Will beets affect yolk color?

[BDutch]

In the Netherlands they discovered some decades ago that red bell peppers and carrots make more orange yolks. But this was quite expensive for commercial use.
So the mills provided and the chicken farmers started to give the chickens cheaper colouring.
I’m nor sure if it was a natural or chemical colouring. I try a search on the Dutch internet and let you know.

 

[BDutch]

Info from eieiei.nl (google translate):
HOW DOES THE EGG YOLK GET ITS COLOR?
Why is it that there is so much color variation in egg yolks? The color of the yolk simply depends on the diet of the chicken. If she is fed a lot of wheat food, the chicken will lay eggs with a buff yolk. A chicken fed various types of food to which, for example, corn or alfalfa is added, lays eggs with a dark yolk. Corn and alfalfa contain carotene, the same substance that makes carrots orange. Carotene contains a lot of pigment, which makes the egg yolk darker. Sometimes artificial carotene is also added to the chicken feed to achieve the same effect. Incidentally, there is no longer any absorbable beta-carotene in eggs, it is only the pigment of the carotene that darkens the egg yolk. The chicken has "used up" the vitamins.

DOES THE COLOR OF THE YOLK HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE TASTE?
As mentioned, it is not the case that the composition of the chicken feed also determines the nutritional value of the egg. Creating an egg is a fairly complex process, and the end result is always roughly the same. The composition may fluctuate slightly, but not to the extent that scientists dare to say that one egg is healthier than another. The egg yolk is a good source of vitamins A, D, E and K and contains lutein, choline and omega-3 fatty acids. All good substances for your health. You don't have to pay attention to the color of the yolk for the taste. A yellow egg is just as delicious as an orange egg, and vice versa.

 

[BDutch]

More info (npo.nl) about store eggs and egg colours in he Netherlands.

KEURINGSDIENST VAN WAARDE​

Organic
The yolk of organic eggs is often a bit lighter in color than that of standard (cheaper) eggs. This is because organic eggs do not rely on a specific yolk color.

Orange prefered?
There used to be a dichotomy in the Netherlands. In the west we liked yellow yolks more and in the south and east of the country we preferred orange. Nowadays there are more orange yolks throughout the Netherlands. This has nothing to do with our national color, but with the large-scale export to Germany, where they are fond of eggs with an orange yolk.
Written by: Maic Oudejans
Mostly translated by google, corrected by me.

​

 

[BDutch]

The last one and most interesting translated from https://www.greelane.com/nl/science-tech-math/wetenschap/how-to-change-egg-yolk-color-607441/

Changing yolk color at the source​

When raising chickens, you can change the color of the yolks of the eggs they produce by controlling their diet. In particular, check the carotenoids or xanthophylls they eat.

Carotenoids are pigment molecules found in plants that are responsible for the orange of carrots, red of beets, yellow of marigolds, purple of cabbage, etc. such as BASF's Lucantin (R) Red and Lucantin (R) Yellow.
Natural foods also affect the color of the yolk. Yellows, oranges, reds, and possibly purple can be obtained, but for blues and greens you will likely need to resort to synthetic dyes.

Foods that naturally affect the color of the egg yolk
Yolk color - Ingredient
almost colorless - white cornmeal
pale yolks - wheat, barley
medium yellow yolks - yellow cornmeal, alfalfa flour
deep yellow yolks, - marigold petals, kale, vegetables
orange to red yolks - carrots, tomatoes, red bell peppers

The original table in Dutch:

Voedingsmiddelen die van nature de kleur van de eigeel beïnvloeden
Dooier kleur	Ingrediënt
bijna kleurloos	witte maïsmeel
bleke dooiers	tarwe, gerst
middel gele dooiers	gele maïsmeel, alfalfameel
diepgele dooiers	goudsbloem bloemblaadjes, boerenkool, groenten
oranje tot rode dooiers	wortelen, tomaten, rode paprika’s

 

[2ndTink]

? antibiotic? i essentially gave them a probiotic beet

Sorry I was unclear. What I meant was that if you had a chicken get sick and you had to give them an antibiotic (or a wormer etc.), instead of guessing at the egg withdrawal period, you could feed them beets the same day and when the beet color cleared out of the yolk, then you could assume the antibiotic would be cleared out of the yolk as well. That is, IF beets changed the yolk color.

 

[Mimishummingbird]

I just fed my chickens 25 liters of chopped beets left over from making beet kvass. i’ll let you know how it goes

I just made beet Kavass too