John D Willis wrote:
>
> Another interesting tidbit from farm days is ducks you cannot feed them lot
> of corn they will develop feet and joint problems and will get very fat
> (normally have lot of fat). Chickens if had lot of grains especially corn
> their feet will be very bright yellow if mostly bugs and wild feed their
> feet/legs will be pale depending on amount of grain/corn in their diet. Pale
> legged chickens not getting lot of grains (nearer wild). Yolk of eggs is
> affected much same way.

Not commenting on the rest of it, but the part about the yolks isn't
true in my experience. In ten years of keeping hens, whenever they are
allowed out to forage on fresh grass and bugs, their yolks become
intense gold in a week or so, and when kept inside on only corn and
soy feed, they go pale. In the winter, we feed them dried marigold
petals that we save up, and that keeps the yolks very golden with the
lutein and zeaxanthin. I know corn is supposed to be a source of
lutein and zeaxanthin, but it won't keep the strong yolk color for us.
They go at least as pale as supermarket eggs without the wild forage
or the marigold.

Hilary