[Chopperone]

Hi
I keep hybrid layers which are fed on layers pellets and raw vegetable scraps.
They are allowed to free range all day.
I have never been impressed with the actual taste quality of my eggs & the colour .
The yolks obviously go paler in wet conditions.
Any ideas as to what I can do to improve the overall egg quality.
Thanks

[Aidy]

Interesting, one thing I always get asked "do the eggs taste better because they are fresh?"
I answer, well yes and no, they taste different than old shop bought eggs, it is a little subjective I reckon, some may say they taste better some won't!
Mine are on the plot, like yours fed on pellet and fresh veg, lots of it and fresh meat in the form of insects etc.
The yolk colour can change with different layer pellet from a different manufacturer but again I almost think now that a bright orange/yellow yolk is not natural, its all subjective.

[D]

I agree with Aidy. I once spoke to someone who bred chickens and as a result he fed his birds fertility pellets (or something along those lines). This obviously helps with egg fertility, but as a result the yolk colour wasn't as bright as my birds who were on layers pellets. A large portion of the quality is whats in the food, the other depends on how much greens the birds have access to - over the winter when all the grass had gone the yolks from my eggs have gone slightly paler, hopefully after we extend the run it should be back to 'normal'.

[Chopperone]

As mentioned above , my chickens have their own half acre grass paddock to run at & yet the quality/taste of my eggs is not as good as I think they should be.
So any ideas would be most welcome
Thanks

[joyfull]

Are you after stronger shells, yellower yolks or a richer tasting yolk? Try changing their feed, I had darker yolks that were creamier when I fed mine on organic layers but for this you have to pay at least twice the price.

[themagicaltoad1]

I feed mine on "smallerholder layers pellets" and they have free range of the garden, so plenty of grass. The yolks are a richer yellow than my friend's chickens which are not free range and according to my work colleagues have more taste, (we both bring eggs in to sell at work). They don't have a lot of scraps but they do get quite a bit of corn with sunflower seeds mixed in. Apparently the sunflower seeds give the eggs more omega 3 oils???

[joyfull]

mine have sunflower seeds as well 

[Vecten]

Open almost any book on keeping chickens and it will tell you that your eggs will taste much better than supermarket eggs. This is absolute nonsense and anyone who believes that must be living in cloud cuckoo land.

The only thing that will affect the taste of the egg will be the age of the egg and the feed of the chicken that laid the egg.

I dont know what you are comparing your eggs to but the answer lies in the feed.

[helens-hens]

Hi there. As D mentioned, the lack of greens in the garden in the winter can affect how yellow the yolks are. You could try hanging up some greens e.g. cabbage or brocolli for them. This also gives them a bit of 'entertainment'.

[GrannieAnnie]

Open almost any book on keeping chickens and it will tell you that your eggs will taste much better than supermarket eggs. This is absolute nonsense and anyone who believes that must be living in cloud cuckoo land.

The only thing that will affect the taste of the egg will be the age of the egg and the feed of the chicken that laid the egg.

I dont know what you are comparing your eggs to but the answer lies in the feed.

I don't live in cloud cuckoo land vecten, but I think the taste of homegrown eggs is different to supermarket eggs.

for one, my eldest daughter's MIL didn't like eggs, said they tasted fishy, but after she had tasted ours, they started to grow their own chickens!  Commercial feed must have more fish meal or something in it.

And 2, my customer in the village who has 4-6 dozen eggs a week has 3 daughters aged 5 to 11.  They not only refuse to eat any shop bought eggs, they won't even eat eggs from their friends chickens down in Essex as they say they don't taste as good as the ones they get from me.

They have even put 3 cooked eggs on a plate and the 5 year old said I'm not eating THAT one, its not one of grannieannie's eggs.  How do you explain that one?  Because I can't.

[Aunt Sally]

I had to buy shop bought free range (very posh brand) eggs while my girls were not laying during their moult.  They were insipid to say the least.  Thank goodness my hens are laying again.

[Vecten]

Open almost any book on keeping chickens and it will tell you that your eggs will taste much better than supermarket eggs. This is absolute nonsense and anyone who believes that must be living in cloud cuckoo land.

The only thing that will affect the taste of the egg will be the age of the egg and the feed of the chicken that laid the egg.

I dont know what you are comparing your eggs to but the answer lies in the feed.

I don't live in cloud cuckoo land vecten, but I think the taste of homegrown eggs is different to supermarket eggs.

for one, my eldest daughter's MIL didn't like eggs, said they tasted fishy, but after she had tasted ours, they started to grow their own chickens!  Commercial feed must have more fish meal or something in it.

And 2, my customer in the village who has 4-6 dozen eggs a week has 3 daughters aged 5 to 11.  They not only refuse to eat any shop bought eggs, they won't even eat eggs from their friends chickens down in Essex as they say they don't taste as good as the ones they get from me.

They have even put 3 cooked eggs on a plate and the 5 year old said I'm not eating THAT one, its not one of grannieannie's eggs.  How do you explain that one?  Because I can't.

Hmm .... Do you by any chance write books?

[D]

To be fair I can't tell the difference in taste, but my family and friends say they are far superior to shop bought eggs. I've obviously just got poor taste buds or something

[ManicMum]

Whether or not I can taste a difference, I'm just happy that I know what went into the chicken that created the egg.......

[GrannieAnnie]

Open almost any book on keeping chickens and it will tell you that your eggs will taste much better than supermarket eggs. This is absolute nonsense and anyone who believes that must be living in cloud cuckoo land.

The only thing that will affect the taste of the egg will be the age of the egg and the feed of the chicken that laid the egg.

I dont know what you are comparing your eggs to but the answer lies in the feed.

I don't live in cloud cuckoo land vecten, but I think the taste of homegrown eggs is different to supermarket eggs.

for one, my eldest daughter's MIL didn't like eggs, said they tasted fishy, but after she had tasted ours, they started to grow their own chickens!  Commercial feed must have more fish meal or something in it.

And 2, my customer in the village who has 4-6 dozen eggs a week has 3 daughters aged 5 to 11.  They not only refuse to eat any shop bought eggs, they won't even eat eggs from their friends chickens down in Essex as they say they don't taste as good as the ones they get from me.

They have even put 3 cooked eggs on a plate and the 5 year old said I'm not eating THAT one, its not one of grannieannie's eggs.  How do you explain that one?  Because I can't.

Hmm .... Do you by any chance write books?

I wish!!!!!