Feeding for Darker Yolks

[GuloGal]

So I have read a few other threads on this, but my hens are pretty picky eaters. They will not eat alfalfa (soaked cubes or dried), they aren't interested in leafy greens or veggie scraps. They love their feed, which is a 17% protein mash with rolled peas in it, and have not been keen on a pelleted feed I got them in the summer. They hang out in the compost a lot, but it seems to be mostly to dig for bugs in there than to eat any scraps. They LOVE meat, fat, and soldierfly larva. In the summer they free range the yard, but we have cold snowy winters, and from December to April theres too much snow for them to enjoy the yard. Thoughts?

 

[nuthatched]

Maybe steamed carrots or yams?
It will dye the yolks.
Add foods rich in vitamin a.
Don't let them have too much fat, larvae or time in the compost area, they could find something rotten.

 

[Brooks_]

Cayenne pepper.

 

[lori_smith99]

I heard that Cayenne pepper and pepper flakes are great for making the deep orange yolk, so far it has worked for me

 

[centrarchid]

Chili pepper and paprika powders also good. Even mix in a little vegetable oil to promote uptake.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Maybe steamed carrots or yams?
It will dye the yolks.
Add foods rich in vitamin a.
Don't let them have too much fat, larvae or time in the compost area, they could find something rotten.

My chickens (and many others) have compost areas right in their runs. This is a non-issue.

For yolk color, I recommend steamed butternut squash or pumpkin.

 

[nuthatched]

My chickens (and many others) have compost areas right in their runs. This is a non-issue.

For yolk color, I recommend steamed butternut squash or pumpkin.

There were several thread this last summer of birds suffering from mold poisoning and botulism from compost heaps. Of course, the risk is small but not impossible. :]
Pumpkin can make eggs taste like dirt in large amounts, which they shouldn't have large amounts of extras anyway so it's a moot point.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

There were several thread this last summer of birds suffering from mold poisoning and botulism from compost heaps. Of course, the risk is small but not impossible. :]

Were there threads about it actually happening? Or the fact that it “could” happen?

It kinda strikes me as one of those things everyone has heard about but never actually happens (like all the things that are poisonous to chickens but aren’t).

That being said, I guess if you composted badly…nasty, slimy, anaerobic pike, you might end up with problems.

A healthy pile has neither mold or botulism…in fact I find that if mold gets put into a compost pile, it tends to disappear.

 

[GuloGal]

Maybe steamed carrots or yams?
It will dye the yolks.
Add foods rich in vitamin a.
Don't let them have too much fat, larvae or time in the compost area, they could find something rotten.

What’s wrong with too much fat? Our winters are usually -10 to -20 and I don’t want them to drop too much weight.

 

[nuthatched]

What’s wrong with too much fat? Our winters are usually -10 to -20 and I don’t want them to drop too much weight.

Try a higher protein feed if you don't want them to lose weight. Fat doesn't gather as much on the outside of a bird like it does us, it gathers around the heart and liver and causes organ failure.
Carbs and fat won't help them keep warm at all, it's a wives tale.