Best online store to get marigold for darker yolks?

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Yes! The home stores sell them in bulk packs, they grow like weeds, and the girls love a weekly sacrifice. Especially if you offer it to them planted!

That sounds great! When is the best time to plant them? Should I wait till summer?

 

[NatJ]

I have tried red peppers but it didn't really work for me... maybe I didn't get the ratio right? Do you know what the food/yolk darkener ratio would be for all those options? Thanks for the reply!

No, I don't know what the ratio would be.

I would probably just provide it separately and see how much the hens want to eat. For peppers, the easiest way I know is to use fresh peppers in your own food, and toss the trimmings in the chicken run For alfalfa hay, it would be easy to put some in the pen and let the hens scratch it around eating bits. For chili powder or marigolds, maybe put some in a dish with some chicken food and water to make a wet mush? Chickens are usually happy to gobble up a dish like that, and you could just measure in a given amount per day, instead of trying to incorporate it into their whole food supply.

What type of feed do you normally give the chickens? It is hard to add anything to pellets or whole grains, because powdery bits fall off and get ignored. It is much easier to mix things into crumbled or finely ground feed.

I know that egg yolks take a while to form, so no matter what you try, it will take some amount of time before you see results.

One time I was slicing hard boiled eggs and got a surprise: darker and lighter areas within the yolks! I suspect it was because we were eating peppers in clumps, so the chickens got a lot on some days and not on other days.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

No, I don't know what the ratio would be.

I would probably just provide it separately and see how much the hens want to eat. For peppers, the easiest way I know is to use fresh peppers in your own food, and toss the trimmings in the chicken run For alfalfa hay, it would be easy to put some in the pen and let the hens scratch it around eating bits. For chili powder or marigolds, maybe put some in a dish with some chicken food and water to make a wet mush? Chickens are usually happy to gobble up a dish like that, and you could just measure in a given amount per day, instead of trying to incorporate it into their whole food supply.

What type of feed do you normally give the chickens? It is hard to add anything to pellets or whole grains, because powdery bits fall off and get ignored. It is much easier to mix things into crumbled or finely ground feed.

I know that egg yolks take a while to form, so no matter what you try, it will take some amount of time before you see results.

One time I was slicing hard boiled eggs and got a surprise: darker and lighter areas within the yolks! I suspect it was because we were eating peppers in clumps, so the chickens got a lot on some days and not on other days.

I will try that, thank you!

 

[thecatumbrella]

That sounds great! When is the best time to plant them? Should I wait till summer?

If you're still in Idaho, it looks like your last frost date is April 29th. So anytime after then!

 

[ChaosMom]

That sounds great! When is the best time to plant them? Should I wait till summer?

Probably should wait until a week or two after your local average last frost date. Just Google last frost date Post Falls or your county name.

Otherwise you can start them now indoors if you like and transplant them outside when it's warm enough. Idaho sounds like you might get some spring surprises!

Writing from where it was in the 80's Saturday, mid 30's last night, and forecast 30 tonight...

 

[ChaosMom]

If you're still in Idaho, it looks like your last frost date is April 29th. So anytime after then!

Beat me to it!

 

[Perris]

there are hundreds of sources of carotenoids, which are the phytochemicals that colour egg yolks. See e.g.
https://www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-agricultural-heritage-museumblog/why-my-yolk-orange and
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/carotenoids

Any of them only work if your chickens actually eat them of course. In my experience, they are not especially keen on marigolds, living or dried. Just let them forage in a decently diverse and green yard (with grass, which has them too) and you will get rich yellow / orange yolks.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Probably should wait until a week or two after your local average last frost date. Just Google last frost date Post Falls or your county name.

Otherwise you can start them now indoors if you like and transplant them outside when it's warm enough. Idaho sounds like you might get some spring surprises!

Writing from where it was in the 80's Saturday, mid 30's last night, and forecast 30 tonight...

Yeah, the weather is pretty crazy this time of year XD. Thanks for the advice!

 

[MROO]

That sounds great! When is the best time to plant them? Should I wait till summer?

Standard Spring planting time for your area. Established plants can tolerate a bit of cold or even a very mild frost, but new plantings don't do as well with lower temps.

EDIT to add: If you're growing your own indoors from seed, start 'em yesterday!

 

[MROO]

Probably should wait until a week or two after your local average last frost date. Just Google last frost date Post Falls or your county name.

Otherwise you can start them now indoors if you like and transplant them outside when it's warm enough. Idaho sounds like you might get some spring surprises!

Writing from where it was in the 80's Saturday, mid 30's last night, and forecast 30 tonight...

If I didn't know where you're located, I'd swear you were my neighbor ... 'cause we're getting the same crazy weather!