Cabbage and dark colored yolks

[MissChessy]

Can we feed our chickens cabbage scraps? My mother told me that if you feed your chickens cabbage, it makes their eggs taste bad. Is there any truth to this?

What can I feed my chickens to help them make a more orange colored yolk? Have some folks here who make homemade noodles and want the yard eggs for the dark colored yolks. Mine are not dark colored.

Thanks for any feedback.

Wish I knew how to put a picture on my forum thinger. Not sure how to do all this.

 

[SeaChick]

My understanding is that its the greens that make the dark-colored yolks. Can you let them out to eat some grass? Ours are only out about an hour a day, plus greens I feed them, and their yolks are amazingly DARK orange-gold.

Of course, don't do this if you spray you lawn with chemicals!

If you can't let them out, try giving them greens. We feed any scrap or wilted greens from our own kitchen. Plus the other day I went to a natural-foods store and asked if they had any old/wilted greens I could have for the chickens, and they gave me a whole big box packed with bunches of organic kale, chard, and spinach. Not rotten or moldy (bad for chickens) just a little too past-prime to sell. I have been giving them one bunch per day and it's more than making up for the fact that they're eating less grass now that its winter. Yolks are still dark.

You might try asking the produce guy at your local grocery. Non-chain stores are the better bet.

The greens also boost the levels of healthy Omega-3s in the eggs!

Stacey

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

I don't know why but our leghorns lay the most orange colored yolks, I guess that is why I prefer their white eggs over the brown ones.

 

[JackieK318]

Quote:
Stacey! What a wonderful idea! I'm going to get on the phone now about that - how wonderful! My guineas and chickens just wander around now looking sad that the grass isn't as abundant. They'll be so excited!

 

[rufus]

I have noticed in Mexico, they feed marigolds to the chickens. Makes the bird carcass appear yellow. Try it for egg color.

Rufus

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I have fed chopped up cabbage to my hens and have not tasted an odd taste when I use them...some people say they do but I haven't yet....mine love chopped up cabbage...any dark green will make the yolks dark yellow...like kale or spinach even, mine love those two...

 

[MissChessy]

I would love to let my hens out, but I have a huge garden and afraid they will go in there and rip everything up, plus they go all over the neighborhood laying their eggs under the houses, barns etc..... I do mow our neighbors pasture and rake the grass up for them. I'm also afraid they won't go back in the chicken run when the sun goes down as before they would roost along the fence line. Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm gonna try to give the hens cabbage and see what happens.