When cooking with free range or organic eggs, you'll have noticed the difference in the yolk colour compared to battery hens’ eggs. Many people have written about the free range egg having the darker orange yolk and the thicker consistency than the caged eggs which are usually thinner and a paler yellow colour.
Image: Friedchillies.com
The colour of the yolk is all down to the diet! The darker colour in the yolks come from carotenoids called xanthophylls, which are found in dark, leafy greens such as kale, collards, broccoli and spinach. Most hens that are brought up as free range are more likely to be omnivorous than vegetarian; pastured chickens will eat bugs, grubs, worms ect. Whereas, caged chickens are typically fed a vegetarian diet made up of grains, with corn incorporated to give the yolk a brighter, yellower hue.
When chickens consume a varied diet with extra protein, the nutrition is concentrated into the yolk, giving it the darker colour. In addition to being better for humans, having pasture raised hens is also better for the environment. The hens are moved around fresh grass, which helps fertilise the soil underneath, and in turn helps the grass to grow. Our chickens manure is collected and added to the compost heap. This is then used to fertilise the soil needed in the vegetable patch.
