How To Get Rich Orange Yolks, Without Freerange

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Chlorophyll is what causes the eggs yolks to be yellow at least traditionally. You can also get the color from other things like was already listed. Just a side note, I don't know if Marigolds will give the yolk color but I had a college friend whose folks were missionaries in Bolivia and he said that they would not eat chicken unless the skin showed a little yellow coloration. They experimented and found the marigolds actually did color the skin. I would guess that would do yolks too.

Good luck.

Dave

 

[u8sushi]

Try letting the girls free range for a few hours just before their bedtime. Keep an eye on them if you are worried about pedators.

 

[Greg Richardson]

Pumpkins! Plus their seeds are good for them.

 

[bigoakhunter]

Boo-Boo's Mama :

Quote:
I began feeding alfalfa pellets soaked in water or yogurt about 5 days ago. My egg this morning at breakfast was a very deep orange!

One day I cooked 1# of blackeyed peas and used 1/2 of them to soften the alfalfa pellets that day. I have also been adding Crushed Red Pepper flakes and have had several hold-out hens begin laying. DH is going to Sam's when he goes back to work tomorrow to see about buying beans or peas in bulk. He called feed store and they wanted $80 for 50# bag of blackeyed peas that were treated (for planting)...that was all they had.

Where do you get alfalfa pellets from? And are they expensive? Might be a good way to give them some green material in winter.

Thanks ,

Dave​

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Quote:
Where do you get alfalfa pellets from? And are they expensive? Might be a good way to give them some green material in winter.

Thanks ,

Dave

The alfalfa pellets came from TSC, $7.99/40# bag...from a company in Idaho...sort of amusing since we grow alfalfa in my county here in Texas.

They did not have alfalfa meal so I am soaking them (some are large and my girls will NOT eat pellets) in hot water, yogurt or blackeyed peas & their juice. I was wondering how long it would take to make the yolks darker.

 

[tammyd57]

My girls don't free range but they get Swiss Chard or carrots every day and they make eggs with a nice rich orange color.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Because of serious predators our girls can't free-range. So I make sure they get a large pile of fresh, soft grass, dandelion greens and clover every single day. They always clean up every blade, and our yolks are rich and yummy.
Great thing about the winters in the NW, it hardly ever freezes for long, or snows a lot, so grass is available year-round, for my cooped-up-chooks.

Bright Blessings

 

[yelim]

Boo-Boo's Mama :

Quote:
I began feeding alfalfa pellets soaked in water or yogurt about 5 days ago. My egg this morning at breakfast was a very deep orange!

One day I cooked 1# of blackeyed peas and used 1/2 of them to soften the alfalfa pellets that day. I have also been adding Crushed Red Pepper flakes and have had several hold-out hens begin laying. DH is going to Sam's when he goes back to work tomorrow to see about buying beans or peas in bulk. He called feed store and they wanted $80 for 50# bag of blackeyed peas that were treated (for planting)...that was all they had.

Treated seed has poison on the seed to keep bugs and worms off till they sprout. I wouldn't feed them to my chickens.​

 

[yelim]

Boo-Boo's Mama :

Quote:
Where do you get alfalfa pellets from? And are they expensive? Might be a good way to give them some green material in winter.

Thanks ,

Dave

The alfalfa pellets came from TSC, $7.99/40# bag...from a company in Idaho...sort of amusing since we grow alfalfa in my county here in Texas.

They did not have alfalfa meal so I am soaking them (some are large and my girls will NOT eat pellets) in hot water, yogurt or blackeyed peas & their juice. I was wondering how long it would take to make the yolks darker.​

I want to get this right.
Are you talking about the alfalfa cubes at TSC, or do they have pellets also? Do they need to be soaked or can the chickens break them apart?

 

[Catstar68]

I need to try those alfalfa pellets!

This weekend while picking out a pumpkin at the local farmstand I noticed a big bucket of old tomatoes, collards and other produce. I asked the lady what they would do with it and she said 'throw it out' so I asked if I could have some. She gave me a box and I went home with a big treat for the girls. My garden is transitioning from warm to cold weather veggies so the girls are missing their garden yummies. I'm thinking of going to the grocery store and speaking to the produce manager about old produce.
As long as I can wash it, I'm willing to take it away. I'm thinking now I can keep the girls in veggies for the winter.
The girls loved the left over pumpkins last year!