Yolk color

[Mac]

Mine don't free range yet, but they do get LOTS of additional food other than their layer pellets. Tomatoes, bread, swiss chard, lots of kale, grass clippings, cucumbers and more kale and collard greens, parsley, basil, all kinds of squash, cantelopes etc. All of their eggs are a beautiful orange-ish color. The bantam eggs are so cute - tiny little bright orange yolks. I do give them scratch now since its cooler.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I know that some commercial feed has marigold extract in it to darken yolk color. My girls are on grass most of the time and eat a wide variety of scraps and the yolks are much darker than store bought

 

[Zenbirder]

I free range all day in a "rich in bugs and growing things habitat", my chickens yolks are so orange I have to get used to how they color food. Ever seen orange potato salad without any mustard in it? Orange ricotta layer in lasagnia? Scrambled eggs that are orange? I enjoyed this info from somewhere on the web, and I really want to give credit but can't find where I got it again:



BELIEVE IN EGGS THAT ARE HEALTHIER
USDA studies show that compared to eggs from grain-fed hens (even those fed organic grains)

eggs from grass-fed hens have:

10% LESS FAT

34% LESS CHOLESTEROL
40% MORE VITAMIN A

30% MORE VITAMIN E

CAROTENES LUTEIN & zeaxanthin

400% MORE OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS




Eggs from free-range hens contain 400% more omega-3 fatty acids

than eggs from hens fed and all grain diet.

Omega-3s are called "good fats" because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack.1 Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer's disease.2



Another benefit of omega-3s is that they may reduce your risk of cancer. In animal studies, these essential fats have slowed the growth of a wide array of cancers and also kept them from spreading.3 Although the human research is in its infancy, researchers have shown that omega-3s can slow or even reverse the extreme weight loss that accompanies advanced cancer and also hasten recovery from surgery.4,5

Omega-3s are most abundant in seafood and certain nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds and walnuts, but they are also found in animals raised on grass. The reason is simple: Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves. Sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are omega-3s and this is transferred to the eggs produced by free-range hens.6

In a recent study, one group of chickens was confined indoors (the conventional system) and another was allowed to free-range. Both groups were fed the same commercial mixed diet. The chickens that were able to add grass to the menu produced eggs that that were higher in omega-3s and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E.)6

Egg yolks are the richest known source of lutein and zeaxanthin,
essential vitamins not found in your multi-vitamin tablet

Eggs are gaining new respect from nutritionists, partly for their abundance of two carotenes --- lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidant vitamins are essential for the protection of the macula, an area of the retina that provides our best central vision. Eggs are the richest known source. "Macular degeneration," the term for damage to this area of the retina, is the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 years of age. Lutein and zeaxanthin protect the macula from the destructive effects of light. The deeper the yellow-orange color of yolks, the more lutein and zeaxanthin they contain and the more eye-protection they offer.

There is also new evidence linking lutein and zeaxanthin with a lower risk of colon cancer. According to a recent study, "Of all the carotenoids investigated, only lutein and zeaxanthin showed a protective effect against colon cancer, with an enhanced effect in younger people."

Pastured Poultry Get a Bounty of Vitamin E from Grass

Standard poultry feed is supplemented with small amounts of vitamin E, but it doesn't come close to the bounty of vitamin E that chickens glean from fresh pasture. An egg from a pastured hen has 30 percent more vitamin E than the kind you buy in the supermarket.7

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control recently determined the vitamin E status of 16,000 American men and women. Twenty-percent per cent of white Americans, 41 per cent of African Americans, and 28 percent of Mexican Americans were deficient in vitamin E.
Vitamin E deficiencies have been linked with diabetes, immune disorders, AIDS, muscle damage in exercise, Parkinson's disease, eye diseases, and lung and liver diseases
References

Siscovick, D. S., T. E. Raghunathan, et al. (1995). "Dietary Intake and Cell Membrane Levels of Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Risk of Primary Cardiac Arrest." JAMA 274(17): 1363-1367.

2 Simopolous, A. P. and Jo Robinson (1999). The Omega Diet. New York, HarperCollins. My previous book, a collaboration with Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos, devotes an entire chapter to the vital role that omega-3s play in brain function.

3. Rose, D. P., J. M. Connolly, et al. (1995). "Influence of Diets Containing Eicosapentaenoic or Docasahexaenoic Acid on Growth and Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells in Nude Mice." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87(8): 587-92.

4. Tisdale, M. J. (1999). "Wasting in cancer." J Nutr 129(1S Suppl): 243S-246S.

5. Tashiro, T., H. Yamamori, et al. (1998). "n-3 versus n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in critical illness." Nutrition 14(6): 551-3.

6. Lopez-Bote, C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40.

7. Lopez-Bote et al, "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1998. 72:33-40.

 

[FrankBlissett]

"...I know that some commercial feed has marigold extract in it to darken yolk color...."

