Why are the whites of the eggs more watery in the winter?

An egg customer noticed that some of the egg whites were not thick, but watery and the yolks were separated from the whites and wondered if this was a problem. We contacted our feed supplier to check on this as we thought their diet might be the cause. Our feed supplier assured us that the feed we are giving the hens is appropriate for the winter, containing the right amount of protein and calcium. However, he suggested that what may be causing this is the cold weather.

When a hen lays an egg the temperature of her body is about 102˚ . She is laying this egg into very cold temperatures (usually 35-40 degrees in the henhouse). Such cold temperatures may cause yolk separation from the whites. This is very common and has no effect on the nutritional value of the egg.

What can be done to prevent this?
In large commercial operations they gather the eggs and let them sit in room temperature for 24 hours prior to washing and packing. Currently we are not setup this way and may consider making some changes for next winter.