[nicky d]

I usually get between 1 and 3 eggs a day from my girlies, wot i have noticed is that when i crack the shells, only one of the eggs (from my barnie) is the gorgeous orangey colour yolk, when i eat one of these poached the taste is absoutley amazing.   The eggs from my other 2 girls are yellow with not much taste to be honest.   I was just wondering why that could be,  ive had the 3 of them for the same time although the barnie was from somewhere else and free ranged since little, the other 2 i think were reared in a small compacted barn.    Here with me they have a large run with loads and loads of grass to graze on, they get cabbage and treats and good layers, i thought that there yolk would have changed now to the same as my barnies, any thoughts         nickyx

[joyfull]

Hi Nicky, they could be eating their layers and greens in different quantities to your barnie which could account for the different yolk colour 

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi - I think it is to do with the breed/strain. 

I raised a batch of my Marans together with some Marsh Daisy chicks hatched at same time.  They were reared through identically.  When the Marsh Daisy pullets laid they had pale lemon yolks, can't really tell you what flavour was like as I couldn't be bothered to eat them, and this continued through over one season laying. 

My Marans pullets under identical conditions produced rich golden yellow yolks with delicious flavour.  But I have always selected breeding stock from birds producing rich golden yellow yolks, extra large for size of egg and with good flavour.

So I think nature over nurture, though nurture adds to nature.

All the best
Sue

[amj]

I have just come back from a weekend in Belgium
and the breakfast eggs are as always in France
& Belqium an amazing gold and the flavour is to
behold ! I think 'dark brown eggs ' must be right!
so if one want eggs like that ' an I do' what
hens lay them ? as my sussex and black rock
do not no matter how many extras I feed them on !


 

[joyfull]

french marans lay a lovely dark brown egg (first check out the strain as some aren't quite as dark) - if my cuckoo maran decides to start laying again after being a broody and now moulting I will take a photo for you 

[amj]

But the yolk ?

[joyfull]

when she lays again I will photograph the shell and yolk for you  .
The big poultry feed companies did use to add items to help colour the yolk but a lot of these additives got banned I think. my girls generally lay a lovely golden yolk but they do free range all day - not just eating the grass and plants in the garden but also the farmers corn etc . They are more golden earlier on in the season and seem to become paler as the nights draw in - perhaps there is less time to graze in the farmers fields