Pale Yolk

[Anonymous]

Hi,

One of my hens is laying an egg that has a very pale yellow / cream yolk. We use her eggs for cooking but they aren't so appealing for frying.

She is very healthy and eats pellets / mixed corn and has a large lawn in the afternoons.

Could she be sick or maybe she has some sort of genetic problem?

Thanks. Barry.

 

[Tim]

Hi Barry,

The yellow of a yolk is produced by carotenoids, found in grass, maize (in mixed corn) and dark green vegetables. It can be added artificially to layers feeds (canthaxanthin).

Whilst we think eggs should have a rich yellow yolk colour, I have read studies that have found it makes no difference to the nutitional content, even though commercial eggs need to be checked against a colour chart.

If she is getting access to grass and having mixed corn as a treat, the only other possibilities I can think of are genetic - if she has an inability to process carotenoids or if she has had infectious bronchitis at some point in her life which can also cause her to have pale yolks.

Tim.