How to hack a chicken egg to get orange yolks!

Did you know that you can 'hack' your chickens to get orange egg yolks and a richer colored meat? It's true. Today I want to talk about how it's done, and if it's truly a hack or maybe more of a shortcut? I'll also let you know what you need to add to your hens feed to get orange colored egg yolks.

Farm fresh eggs are well known for their dark colored yolks and thicker whites, but also for their higher nutritional value than commercially produced eggs. So is it cheating to feed them something special just to get darker yolks? Only you can make that decision for yourself....I'm just here to tell you how it's done!

Those of us that raise chickens will tell you the eggs are healthier when hens free range and/or have access to grass and bugs. That's because plants and bugs have a higher nutritional value then commercial chicken feed. The yolks of the eggs from free range hens also have a richer color. Sometimes these free range egg yolks are dark yellow and other times they're actually orange! 

According to Hobby Farms free range eggs have: 

• less cholesterol 
• less saturated fat 
• increased vitamins A, E and D 
• more omega-3 fatty acids 
• more beta carotene

What do orange egg yolks mean?

Have you seen that video of the woman in her kitchen cracking 3 eggs from 3 different sources and explaining why she thinks one egg is better than the rest? It's been floating around social media for awhile now and I must have been tagged in it a dozen times.

Her main arguing point is that the 'healthier' egg is the one with the orange yolk. Without knowing the diet of the hens though, I can't agree with her point. While orange yolks usually indicate better nutrition, it's not always the case.

Farmers have added marigolds to chicken feed for about 60 years now. Marigolds contain a chemical called carotenoids which gives the petals a bright orange color. When a chicken eats the marigold petals the yolks of their eggs become orange colored too.

Is this corruption among egg producers? If so it's widespread:
According to the LA Times, Perdue has admitted to mixing marigolds into their chickens feed to give the dressed bird a more golden color.

Quote: For unknown reasons, consumers--particularly in the Northeast--have prized that golden hue since some anonymous chicken man started lacing his birds' feed with marigolds more than 60 years ago.

Interesting, right?

Of course when something has been used for so long there will inevitably be a product marketed for it. Nutrena has a line of layer feeds that have marigold petals included in the feed and it says right on the label that they are included for darker yolks!


So yes, the humble marigold can indeed be used to hack a chicken and turn the egg yolks darker and the dressed bird more yellow. The question is though...should you? I don't. At least I don't mean to. I do toss my chickens marigolds along with their buckets of weeds and produce from the garden but it's not something I do with intent. 

It's more like me wandering through the garden going: weeds, weeds, this tomato is cracking, more weeds, they'll eat this, they like these, more weeds....and that's how they get treats!

Orange egg yolks

However, for a little experiment I decided to add marigold petals to my chickens feed and see what happens. First, I set aside eggs from a few of my hens. Then, I added marigolds to their feed mix for about 10 days. 

After the 10 day period I collected a fresh egg and took this picture. (white egg from Aldi for comparison, note that the white appears yellowish. This often happens with age. I bought them last week but the packing date is 202, so they're about a month old)

As you can see, there is a difference in the second and third egg in this picture. It's not an extreme difference, but since it's only been a few days, the eggs yolks will get darker in time. So this experiment will continue, but for now the moral of this story is you can't always judge an egg by looking at it. The only difference in my hens diets over 10 days was flowers.

What to feed hens for orange yolks?

If you want to try an experiment of your own here are other things you can feed to get darker colored yolks: alfalfa, cabbage, collards, dandelions, kale, spinach and orange veggies like carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apricots. This feels a little less like cheating to me, because all the items on this list are high in vitamins and nutrients anyway.

Do you feed your hens anything specific to get darker yolks?

Want to know more about farm fresh chicken eggs? Click here for my other posts on everything you ever wanted to know about eggs!

~L

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I am not a veterinarian or other animal care professional nor do I claim to be. I am simply passing on information that has worked for me and my flock. This information is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Please see a vet if your chicken is ill. Click for my full disclaimer.

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