The Feed and Yolk Experiment: Chicken feed and dark orange yolk color

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I've had good luck with butternut squash. Between duds, culls, and peels/seeds from squash we eat, "the girls" have been getting anywhere from a cup to a bucket full of squash every week, and we've had nice, orange yolks. I usually cook the squash scraps up to make them easier for the chickens to eat.I assume pumpkins and carrots would likely be a similar deal.

 

[Minflick]

I used to work with a gent who had children who did chickens in 4H. His chickens free ranged all day, and part of their territory was his compost pile, which they regularly spread out for him. They were going after the many many worms and bugs in the pile, and I've never seen such rich dark yolks as his eggs had, and the taste was glorious.

My eggs right now are nothing like that pretty, but my girls are also only on feed, since my yard isn't cat proof, and a stray tom chased 2 of the girls up on to a boundary fence, so, no being out with out me being there with them, and not until I hen-proof my veggie bed, and fix my fence. A whole lot of my pots of plants are going to need protective chicken wire collars to keep them pretty before my girls get out of the run again.

 

[healthy]

My chickens are fed organig feed, are free range, get a lot of vegetables and fruits scraps.at times are fed meat leftovers. Have tried pumpkin,squash and sweet potatoes but they are not interested in them. I still do not have that beautiful dark yolk.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Have tried pumpkin,squash and sweet potatoes but they are not interested in them. I still do not have that beautiful dark yolk.

Have you tried feeding them cooked? My girls don't love them raw, but steamed until soft, they seem to enjoy them.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Does anyone know if feeding fodder would darken the yolks or not?

 

[steve102]

Thank you Bella, I look forward to this thread maturing.

 

[Dead Rabbit]

My experience shows breed of chicken does have an effect on egg flavor. Free ranging does seem to add some flavor over penned and feeding. But not enough IMO to use it as an excuse to free range.

 

[pdirt]

My experience shows breed of chicken does have an effect on egg flavor. Free ranging does seem to add some flavor over penned and feeding. But not enough IMO to use it as an excuse to free range.

Very interesting, thank you for sharing this. Do you have any taste notes associated with certain breeds? Or, what are your favorite breeds for egg flavor?

 

[Dead Rabbit]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing this. Do you have any taste notes associated with certain breeds? Or, what are your favorite breeds for egg flavor?

I've found the last olive egger type fowl. Who were BC Marans X hatchery Easter egger, their eggs not only had a very slight texture difference, but the flavor was slightly different. Both was barely noticeable.

The very best eggs hands down were surprisingly from my OEG Bantams. I always did keep a few hens running around. And their tiny eggs were flat out delicious. I would sell. My layers x lg eggs to my customers and gladly kept my little bantam eggs for personal consumption.
I crossed som large type seramas into my OEGB to give the games a little more vigor. The winters are cold here. And the eggs kept their good flavor. I never did any side by side taste comparisons to see which eggs were better. Either from the cross or from the pure.

 

[ObeyTheYeri]

Yes