Does any chicken farmer or homesteader know how some of the egg yolks are bright orange like the ones from vital farms and the ones that I get aren’t usually that colour ?
#eggs #homesteading #chicken #farming #pastureraised
Discussion
Our chickens were truly free roaming and apart from always having access to corn and layers pellets, they ate a lot of bugs and grass (also cooked, but plain spaghetti, which they absolutely love).
Our neighbours have the same setup, but are penned in to a smaller area where they have depleted the grass.
Our hens yolks are orange, our neighbours are yellow.
Yes food makes a huge difference. Corn will increase yellow intensity but also access to fresh vegetation like grass and a varied diet is likely best. Another thing I think is a big factor is the frequency of laying. This interacts with diet too. Hybrid layers produce more eggs then heritage breeds but often these eggs are less nutrient dense on average. If you think about it, it just makes plain sense. You can't have a chicken that produces huge amounts of meat and quality eggs at the same time...