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This is an interesting read, but I question one bit: afaik the color of egg yolks is dependent on what hens eat, but there is no direct "eat well -> darker" link. Trivially, you can buy "extra yellow" eggs for the same price of standard eggs.

Anecdotally, my father kept free roaming chickens, with extra feed, and he always said maize is what makes eggs yellow (though we say "red" in Italian), compared to a "mixed seeds & beans" feed.

Maybe someone knows better.



The extra yellow egg yolks are from hens that got food with high carotene content. Also Marigolds are frequently mixed in with the food.


It is my understanding that a dark yellow yolk is from the hen grazing on insects and thus getting insect protein instead of pure grain. But I am not a poultry expert.

I know a lot more about cattle and hogs. Some of their numbers seemed odd to me. The dairy seems about right — for a standard 305 day lactation 8,000 lbs would be a decent cow, and 10,000 very good. So 35,000 lbs for 4-ish is pretty good and indicates a good feeding plan. The beef and hog finish weights, though, just seem strange. I suspect those are really bad guesses and not actual weights.


We feed cracked corn in the winter - a cheap, high heat food for the birds, and it definitely makes their yolks more yellow.

So I'm with you. It's not better living, but just diet.




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