one hen with a change in yolk color.

[Good Chicken Daddy]

Happy Hen-a-kaw for those who celebrate such, and those who don't but need to be happier anyhow.

I have 6 hens ranging from 6 years old to 2 years old. Lately one hen, a 3 year old Lavender Orp, has had a dramatic change of yolk color. Her egg yolks have gone from a vibrant orange to a very pale yellow.

She is on the same diet as the others. It is the same diet as she has been on. Purina 16% protein, plus scraps, sunflower seed snacks, and the occasional handful of dried meal worms.

There is no change in behavior. is she just getting too old? Should I stop eating her eggs?

 

[WingItRanch]

I wouldn't stop eating her eggs just because the yolks aren't as vibrant. Do they free range? It's possible the plant she was eating that would make her yolks so dark is not as available due to the changing seasons.

 

[nuthatched]

Yolk color is determined by the presence of vitamin A through beta carotene, you get beta carotene through leafy greens, which aren't readily available this time of year.