As I understand it, one of the big crops in California is marigolds to be processed into suppliments for commercial layers.

Our birds, too, vary considerably among themselves. I just attribute it to one being a pig at the mash vs another eating lots of grass vs another heading off into the woods for bugs.

-Frank

 

[Kvassay]

Edited

 

[Kvassay]

Edited

 

[Kvassay]

I free range all day in a "rich in bugs and growing things habitat", my chickens yolks are so orange I have to get used to how they color food. Ever seen orange potato salad without any mustard in it? Orange ricotta layer in lasagnia? Scrambled eggs that are orange? I enjoyed this info from somewhere on the web, and I really want to give credit but can't find where I got it again:



BELIEVE IN EGGS THAT ARE HEALTHIER
USDA studies show that compared to eggs from grain-fed hens (even those fed organic grains)

eggs from grass-fed hens have:

10% LESS FAT

34% LESS CHOLESTEROL
40% MORE VITAMIN A

30% MORE VITAMIN E

CAROTENES LUTEIN & zeaxanthin

400% MORE OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS




Eggs from free-range hens contain 400% more omega-3 fatty acids

than eggs from hens fed and all grain diet.

Omega-3s are called "good fats" because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack.1 Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer's disease.2



Another benefit of omega-3s is that they may reduce your risk of cancer. In animal studies, these essential fats have slowed the growth of a wide array of cancers and also kept them from spreading.3 Although the human research is in its infancy, researchers have shown that omega-3s can slow or even reverse the extreme weight loss that accompanies advanced cancer and also hasten recovery from surgery.4,5

Omega-3s are most abundant in seafood and certain nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds and walnuts, but they are also found in animals raised on grass. The reason is simple: Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves. Sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are omega-3s and this is transferred to the eggs produced by free-range hens.6

In a recent study, one group of chickens was confined indoors (the conventional system) and another was allowed to free-range. Both groups were fed the same commercial mixed diet. The chickens that were able to add grass to the menu produced eggs that that were higher in omega-3s and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E.)6

Egg yolks are the richest known source of lutein and zeaxanthin,
essential vitamins not found in your multi-vitamin tablet

Eggs are gaining new respect from nutritionists, partly for their abundance of two carotenes --- lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidant vitamins are essential for the protection of the macula, an area of the retina that provides our best central vision. Eggs are the richest known source. "Macular degeneration," the term for damage to this area of the retina, is the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 years of age. Lutein and zeaxanthin protect the macula from the destructive effects of light. The deeper the yellow-orange color of yolks, the more lutein and zeaxanthin they contain and the more eye-protection they offer.

There is also new evidence linking lutein and zeaxanthin with a lower risk of colon cancer. According to a recent study, "Of all the carotenoids investigated, only lutein and zeaxanthin showed a protective effect against colon cancer, with an enhanced effect in younger people."

Pastured Poultry Get a Bounty of Vitamin E from Grass

Standard poultry feed is supplemented with small amounts of vitamin E, but it doesn't come close to the bounty of vitamin E that chickens glean from fresh pasture. An egg from a pastured hen has 30 percent more vitamin E than the kind you buy in the supermarket.7

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control recently determined the vitamin E status of 16,000 American men and women. Twenty-percent per cent of white Americans, 41 per cent of African Americans, and 28 percent of Mexican Americans were deficient in vitamin E.
Vitamin E deficiencies have been linked with diabetes, immune disorders, AIDS, muscle damage in exercise, Parkinson's disease, eye diseases, and lung and liver diseases
References

Siscovick, D. S., T. E. Raghunathan, et al. (1995). "Dietary Intake and Cell Membrane Levels of Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Risk of Primary Cardiac Arrest." JAMA 274(17): 1363-1367.

2 Simopolous, A. P. and Jo Robinson (1999). The Omega Diet. New York, HarperCollins. My previous book, a collaboration with Dr. Artemis P. Simopoulos, devotes an entire chapter to the vital role that omega-3s play in brain function.

3. Rose, D. P., J. M. Connolly, et al. (1995). "Influence of Diets Containing Eicosapentaenoic or Docasahexaenoic Acid on Growth and Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells in Nude Mice." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 87(8): 587-92.

4. Tisdale, M. J. (1999). "Wasting in cancer." J Nutr 129(1S Suppl): 243S-246S.

5. Tashiro, T., H. Yamamori, et al. (1998). "n-3 versus n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in critical illness." Nutrition 14(6): 551-3.

6. Lopez-Bote, C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40.

7. Lopez-Bote et al, "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1998. 72:33-40.

I know this is a stale thread and I am not sure that you are still an active member but are you saying that you do not supplement your free-range chicken's with feed whatsoever?

 

[bobshere]

I free range mine anywhere from 1-5 hours a day. It depends if im working. My eggs are much more orange than a store bought egg