Oranger Yolks-NO FLAXSEED

[BantyHugger]

I was wondering what i could give my hens to get nice orange yolks. They used to lay a pretty orange but all of a sudden all the yolks have gone to looking like store bought eggs. I've heard Flaxseed can give eggs a fishy flavor so i don't want to add that. Also Flaxseed is kinda expensive and it looks like dirt so my girls won't eat it.
What else will give them a orange yolks again? Could it just be the heat? (6 out of 7 days we reach over 100 degrees outside.)
What about adding sunflower seeds? I'm sure i heard those helped something....

 

[Lea71]

I think giving them dark greens will also make dark yolks. I'm not sure though...my girls aren't laying yet, 13 wks. old and I can't wait for my first egg.

 

[LauraSBale]

grass's greens, fresh fruit and vegs, you could try the golden Flax seed, and with the gold the taste is milder,
you could have to give them alot for the eggs to be fishier.
they would have eat about a cup a week.

mine get about 1/8 of a cup each a week

 

[Jashdon]

I've heard through the grapevine that its the greens that turns yolks dark yellow/orange. I'm not sure what it is but we give our chickens lots of kitchen scraps, mostly greens and they have nice dark yolks...

 

[Wynette]

Yes, dark green such as mustard, collard, etc. will give darker yolks as well. I've also heard of folks feeding powdered alfalfa meal. I've got alfalfa pellets that I feed to my horses, but the pellets are apparently too big for a chicken to swallow, or they taste yucky, because mine won't eat them. I've also noticed my yolks getting lighter as well. Perhaps it's just the time of year?

 

[BantyHugger]

I'll try the greens. Anyone know what sunflower seed do for them?

 

[Jashdon]

found this at http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sunfl100.html

"The seed makes excellent chicken-food and feeding fowls on bruised Sunflower seeds is well known to increase their laying power. "

"---Sunflower-seeds as Poultry and Cattle Food---Sunflower seeds have a high feeding value - the analysis in round figures is 16 per cent albumen and 21 per cent fat.

Being so rich in oil, they are too stimulating to use alone and should only be used in combination with other feeding stuffs. Fed with oats in equal quantities, they make a perfectly balanced ration. Since both of these articles contain a big proportion of indigestible matter, particularly in the husks, grit must on no account be withheld, if the birds are to derive full benefit.

As food for laying poultry, it ought in the opinion of some authorities, not to be used in excess of one-third of the total mixture of corn, owing to its fat-producing properties.

The seeds are palatable to poultry and greedily devoured by them. A very common way to supply the birds with the seeds is to hang up the ripe heads just high enough to compel the chicks to pick them out, for when the heads are thrown into the yard, they are trodden on and wasted.

Sunflower-seed oil-cake is a valuable article for bringing up the feeding value of some of the poultry foods and was specially in demand for this purpose in war-time, when the supply of good cereals ran short. It is more fattening to cattle than Linseed cake, being richer in nitrogenous substances, containing 34 per cent albumen. As well as being an excellent food for poultry, and also for rabbits, it keeps both horses and cattle in good condition. It is said that cows, fed on Sunflower-seed oil-cake, mixed with bran, will have an increased flow of good, rich milk.

It is largely exported by Russia to Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere for stock feeding."

"---Litter---Even the stems and seedless heads need not be wasted where fowls are kept. Many may prefer to use them as fire-kindlers, but they will, when thoroughly dry, come in useful as litter for the laying-houses. When dry, they can be passed through a chaffcutting machine and be added to the other litter - peat-moss or dried leaves. They need to be made into a scratchable material for hens, but for ducks, the material can be placed deeply in the house as a bedding. Ducks need litter to 'squat' on rather than to scratch in."

That website is amazing by the way, a great, free resource for all things regarding plants/herbs​

 

[BantyHugger]

Awesome! Now those pesky sunflower stalks have purpose! (they are buggers to remove fyi)

 

[needmorechickens!]

Can they crack open the sunflower seeds or do they eat them whole?
~Rebecca

 

[chickiebaby]

some of each, around here.