I am not sure if I should put this question here or somewhere else, but since it is about food I figure here is a good place to start. So if I feed my hens stuff with vitamins like Beta-Carotene in it like carrots I know that would make her yolks really orange, so the question is if I do that and then incubate one of those eggs, then wouldn't the developing chick have lots of Beta-Carotene or whatever other vitamins she ingests? What kind of veggies are OK to give to a hen if you plan on incubating her eggs? I figure it sounds alot like prenatal vitamins, I don't want to give my hens anything that would harm a developing chick. Any thoughts?
I would not worry about it as long as you are not feeding the chickens anything that will harm them. Commercial operations for chickens that produce hatching eggs feed a special diet that includes increased vitamins and minerals. The difference between the Layer feed we feed and what they feed is not that important for a small flock, but it you are producing tens of thousands of hatching eggs a week, the difference does show up. By giving the hens and rooster vitamin enhanced foods, like fresh vegetables, you are doing a lot more good than harm when it comes to hatching the eggs. And let the rooster eat the good stuff too. That diet with additional vitamins and minerals is important to both breeding hens and roosters.
