that my chicken farm feeds on.beta-carotenes make up the nutritional quality of egg yolks, rather than their color. The carotenoids that cause the egg yolks to color darker are xanthophylls, which are more easily absorbed by egg yolks. (Lutein is one of these xanthophylls, and the more, the more orange) Xanthophylls are found in dark green vegetables like spinach, kale and cabbage, as well as zucchini, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in flax and kelp seeds, which are two important ingredients that my chicken farm feeds on.which are more easily absorbed by egg yolks. (Lutein is one of these xanthophylls, and the more, the more orange) Xanthophylls are found in dark green vegetables like spinach, kale and cabbage, as well as zucchini, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in flax and kelp seeds, which are two important ingredients that my chicken farm feeds on.which are more easily absorbed by egg yolks. (Lutein is one of these xanthophylls, and the more, the more orange) Xanthophylls are found in dark green vegetables like spinach, kale and cabbage, as well as zucchini, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in flax and kelp seeds, which are two important ingredients that my chicken farm feeds on.which are two important ingredients that my chicken farm feeds on.which are two important ingredients that my chicken farm feeds on.
And did you know that chickens are not designed to be vegetarian, no matter what may be written on your premium carton of eggs from chickens fed organic seeds and outside the factories? Chickens are omnivorous by nature and their healthy diets include meats, such as mealworms, beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and any other critters they may find in the earth. I’ve even heard of chickens chasing small rodents and snakes!
When you have all of these sources built into your chickens’ healthy diet, the nutrients they consume are passed to their eggs and concentrated in their yolks. According to Mother Earth News, which conducted its own analysis of the egg, and another more recent study from Pennsylvania State University, eggs contain high levels of vitamins A, D and E, more beta-carotene, and more omega-3.
All this means that a pasture egg is best for your health. And that’s one of the reasons we raise chickens, right?
So how can we get these delicious dark orange yellows from our backyard chickens?
Let your chickens roam freely and eat whatever is in the ground as they wish, to obtain orange-yellow.
Give them plenty of fresh vegetables to increase the lutein in their yolks. The darker green the vegetable, the better, which is why I often whip them up a feast of edible amaranths (one of my favorite summer vegetables), kale, cabbage, broccoli leaves, and everything I can find in my garden. If it is winter and green vegetables from the garden are lacking, you can feed them alfalfa.
chicken-vegetation
Alfalfa is very convenient at the end of the season when most of my vegetables are no longer very fresh.
(By the way, don’t be fooled by the unreliable method that egg factories adopt, and don’t feed your chickens corn. Although corn can give your yolks that beautiful golden color, it has little nutritional value.)
After a few weeks, you’ll be so used to seeing orange egg yolks (just like most of us are used to seeing yellow egg yolks) that you’ll even forget they’ve changed color. Buy eggs from the store and break them.
