pale or white yolks, sun and feed etc...

[whatthecluck]

So I have searched here and google. And I see that white yolks can happen. A variety of reasonings are presented from pigment based deficiencies, to nutrient depletion to sunlight deprivation etc.
Heres the deal:
I have 12 chickens. 7 of which are currently laying. They live in what I would consider a chicken paradise of sorts....though indoors at the moment as we are reconstructing the backyard and need to make a ramp for them still as well . They are in a second story coop....its huge...they have two floor to ceiling windows and also a large horizontal southern exposure window. There is always light streaming in at various times in the day (when its not overcast like today that is!). They arent free ranging, but I have been doing massive gardening projects including ripping up grass covering a beautiful stone pathway...grass that includes worms, dirt etc. I have been having fun dropping the big patches down in the coop and the clippings of other weedings (though I just read that I should not have given them daffodil clippings yikes!)....and they have been happy. We are a family of five and they get all of our non-meat leftovers (our dog gets the meat). They routinely get pb&j, oatmeal, yogurt etc. leftover from the kiddos. In addition they get layer mash and crumblets as we have 5 younger and still eating crumblets. Thing is they really all eat everything...mash, crumblets etc. And the leftovers is like a free for all...they go crazy and love me tenfold for the daily treats.
So....ONE of my hens (red star I think) is laying a white yolk. Shell has fine brown pigmentation. The others are laying regular yellow yolks. My EE that is laying a white egg also has a lighter yolk (pale yellow), but my EE that lays the turquoise egg has the darkest yolks consistently. As a whole my yolks look like commercial yolks, light yellow or medium yellow, even though their diets are varied. Why am I not seeing orange? Or darker? Is it sunlight? Do you get lighter yolks in the winter when your hens are cooped up?
Very curious on this...so thanks in advance.

 

[whatthecluck]

anybody know why the white yolks? Still wondering about others yolk color differences between winter and summer?

 

[texasbartrambaby]

I dunno - but I am interested in hearing what others say! My four ee's lay a bright orange yolk now, but started with lighter ones.

 

[whatthecluck]

bumping hoping someone can answer. Just mostly wondering in general if those that free range see bright orange in summer and pale in winter..wondering if it it direct sunlight vs. what mine get somehow. Or if its nutrients (but scratching my head because mine get sooooo much fresh greens and still no dark yokes). Also wondering how often anyone gets a white yolk (it tastes the same btw) and mine is just from one chicken.
Anyone?

 

[DarkUnicorn]

I've noticed a variety of yolk color in my small flock. It seems the game/junglefowl way beyond mixed girls I have lay the darkest yolk regularly. The production girls 1 or 2 generations out from a hatchery lay an egg just darker that a store egg.....

I will say I had 2 store eggs in an omlette last nite and YUCK.... not much taste, I notice the taste in my girls eggs.

I would guess its the genetics of the girls on how well they process the food down..... I guess she wouldn't be a canididate for breeding if she lays white yolks... But if they still taste good... MMMMM

 

[rainbowgardens]

Last winter, my eggs had pale yolks after a few days of 24 hour confinement. I had to confine them to their coop and run because of a young hawk that hung out a while.
The yolks really darkened up when I started feeding them the fall pumpkins I had saved.
They free range most of the time, and the color has remained orange as long as they have plenty of weeds and grass to eat.
My parents raised chickens in almost total confinement. Their eggs looked and tasted just like the grocery store's.

I've never heard of white yolks.

 

[cybercat]

It is the lack of beta catrotine in their diet. You need to feed them things like dandylions, sweet taters, carrots, squash, beets ects. Yellow or orange flowers in the weeds are great for this. Also herbs like St. Johns wort will work.

 

[karen71]

Quote:
I thought I read St Johns Wort was bad for the chickens

 

[whatthecluck]

Quote:
well they have had a whopping ton of dandelions lately, I let the children pick them all with a weeder and we take a crateful up at the end of the day with the leftovers. Maybe that one isnt getting it? Sweet taters, carrots and squash is making me hungry lol...I think I will try making a bunch and bringing some to them after over the next few days just to see if it does actually change.
Interesting.

 

[cybercat]

Quote:
I thought I read St Johns Wort was bad for the chickens

There is alot of misinformation out there. One is these is the bad for chickens plant lists or poisions plants lists. Under certain exstreme circumstances many plants will harm livestock. But that is rare. Now if you went and gave chickens a whole plant of something on one of these lists that is asking for trouble if the chickens have nothing else to eat. I would hope someone is smart enough to know that a varirty of diet is most important. Chickens when free ranging pick at this and that never consuming just one thing all day.

I an enclosed pen they do not have this option and are stuck with what we feed them. IF there is a plant growning next to a pen they will go after it and it could hurt them in that they ate to much of it. Wheres if the were out and about they only would take a little and move on. therefor some plants end up on the list just for that reason or they are known to have a cheical that is toxic. But they do not say how much the plant contains ect so it could be so minute a amount as not to make a differenace.