>I can't remember where I read this but it was said that some chickens are
>fed food laced with food colouring to make the yokes orange!
>Who knows?


I have been researching poultry diets in the hopes of selling my organic,
free-range, and hopefully soon lower-cholesterol, higher Omega-3 eggs at a
local store. (Many of my future producers are just now getting their
pinfeathers, and are so ugly, it's a hoot!)

The commonest food additive given to increase yolk color is marigold petals,
because they can be grown so cheaply. The pigment from the flowers is
concentrated in the yolks, mimicking the color of yolks from birds fed a
healthy but more varied (and expen$ive) diet of veggies in addition to
grains.  The marigold petals are generally given in a feed supplement or
mixed into a highly-processed commercial feed along with other ingredients
designed to produce desirable-looking test results at minimal additional
cost.

A healthier way to increase yolk color is to feed fresh, GREEN LEAFY
VEGETABLES in addition to high quality grains.  My girls' yolks are dark
orange and I feed them no flowers, but they get collards and kale and
gourmet lettuces, thinnings from all the veggies, and anything that is in
season (in our climate I can grow nutrient-rich organic collards and kale
and lettuces all winter....)

laurie            colorsplash farm, apex, nc
spoiled hens producing colorful organic eggs