Eggs with separated yolks and whites

[emmarclarke]

I wonder if anyone can help. We have 7 hens and often poach the eggs. Some eggs are perfect but every so often we get some where the yolk is almost completely separate from the white, so when you poach you get the white with the yolk sitting in a perfect ball on top and almost completely disconnected, rather than encased by the white in normal eggs. We do suspect that one of our hens may have infectious bronchitis as a few months ago we started getting eggs which had incredibly runny whites and these actually caused the whole pan of water to turn cloudy when poached. However this does seem to have stopped, but we now have more of the funny eggs that I have described (I'm sure we have always had some like this for the 3 years that we have had the hens, but never so many as now). Do you think it is a disease or is it some kind of deficiency? Many thanks in advance!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Older hens can start to get watery egg whites.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/30/watery-whites

Also if your eggs are frozen the whites can turn watery.

 

[jessicaagross]

Hi, I was under the impression that yolks "standing up" out of the whites, like you were describing, are extremely desirable in gourmet markets? If you also have really orange yolks, that and with it sitting formed on top of the whites is a sign that the hen is really healthy.

I've noticed that my most dominate girls have better eggs, kind of like what you were describing, and some of my lesser girls have flatter, runnier (is runnier a word) yolks that don't "stand up" out of the whites. I was told and I've noticed that the dominate girls get first pick out of scraps and get more bugs than the timid girls, so you could get flatter paler yolks and the really round firm ones all from the same flock.

I could be wrong, but I have an extended family member who owns a high end food market, and he falls all over himself for those "standing up" yolks.

I'm doing the "" because I'm 100% not sure if that's what it's called.

 

[lazy gardener]

The white of an egg is actually in 2 layers. The inner layer of a very fresh egg, and to a lesser extent, that of the outer layer is more viscous. So when one of these eggs is cracked into the frying pan, it does not spread out like an older egg will. I'm sure nutrition of the hen also plays a role in how viscous the white is. IMO, a very viscous white is the sign of a superior egg.

 

[emmarclarke]

Thanks everyone, that is all really interesting!
I had no idea that these were a desirable type of egg. For poaching I definitely prefer them to be more viscous so that they hold together. I'm not sure what the cause is because we have some older hens and some younger, and I think these odd eggs come from the younger ones. And I'm not sure which ones are the dominant ones because it seems to change, but I think the younger group do get first pick of the food.

 

[Chicaboom23]

Thanks everyone, that is all really interesting!
I had no idea that these were a desirable type of egg. For poaching I definitely prefer them to be more viscous so that they hold together. I'm not sure what the cause is because we have some older hens and some younger, and I think these odd eggs come from the younger ones. And I'm not sure which ones are the dominant ones because it seems to change, but I think the younger group do get first pick of the food.

I have been searching for this answer (this question even!) I’m almost positive my little RIR hen who is older I’m pretty sure, is our culprit. I’m like you- I prefer my standard egg and white together situation and just prepared a poached egg with a yellow ball and a figure 8 looking white that was completely separate

 

[Mrs. K]

Egg quality can really vary especially with age, but also with breed. I get multiple colors of eggs - so, when I am poaching, I use the new pullets eggs this year, using the runnier eggs for baking or scrambled.

I like thick whites where the yolk stays in the whites while poaching or basting.

Mr