Overheard a neighbor say they only feed their chickens layer feed, no treats at all

I was chatting over the fence yesterday and she said it keeps their egg yolks a consistent color. I've always given my girls kitchen scraps, so now I'm wondering if that's why my egg yolks vary from pale to deep orange. Does anyone else notice a big difference in yolk color based on what you feed?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileygonzalez1mo ago

Wait, they said "no treats at all"? That's wild. My chickens would riot. I give mine old salad greens and they go nuts for it. Their yolks are all over the place color wise, but I don't care. A happy chicken is more important to me than a perfect looking yolk. That just sounds so boring for the birds.

avery_torres491mo ago

My neighbor's hens get mealworms and their yolks are deep orange.

rowangonzalez12d ago

Wait does nobody else think mealworms are basically candy for chickens? @rileygonzalez I'm with you on that. Giving your birds some fun snacks keeps them from getting bored and pecking at each other. I toss mine a handful of scratch grains or some kitchen scraps and they're happy as can be. Color of the yolk doesn't matter if the chicken's healthy.