Our eggs taste.... normal.

[JPchicken]

What do you feed your chickens for the best tasting eggs? We were sadly underwhelmed by the taste of the first two our chickens presented to us.

We are doing Dumor layer pellets, mealworms, scratch, and occasional table scraps.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

I’ve heard that you can feed them certain herbs, and that can alter or improve the flavor.

 

[Mylied]

What kinda eggs were you eating before? Get some cheap 99 cent eggs. Crack one and compare it to one of your fresh eggs. You'll see a big difference. Then do a side by side taste test. I don't think the taste difference is overwhelming but it's noticeable. Not to mention your hens are much happier than the hens laying the store eggs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If your taste buds are anything like mine, eggs taste like eggs, period. I taste no difference between mine and any egg I can get from a store, though visually and texturally they're different. In blind taste tests though, I think a lot of people can't actually taste the difference.

 

[JPchicken]

Yes, they taste like the $0.99 eggs we were getting. The happiness we get from them as pets is worth all the work, though!

What kinda eggs were you eating before? Get some cheap 99 cent eggs. Crack one and compare it to one of your fresh eggs. You'll see a big difference. Then do a side by side taste test. I don't think the taste difference is overwhelming but it's noticeable. Not to mention your hens are much happier than the hens laying the store eggs.

 

[JPchicken]

Do you have recommendations for which herbs?

I’ve heard that you can feed them certain herbs, and that can alter or improve the flavor.

 

[Mylied]

Yes, they taste like the $0.99 eggs we were getting. The happiness we get from them as pets is worth all the work, though!

For sure. I'm sorry you were disappointed. Now I kinda want to do a blind taste test. Lol. Only ones laying are my ducks and one bantam. If it makes you feel any better, you're feeding them all the right things. I bet their nutritional composition is A+.

 

[Acre4Me]

I’ve used a Dumor product and was unhappy with the results...birds seemed less healthy in general. I had been using another brand but had to switch bc it was harder/less convenient to purchase that one, so went with Dumor, but switched. So now am using an all flock 20%. I have some big breeds, so this seems to work well for them. I’ll give them marigold petals in the summer for some extra color in the yolk. In the winter, I rehydrate alfalfa pellets and mix with wet feed, and the alfalfa contributes some extra color to the yolks. But that is not every day. Once I sprinkled some Tumeric onto the treat I was giving them. The eggs tasted bad (and faintly like turmeric)-I don’t recommend that addition.


Overall, chicken eggs taste like eggs. The differences in taste are subtle. If the taste was too different, it would no longer taste quite like an egg!

 

[David61]

I have read that greens (grass) are good for eggs.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I’ve fed mine Purina and Nutrena products and have been happy with the results. It’s probably slightly higher quality than Dumor and might improve the taste a bit.

But my absolute favorite feed that I’ve found so far is made by Poulin Grain and since I notice you are in Massachusetts, you might be able to get it here!

I feed the Egg Production Plus feed which is 18% protein instead of 16%, soy free (which I don’t really care about much but is an added bonus to me), and I think they add marigold and stuff to it. The color and taste is great on it. I get it at my local Agway but I’m sure it’s at other stores. I’m on the south shore.

But if you can’t get that one, Nutrena actually makes a similar feed called Hearty Hen that I’ve gotten at TSC before.

But you’ll need to check the mill date on the bag because it doesn’t always sell fast and definitely not as fast as Purina. Ideally you’re looking for not older than 8 weeks but slightly older is probably fine. But sometimes TSC food is really old lol

But actually, speaking of that, you should be checking the mill dates on all the food you buy. If it’s old, the nutrients degrade fast and that could be part of the problem.

Also I would limit treats to no more than 10% of the diet. It can water down the nutrition in the feed.

That said, free ranging always helps my eggs taste way better and the birds seem to really enjoy it if you are able to do that. If not, you can perhaps gather up some leaves/dirt/weeds or kitchen scraps and stuff for them to pick through.

Anyway, I would switch to Purina or Nutrena if you are able to. They are big, established companies and make quality feeds. Purina also adds some extra stuff to their feed to improve yolk color and taste so that may help.

But I’ve found my best eggs to be with either the Poulin Grain or the Nutrena Hearty Hen.

Also make sure they have oyster shell and grit available free choice on the side in separate containers.