Fluorescent orange eggs.

Marigold

Marigold

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Three weeks ago I added three POL pullets to my remaining pair of older girls, and the flock has still not settled. One of the older girls has turned into a tyrant and spends her days bullying the newbies, especially one of them. All of them including the new ones are occasionally laying, except for the boss, who was kept because she was previously my best layer, but who is now putting all her energies into police duties. What with the heat, and the disturbance, integration and productivity is taking a while, and I had actually run out of eggs this week so I put some Burford Browns on my Waitrose order as they were on offer and had lots of glowing reviews. They appeared to be nice big dark brown Marans eggs, perfect.
Breakfast next day was rather a nasty experience. I posted a review on the Waitrose website as follows.

“I am very unhappy with the quality of the Burford Brown eggs in this order.
I’ve kept hens for 40 years, but they’ve never produced fluorescent orange yolks like these. Neither of us could fancy eating them. I believe the hens must have been fed layers pellets with artificial chemical colourant, which is common in cheap chicken feed. Quite unlike Duchy eggs, or those from my own hens. I shall not buy these again.

I should appreciate a refund, thank you.”

Then I went on to Customer Services, copied my review to them and asked for a refund.
Within 24 hours I got a reply.

“Thanks very much for getting in touch.
I'd really like to look into this for you. I appreciate you may not have all of this, but please can you reply with as much of the following information as possible:

- Any pictures you have showing the front and rear of the packaging, including the best before date and any batch or supplier codes

Once I have this, I'll pass this onto our technical team so that they can investigate.

Thanks again for letting me know and I look forward to hearing from you.”

So I’ve sent pics of the egg box, plus this one of an actual egg. And I replied, saying

“Thank you, I’m pleased you are going to follow this up. As I said in my review, I have over 40 years experience of keeping chickens, and I know that Burford Brown hens must have artificial chemical colourant in their feed to produce the unnatural shade of glowing orange. Top quality chicken feed never contains this. Some manufacturers do include marigold petals to help with yolk colour, but this is a natural plant supplement and does not have a very marked effect on colouration.

I very seldom buy eggs but needed some because my young pullets aren’t laying yet. My husband and I were repelled when we opened our breakfast boiled eggs, and really didn’t want to eat them. I don’t even want to feed them back to my hens, which is what I usually do if I have a surplus. You’ll see from the reviews that others have commented on this, although some people seem to like the colour and obviously don’t realise how it is produced.”

Any comments? I’ll let you know how I get on.

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We had to buy eggs recently for the first time in 3 years. We didn't have your problem but neither of us liked the eggs. The rest of them are in the fridge in case I feel inclined to make a cake. Just a month before our new pullets arrive.
 
They look hideous! I've been given empty Burford Brown egg boxes recently & have also noticed that, in keeping with other things, they're now being sold in smaller packs in the hope that we won't notice the effective price hike. But to get a box of ten if these instead of twelve would be a GOOD thing!!! Yeuchh!
 
They must be colourblind, that's all I can say. There's no way that your photo shows a deep gold yolk! Tangerines are paler than that...
 
https://www.clarencecourt.co.uk/the-name-behind-the-crown/
This is supposedly the story behind the extraordinary eggs. Though it seems genetically improbable to me that three imported Auracanas who laid pastel eggs could have been the determining parent stock for what nowadays must be a commercial flock of Marans. No mention of an imported cockerel. The shells are very good, very dark brown with speckles, but inside they are, shall we say, over-egged!
 
Latest reply from Waitrose Customer Service.

“Thank you for getting back to us with those details.

Thanks for letting me know that the Burford Brown Eggs you received were not of the standard you expected. I'm really sorry that this happened and I thought it would be helpful for you to know what’s happened with your feedback.

The details you've provided have been passed to our technical team to investigate. We’re keen to achieve the very highest standards of quality in the products we sell, and work hard to make sure these are maintained. Any complaint about a product is recorded and the findings of our team are passed to the right Partners here at Head Office.

Our buyers and technologists work closely with our producers and suppliers to alert them to any concerns. These close and honest relationships are a vital part of us making sure that we are selling you the product you expect and deserve. We hope you’ll be reassured to know the information you've given us will help us stop this from happening again.

Thanks again for getting in touch and taking the time to let us know. I hope that I've been able to reassure you of the steps we take to ensure quality in our products. “

Blah blah, not good enough. Have replied;

“Thank you, Craig.
However, your reply doesn’t really go into much detail, does it?

Burford Brown eggs are being sold with a lot of hype about specialist breeding and egg quality, which simply cannot be true.
See https://www.clarencecourt.co.uk/the-name-behind-the-crown/
The website claims the flock is descended from three Auracana hens imported in 1927 that laid pastel eggs - as expected from the Auracana breed. There is no mention of a cockerel. Very dark brown eggs such as those sold as Burford Browns are obviously laid by a commercial flock of Marans hens, a breed renowned for producing dark brown shells. Even if the original Auracanas had been crossed with a Marans cockerel, the maternal genes would not produce consistent brown egg layers, and their genes would have to be bred out over a number of years to produce modern, highly productive hybrid Marans, which simply did not exist in 1927.

The ‘story’ about the origins of Burford Browns is a fanciful attempt to increase sales, and to lull consumers into believing they are buying a superior product. This misleading advertising hype might be harmless, except if used as a possible cover-up for an unknown feed additive.
They claim these eggs have ‘the deepest golden yolks’. This is simply not true. The yolks are a very bright unnatural orange, which can only have been produced by chemical additives to the feed. I think this needs investigating, as consumers need to know what additives may be in their food.

Please could you keep me updated after you have discussed this with Clarence Court? I think this could be quite a big story, and I hope you will pass my comments on to your technical team.
Meanwhile, until my new pullets are laying, I shall go back to Duchy eggs, which are not as fresh as my own, but I can at least feel confident they are safe to eat! “
 
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