More on getting yellow-yolk egg

I have been feeding my Kienyeji chicken with greens to increase the yellowness of the egg Yolk, but without success. What could be the issue?

Though not an indicator of a better nutritive value of an egg, yellow color in yolks is highly coveted since most consumers prefer bright yellow eggs to pale ones.

Carotenoids (xanthophylls) are the main components of the diet that contribute greatly to the making of an orange yolk. Other ingredients include Omega-3 fatty acids and meat products. If you feed your flock only on commercial feed, the color of egg yolks will be fairly consistent throughout the year.

Eggs from birds that free-range will show a greater range in egg yolk color based on the plants and insects they consume during any given season. Either way, it’s possible to change yolk color by supplementing your flock’s normal diet with natural foods that are high in various Carotenoids.

If you like deep yellow yolks, then provide your flock with lots of leafy greens such as Sukuma wiki, amaranthus and Lucerne as well as maize products. If you prefer darker eggs that are orange-colored, give your poultry carrot peels, down-graded tomatoes and chilli peppers.

However, the carotenoid content in the ingredients of the poultry feed is not constant since the pigmentation properties of the carotenoids can be weakened or lost in a variety of ways. Therefore, nature-identical yellow and red carotenoids such as apoester and canthaxanthin are commonly added to feeds to achieve the desired egg yolk color.

Alternatively;
The color of the yolk is due to substances called carotenoids that can be sourced from either maize, Lucerne or grass meals.

However, the pigment concentration/carotenoid content is not constant. Because of such fluctuations, most commercial farms provide supplemental carotenoids known as nature-identical yellow and red carotenoids, such as apoester and canthaxanthin to achieve the desired egg yolk color.

Source: Daily Nation
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