why do americans have white eggs?

[wnjxc21]

always on t.v and in films, (last night in ghost busters)..but why are the egg shells white?

[scoobysoo]

It all depends on the breed of the chicken. In the UK we favour hens which lay brown eggs, as they look more natural, and in the US they favour white because they look cleaner.

[Trottie]

Up until the 70's, really, the main breeds of egglayers in the UK (such as the White Leghorn) laid white eggs. The main battery breed, the Warren, lays brown. It became more fashionable, as a result of advertising, to buy brown eggs and so the producers used these breeds. Most of the commercial breeds are hybrids (eg the Black Rock - the most widespread free range hen) which lay brown eggs.
Across the breeds, you get everything from pure white, through lightish blue and green eggs (the Legbars) to very dark browns. As I left the industry, about 4 years ago, there was a notable upsurge in demand for white and the multi coloured aggs.

[BigDogsWang]

Do different coloured eggs taste any different from each other?

[matt66]

No they taste exactly the same. They are from hens which more or less look the same except for colour and size diferences.

personally i think the white shelled eggs look much better in the fridge than the brown ones. cleaner and more appaetising.

[BBWCHATT]

WN - here in the USA - most of the eggs we buy in the supermarket are white. We have brown eggs available in my supermarket - but they are usually more expensive.

[Clanad]

Additionally to BBWCHATT'S post, the hens that lay the eggs, as mentioned are white. They are marketed for their meat after decline in their egg production... usually about 1 year, maybe 14 months at the most. The white chicken, like the white turkeys are easier to market since the pin feathers and any small hairs are white and don't show up in the meat case. The feathers are removed mechanically and usually do a pretty thorough job, but the occasional ones the get through the process are not as noticeable...