Our Egg VS. Store-bought!

[CluckyJay]

The fish they are getting are rockfish and some walleye. I don't think it is a dye. Hmm. They were getting the fish while she way laying a lighter-colored yolk earlier in the year. The egg I got from the quarantine pen was nothing like this and they get way more fish than the free-rangers. Hmm.

I need to watch those other two closely, its possible they are laying in the field, LOL.

This is one of those mysteries I hope we can solve! Can you imagine getting all of your hens to lay that color?

 

[stephanie1992]

i found a few sights on orange eggs (if u are intrested) lol

most are sights people were asking questions on but i found it intresting

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080207054518AABlI7I

http://paleohacks.com/questions/396...lks-mean-anything-nutritionally#axzz1k7YmbjSw

found this on a sight to


What causes the egg yolk color to vary in shades of yellow?

The color of the yolk varies depending upon the amount of corn in the hen's diet. Thus, a darker yolk usually means a diet that contains more corn or alfalfa in the feed. Yolk color does not affect nutritive value or cooking characteristics. Egg yolks are a rich source of vitamin A regardless of color.

 

[CluckyJay]

I know it isn't corn, they don't get corn, except what small amount would be in our scraps. No alfalfa either--they do get plenty of other plant matter though.

I am going to say she is just really munching on some good green weeds. We have a lot of chickweed and mustard on the property, I bet that is a big part of her diet. Maybe the fish helped, too. lol

Hopefully the days will be getting longer and all of my ladies will start laying again, I am curious to see what their yolks look like.

Thank you so much for the links!

 

[CluckyJay]

It IS their diet.

I locked them up this morning and one of my Rhode Island Reds laid the same color egg! Apparently she has been laying, just not in her usual nesting area.

 

[stephanie1992]

It IS their diet.

I locked them up this morning and one of my Rhode Island Reds laid the same color egg! Apparently she has been laying, just not in her usual nesting area.

good to hear what its from

maybe ill start feeding mine fish to get red eggs

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Now run a nutritional analysis somewhere. See if its meaningfully orange. You could be sitting on a gold mine. A red-gold mine!

 

[CluckyJay]

How would I do that? I looked up a college in Cookville, TN but pretty much had no clue what I was looking for, LOL. It would be awesome to actually have some science behind the eggs. :O When I figure out what they're eating, I'll probably just post it here, for free, lol.

 

[ralleia]

Wow! I've never seen an egg that deep-red color!

For those of us who don't know how to spot a fertile egg, it's not the color that's the cue, it's that little whitish spot on the yolk. It shows up GREAT on that deep-colored yolk!

 

[stephanie1992]

are u selling any as hatching eggs?? lol i wanna hatch some and see if they come out stronger, healthier babies!

 

[CluckyJay]

It never occurred to me to sell the eggs because they are just Murray McMurray hatchery stock.

I guess I could though.

I wish I had an incubator to hatch some out. I've never sold hatching eggs so don't know how to package them for shipping. So far every egg has been fertilized. They would be pure production reds or pure leghorns or a mix of leghorn x production red. My two roos, one RIR and one leghorn, are in with the hens.