Guess which of these egg yolks came from a healthy hen...Check the first comment 👇

 

Guess which of these egg yolks came from a healthy hen

One of the most interesting aspects of life in Brazil is our different approach to food. We're connected to local farms owned by friends and family, who spoil us with organic produce. As for chicken eggs, the sizes and shell colors can vary, but if they come from the family farm, the yolks will almost always be darker and have a thicker texture than factory-farmed eggs.

In the United States, all the eggs sold are yellow. Whether they're organic or cheap, they're all yellow, and the inside isn't as thick. What's the reason? Could it be because all these eggs come from poor-quality hens? Have you ever even seen an orange egg? It took me 30 years to see an egg from a healthy hen.

Last year, I was able to compare my chicken farm to other factory farms. The difference was clearly visible: our egg yolks weren't just dark orange, but also fuller and thicker. Even the shells were stronger and harder to break. But what's the secret to orange egg yolks? Besides being a highly desirable color, orange egg yolks are the product of a well-balanced and very nutritious diet. A few things are involved in producing this product: xanthophylls, omega-3 fatty acids, and meat. Xanthophylls are a type of carotenoid. Carotenoids are natural plant pigments found in many fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene, one of the best-known carotenoids, is generally considered to be responsible for the orange color that people typically associate with carrots. But in reality, beta-carotene is what gives egg yolks their nutritional value, rather than their color. The carotenoids that result in darker yolks are xanthophylls, which are more readily absorbed by the yolks. (Lutein is one such xanthophyll, and the more there is, the more orange the yolk will be.) Xanthophylls are found in dark green vegetables like spinach, kale, and cabbage, as well as zucchini, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in flaxseed and kelp, two important ingredients in my chickens' diet.

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And did you know that chickens aren't meant to be vegetarians, no matter what it says on your premium carton of free-range, organically fed eggs? Chickens are omnivores by nature, and their healthy diets include meat, as well as mealworms, beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and any other critters they can find in the ground. I've even heard of chickens hunting small rodents and snakes!

When you have all these sources integrated into your hens' healthy diet, the nutrients they consume are transferred to their eggs and concentrated in their yolks. According to Mother Earth News, which conducted its own analysis of the eggs, and another more recent study from Pennsylvania State University, the eggs contain high levels of vitamins A, D, and E, more beta-carotene, and more omega-3 fatty acids.

All of this means that a pasture-raised egg is the healthiest. And that's one of the reasons we raise chickens, isn't it?

So how can we get those delicious dark orange-yellow colors from our backyard chickens?

Let your chickens roam freely and eat whatever they can find in the ground, to obtain the orange-yellow color.

1. Give them plenty of fresh vegetables to increase the lutein in their egg yolks. The darker the green, the better; that's why I often whip up a feast of edible amaranth (one of my favorite summer vegetables), kale, cabbage, broccoli leaves, and anything else I can find in my garden. If it's winter and garden vegetables are scarce, you can feed them alfalfa.