Shell color comes from pigments in the outer layer of the shell and may range from white to deep brown. The shell color has no relationship to egg quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics or shell thickness. The color is determined by the breed of hen that laid the egg. Among commercial breeds, hens with white feathers and ear lobes lay white-shelled eggs; hens with red feathers and ear lobes lay brown eggs. Since brown-egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more food, brown eggs are usually more expensive than white.

See also Breed, Brown eggs