Blood red egg yolks

[beccaWA]

Hi, all. I've raised free range chickens on my acre for the past six years. This year a couple of the hens are laying eggs that have a blood red yolk. I mean, BLOOD RED (but no blood in the white or anything.) I've never had this happen. Is it just because we had an extraordinarily wet spring and they're eating more greens? Or? (Google did not really enlighten me on this one.) Any experiences with this? Thanks!

 

[beccaWA]

Anyone?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

It would be helpful if you could take a photo or two of the yolks in question so that we can see what you are seeing. What is the consistency of the white? Are the yolks of normal strength or are they weaker/stronger than average yolks?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Do you have a rooster? Is there any possibility the eggs have been incubated for a day such that you are seeing some embryo development? Sometimes hot weather can start the process if the egg was not discovered for a couple of days.

I had a friend with a similar situation in a free range flock. It started with one bird and spread to the whole flock...blood red yolks that looked icky. He ended up culling his whole flock. He obviously had disease.

However an occasional hen suggests an individual nutritional or internal problem.

Here is a link for a poultry guide on egg quality, in particular blood spots:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/28/blood-spots/

HTH
LofMc

 

[aart]

Yes, need pics.
Doubt embryo development, that's usually veining rather than a solid red yolk.
How old are the birds?

 

[beccaWA]

The birds are, I think, four years old. It has been hot here, and no rooster. These are not blood spots or veins, but the entire yolk is red. I'm used to very dark orange yolks, as they free range, but these red ones... wow, weird. Their feed has changed simply because they free range now as opposed to winter when they can't.

My camera battery is permanently dead, so no pix. Sorry.

They look very similar to the ones on the bottom right.

https://image.slidesharecdn.com/4-p...dants-in-eggsp-surai-66-638.jpg?cb=1404259659

 

[aart]

I suppose they could have gotten into something with high levels of the compounds that make yolks darker/redder. You'd have to look around and research what those compounds/plants might be and if you have some on your property.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yeah, it sounds like either they got into a plant that has turned the yolks red, or in free range, they are not getting enough vitamin A or K, which is on the list of possible causes to blood spots.

The only other thing would be potentially rat poison, the kind that causes bleeding, but I should think you would have other symptoms then too.

Hopefully it is simply an odd dietary change.
LofMc

 

[beccaWA]

Wow I hope no poison! I have no poison on my property, and the whites aren't at all tinged with red, so hopefully not. They seem to be acting normally. I did just take a look around the property and noticed that the wild birds are stealing cherries from some tree in the neighborhood, and dropping them on the ground under the big spruce tree where the girls hang out. Maybe that's the cause? Thanks for all your replies. Very informative.

 

[mobius]

Cherries! Donated by wild birds! LMAO!