Most of the people are not aware of different type of eggs available in the market. Though we know adulteration is not possible in eggs but there are the possibility of different types of eggs mixed together and sold for high prices therefore public must know about the prices of different type of eggs available in the market. There are different types of layer birds in our country, such as Commercial layer, Parents layer, Broiler Breeder, Layer Breeder, Desi birds, Free-range Birds etc. They produce same eggs, but are used for different purposes and sold for different price.

Price of chicken egg: Normally the price of an egg is around Rs 5-6 and Rs 10-12 for egg of country chicken. But price of egg at a hatchery can be as high as Rs 25-30 or even more. Hatchery rejected eggs can be cleared at throw way price whereas pullets’ egg are always available on discounted price. The price varies according to the type of the egg. There are many types of chicken eggs available in the market, some of them are as under.

1. Table egg (eggs to eat) : Table egg is the white egg of white leghorn chickens and other breeds that produce table egg. It weighs between 45 and 55 grams. The price is around Rs 5-6 and the shell color is white. Table eggs are produced by breeds such as Vencobb, Lohmann and Hyline. They start laying eggs at the age of 16 weeks. But the eggs are sold as table eggs only after they weigh 40+ grams at 18 weeks. Only hens are reared in poultry farms where the egg is not used for hatching.

2. Pullet egg: Chicken start laying eggs at the 16th week. The eggs laid first are smaller in size. The eggs weighing below 40 grams are called pullet eggs. and are sold for lesser price. Also, the color of the outer shell varies according to the breed and strain.

3. Hatching egg : Hatching eggs are obtained from parent chickens. It weighs around 45-55 grams and the color of the eggshell varies depending on the breed and strain. The normal broiler hatching eggs are brownish-white.

4. Farm rejection Hatching egg: Eggs that do not weigh more than 45 grams for 25 weeks are not selected for hatching and are marketed as farm rejection egg at a very low price.

5. Candling rejection egg: After 10 days, the eggs that have embryo growth and are going to hatch can be identified by candling in the hatchery. This is the process of keeping eggs on top of a light source. Eggs that do not hatch will be removed from the hatchery. These eggs are sold at throw away price.in the market.

6. Crack egg: Eggs that have a small crack on the shell are also sold at lesser price and are sold mainly for using in bakeries and hotels.

7. Jumbo egg:The eggs that are unshaped or double-yolked or those weighing above 65 grams also difficult to transport in regular egg trays and are mainly used for bakery purposes.

8. BV380 eggs : BV380 eggs have brown shell and it is preferred by many customers because its brown color is similar to the eggs laid by country chicken. They can weigh up to 50 grams BV380 chickens developed by Venkateshwara Hatcheries are not the only ones laying brown eggs. Hyline and Lohman strains also have brown egg-laying and white egg-laying varieties. Most of them are crossbred.

9. Eggs from birds developed by Veterinary Universities in India: The eggs laid by the chicken which are developed by the Veterinary Universities belong to this category. This includes Gramashree, Gramapriya, Suvarna, etc. Their eggs have brownish white shell and they weigh about 30-40 grams. These eggs are sold at a price of Rs 8-10.

10. Country bird eggs / local eggs: Local eggs are the eggs laid by country or local birds. They are low yielding, free-range hens, which are also available in the market and price is determined by the demand and supply.

11. Karinkozhi/ Kadaknath eggs: Eggs of Kadaknath chicken are brownish white in colour, not black as believed by many. They weigh around 30-40 grams and the price are very high.

Therefore, it is very difficult to distinguish between these different types of eggs by the naked eye. Low weighing rejection eggs can be marketed as country chicken eggs. Candled rejection eggs can be sold as brown table eggs. Pullet eggs can be sold for high prices. Country bird eggs. can be mixed with Kadaknath eggs and so on. Therefore, awareness programme should be conducted to make the public aware of the different types of egg and their quality available in the market.