4 ms·
So hens don't usually have to be force-fed. Some of that color can come from having a diverse source of proteins--like the bugs and insects that pasture-raised
by crdrost 2y ago
So hens don't usually have to be force-fed. Some of that color can come from having a diverse source of proteins--like the bugs and insects that pasture-raised hens get access to--but farmers "in the know" will also add paprika and marigold to the usual soy-and-grain supplemental feed, to try to encourage it to come out a bit more.
- philipkglass 2y agoA few years back I briefly thought that a rich yolk color was a quality signal, until I found that additives could produce that color cheaply. The color comes from dietary carotenoids [1]. Companies like BASF sell carotenoid feed additives that producers can employ to get a yolk color as rich as desired: https://nutrition.basf.com/global/en/animal-nutrition/our-products/carotenoids https://nutrition.basf.com/global/en/animal-nutrition/our-pr... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid
- eric-hu 2y agoI wouldn't be surprised if you were correct in your belief and that this became a case of Goodhart's Law when implemented in the egg industry.