Rainbow colored egg yolks!

[Gonzo]

Thats neat! Oh the fun I could have with that!

 

[theOEGBman]

True but if you free range and they eat more bugs and grass ect the yolk is a deeper orange and if they get just regular feed it is a lighter yellow so in theory I think it would affect the color somehow but not sure how. Sounds like and experiment in the making LOL.

I believe that is due to the pigment absorbed into the digestive system through the breakdown of the protein.... but Im no expert.

I guess its just one of those, "Believe it when I see it" kind of things. I'll be honest, I'm biased because of what I've been told.

I've been told one thing and the OP was told another.... who's the say which one is right?

 

[Illia]

So I've been reading this from the birth of the thread, and am curious - Has anyone tried it yet? I'm too afraid it will do something to my hens, but I have no clue. . . I'm SO curious though!!

 

[jojo54]

 

[A.T. Hagan]

There are natural and artificial pigments that can be absorbed by a hen's digestive tract. The xanthylls that color yolks deep yellow to orange are the one example that we are all most familiar with. Cottonseed can produce a yucky olve green cast (as well as degrade hatchability). There are a few other plants that can affect yolk color as well, one can make them reddish, but I can't recall what it is just now. I would imagine a concentrated source such as paste food coloring could produce a really noticeable change so long as the pigments are absorbable.

As an illustration of the way a hen builds an egg it would be very useful. I don't think I'd care to do it otherwise.

.....Alan.

 

[Missmikaela]

Actually it is possible. The colour pigment has to be fat soluble. The colour of shop bought eggs is dependent on the pigment that they feed them. A dark yellow egg or light yellow egg has no nutritional differences.

 

[amyandkids]

oh my goodness, I want to try this!! Do u think they sell the paste at walmart? I would love to see the expression on my kids face to crack an egg and have colored yolks

, I am not going to tell them!! I will post back and let you all know how it works!!

 

[ChickenPeep]

This sounds really cool! I think I might actually try this. I have a hen who I'm not sure is laying and there's no way to tell her eggs apart from the others' because they're all the same color. I'm thinking about trying to feed her dye and then if I crack open an egg and it has a blue yolk, I'll know it's hers.

 

[FlyingDoughnut]

good April fools day prank its not that mean so I'm going to try it when i git chickens

 

[ClintD]

I do not like green eggs and ham.