foods [mealworms] affecting egg shell color?

[Kassaundra]

Illia, I did a quick search of mealworms and copper content and found several sites that indicate meal worms are pretty high in copper content, but can't find a site that says exactly how much.

 

[kari_dawn]

so what is is about copper content that affects the shell color?

 

[Kassaundra]

Illia mentioned high copper content foods like quinoa deepening the blue colors in colored layers, I have heard this from other sources too, and many of the blue / green layers came from South America where they would have had access to quinoa. I do not personally know if this is just old wives tale or anequdotal (sp) or if there is a physiological reason, or if it even happens at all.

One of the other sources I heard it from is very reliable and KNOWS chickens especially S.A. chickens.

 

[vclark321]

I do not doubt any of the more experienced posters here, BUT... I had a big bag of freeze dried mealworms as treats for the gals & I would give them a handfuul a day. I ran out about 5 days ago & I have noticed a color change in the shells. I had wondered what was going on. Nothing else changed in the diet, but the shells became a lighter shade of brown. I am glad I have never had a problem with shells being soft. Those suckers are hard! This may be a coincidence, but I will certainly start a documentation when I get more meal worms. An interesting experiment.

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
meal worms are also very high in calcium, higher then a lot of other feeder insects. I can't wait until my colony gets big enough to start feeding the girls.

 

[kari_dawn]

...I think I will start testing this again...Illia, In your vast knowledge, would you happen to know how much quinoa would be available in S. American chicken diets? Is it quinoa w/o the saphonin coating?

 

[kari_dawn]

Okay, so I fed blackberries day before yesterday, and got a lavender spotted egg yesterday from Jasmine. Coincidence?

 

[Kittyf]

I notice the mealworm thing with my sporadically-laying Copper Marans, but not with my RIR & BR. The RIR & BR lay daily, and there is a slight difference in the color of their eggs - the BR's are lighter, but just a bit. The CM lays every 4 days (how weird is that?) and lays the darkest egg after the mealworm feasts, which are 2x a month here for now. There seems to be no change in the RIR &BR eggs after mealworm feast day, though...

And as for the leghorn - when is she going to lay???? I know, when she gets good and ready!

PS Kari_Dawn, those are gorgeous eggs!!!

 

[kari_dawn]

My chickens snacked on blackberries throughout the summer and their eggs started to develop lovely pink spots on the shell. Now that blackberry season is over, the pink spots are gone.

I knew I had read that here on BYC before! That kindof makes me think my lavender spotted egg was not just coincidence...

 

[kari_dawn]

I notice the mealworm thing with my sporadically-laying Copper Marans, but not with my RIR & BR. The RIR & BR lay daily, and there is a slight difference in the color of their eggs - the BR's are lighter, but just a bit. The CM lays every 4 days (how weird is that?) and lays the darkest egg after the mealworm feasts, which are 2x a month here for now. There seems to be no change in the RIR &BR eggs after mealworm feast day, though...

And as for the leghorn - when is she going to lay???? I know, when she gets good and ready!

PS Kari_Dawn, those are gorgeous eggs!!!

Thanks! I wish she would lay more that looked like that one! So pretty!