4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[ajm200]

Some of our girls have been laying for a couple of weeks now but my OH has commented that the egg yolks aren't much darker than shop bought eggs and not the dark orange that he was expecting.

 

We feed the girls organic layers pellets, with cabbage and corn and s"Ooops, word censored!"s for treats. They won't eat broccoli at all.

 

Any idea how we can improve the colour of the yolks?

 

thanks

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hi ajm200,

Ours didn't like Broccoli to begin with but love it now, especially overcooked . but more than broccoli ... they absolutely love green beans, i top mine so they get the end bits cooked in with the broccoli but actually they love them so much i add an extra handful to our cooking so they can have some for themselves

Perhaps you could try greenbeans . . maybe its their shape .. long & thin like thick worms

 

We have one who lays a yolk which is deep orangey shade but the others vary in degrees, so not too sure if all the greens make a difference as mostly they all eat the same.

 

 

Good Luck,

 

Ms Tilyhad5eggstodayandstilltimeforthe6th

[Fleur]

one of my friends swears by giving her hens marigold petals with their food... but she might be mad.

[Hen Watch]

Have a look at the Omlet guide to egg colour.

 

http://www.omlet.co.uk/guide/guide.php?view=Chickens&cat=Eggs&sub=yolk%20colour

 

When my girls were newly laying the yolks were yellow and then after a few months they slowly changed and are now a deep yellow almost orange colour.

 

My girls just have standard pellets, veg peelings ...... oh ..... and my entire back garden (no need to mow the grass in their enclosure)

[Egluntyne]

Spinach makes a difference.

[Christian]

Spinach makes a difference.

 

i have a bed of perpetual spinach which I cut and give them every few days. Lovely orange yolks here!

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hmmmmm, now you've got me thinking Christian!!

Where oooh where can i grow some perpetual spinach.

 

 

Ms Tilymayhavespinachborders

[ajm200]

Thanks everyone.

 

I've just started to replant my veggie patch and will sow some some perpetual spinach in the one corner that the girls can reach though the netting.

 

They eat lots of greens and grass so I guess I just have to wait a while to see if the colour improves

[meezers]

Hmmmmm, now you've got me thinking Christian!!

Where oooh where can i grow some perpetual spinach.

 

 

Ms Tilymayhavespinachborders

 

After reading about spinach for improving yolk colour, I planted some a couple of weeks ago, I have a gap running the length of the chook run about 1 inch wide , between the mesh and the surrounding paving. I've sown the seeds in that, thinking it would be handy to pick and feed to the chooks - but looking at it now, it must be a form of torture for the poor girls, it's growing millimetres from their beaks, but they can't reach it

[debbie26pet]

whats the difference between perpetual spinach, and spinach u buy in shops my get my green finger son on the job,

got some tubs out there looking bare

[ajm200]

The spinach that you buy in the shops is a type that has small tender leaves but doesn't handle drought and heat well so runs to seed very quickly in the summer.

 

Perpetual spinach has larger, slightly tougher leaves but can be grown as a cut and come again crop for most of the year.

[Hen Watch]

I did post earlier on this thread about chooks eating their greens. However, after reading a post on a different subject, I was prompted to look at the ingredients list on the Dodson & Horrell layers pellets bag.

 

It says: "contains natural pigments Lutein and Zeaxathin (from marigold and maize extracts) and Citranaxanthin (as naturally found in citrus fruits), for a deep yolk colour".

 

So there you go, maybe the chooks are not turning my nibbled garden into lovely orange eggs after all.....!!!!!!!!!