mucous coating called the cuticle or bloom which is deposited on the shell just prior to lay.This protein like covering helps protect the interior contents of the egg from bacteria penetration through the shell.

http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/poultry/multistate/koelkebeck1.htm​

 

[TerriLaChicks]

"Well, I'd say it's a myth with a small component of truth--in the overall scheme of things Marans are fairly scarce, so it's simply a matter of statistics. "

OK that's kind of what I thought. It was interesting to see it in print in a book & I wondered what, if any, facts were out there to back it up, since I've never seen that particular fact mentioned anywhere else. I love mine, regardless!

Given all the facts & myths surrounding the Marans phenonomen; I hope somebody out there is gathering data to write a book; because for sure, there is a story to be told about them.

 

[Henk69]

Myth!
A normal eggshell is always a good barrier against Salmonella.
Some Salmonella strains enter the egg in the ovary duct befor it has a scale. These are the problematic kind.