yolk color

Date sort Score sort
mayrooni

mayrooni

In the Brooder
6 Years
Dec 31, 2013
49
1
32
my yolks are yellow, very yellow. what makes them orange? i free range them for most of the day. during the summer they are out from sunrise to sunset. now that its winter they are out about 10am until sunset. they get kitchen scraps. organic layer feed. they get a mix of grains i toss out of wheat, oat, boss. they also get some fodder, not much tho. what am i missing?
 
Carotenoids. Birds don't synthesize them in the diet so they end up coloring the yolk.
That is usually from greens when foraging or other supplements.
They not only contribute pigment but antioxidants in the immune system.
Even if they get them in the diet, they could be utilized in other systems during times of stress.

The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are found in yellow corn.
Most of the yolk color in birds fed commercial feed in the US comes from the yellow corn in the diet.
In Africa, white corn makes up a big part of the diet in some flocks so the yolks are very pale.

http://www.worldpoultry.net/Broiler...oids-on-yolk-and-skin-pigmentation-WP010752W/
 
Last edited:

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