Yolk colour

[Paz]

Is it normal for one hen to have different yolk colour?
I cracked a bunch of eggs, and the yolk on the brown egg looks very orange. They all eat the same food… so I was just wondering.

 

[DobieLover]

Is it normal for one hen to have different yolk colour?
I cracked a bunch of eggs, and the yolk on the brown egg looks very orange. They all eat the same food… so I was just wondering.

Do they have access to greenery?

I can easily tell the difference between my little girls eggs once opened. The ones that are on pasture and range far and wide have orange yolks. The ones that stick close to the run and shrubbery cover have yellow yolks.

 

[Paz]

Do they have access to greenery?

I can easily tell the difference between my little girls eggs once opened. The ones that are on pasture and range far and wide have orange yolks. The ones that stick close to the run and shrubbery cover have yellow yolks.

I let them out on weekends usually, and a couple of hours every day. There’s a lawn, and some trees, they usually go catch insects under the trees.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Paz, how consistent has this been? Is this a one-time occurrence or have you noticed it over a period of weeks or months?

The egg yolk color comes from what they eat. People like to make this complicated but it is not. If they eat certain dyes the yolks are dark. If they don't eat the dyes then the yolks are pale.

I suspect that that hen ate something that had a lot of dye in it that the others didn't when they were out roaming. Maybe she found a marigold plant and ate a few flowers, either dried or fresh, that the others didn't. Or she ate something else.

 

[Paz]

Paz, how consistent has this been? Is this a one-time occurrence or have you noticed it over a period of weeks or months?

The egg yolk color comes from what they eat. People like to make this complicated but it is not. If they eat certain dyes the yolks are dark. If they don't eat the dyes then the yolks are pale.

I suspect that that hen ate something that had a lot of dye in it that the others didn't when they were out roaming. Maybe she found a marigold plant and ate a few flowers, either dried or fresh, that the others didn't. Or she ate something else.

Just one week so far, and she does tend to roam farther away than the rest.