What if I told you there is a common pizza topping that you could feed your hens to give them a boost of dietary nutrients that would turn their yolks orange in 48 hours? While this sounds crazy – or maybe even like it is cheating – I assure you that feeding this one healthy food skyrockets the compounds the hen’s body needs and the proof shows in her egg yolks. Here is what to feed to get orange egg yolks from your chickens!
What to Feed to get Orange Egg Yolks from your Chickens
I’ll cut right to the chase. The pizza topping that causes this magic is red pepper flakes! And it is not limited to just red pepper flakes, but cayenne pepper powder and hot peppers from your garden will accomplish the same thing. Let’s dive into why this works and how much to feed:
How Much of the Red Pepper Flakes Do I Feed My Hens?
I buy red pepper flakes in bulk from the grocery store spice section a pound at a time. I add about 2 Tablespoons for a flock of 12 to their food mix every other day to ensure they are getting a little extra boost of the nutrients they need for producing dark gold yolks. (This is about 1/2 teaspoon per hen.) If I want true orange yolks quickly, I increase the amount to 1/2 Tablespoon per hen for a day or two and then immediately reduce the amount I feed back down to around 1/2 tsp per hen every other day.
Only 48 Hours Needed?
Yes! The effect of feeding red pepper flakes straight from the spice jar is visible in the egg yolks within 48 hours if each hen gets about 1/2 Tablespoon. You’ll probably still see some affect three and four days after feeding as the yolks stay fairly deep gold.
Cayenne Pepper Powder Works, Too!
If you have some old spices, like chili powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle chili powder or paprika you are unsure about using for yourself, mix them into your flock’s layer feed! The powdered pepper is less concentrated but you should notice that the yolks appear a lovely shade of rich marigold by the end of the week. Adding powdered hot pepper to your feed also has the nice affect of deterring mice. And you may notice that the hens gobble pepper powder-coated crumbles down more readily than usual!
Beware: You Can Make Blood Orange Yolks!
If you have a greedy hen who really likes the red pepper flakes, you may find that you get yolks from her that are so dark orange they border on a red-orange tone and look like they contain blood. The first time I cracked one open – I, the experienced keeper who had just fed the hens the red pepper flakes two days before – thought I had a hen producing bloody yolks. It is possible to feed the hens too much so do not go overboard or your customers may think the eggs have something wrong with them.
Is the Red Pepper Dying the Yolks?
No, red pepper does not contain a dye of any kind. What you are doing is providing the hen’s body with a rush of natural carotenoids – namely the xanthophyll lutein – that is known to produce especially orange looking yolks.
Green Foods Make for Orange Yolks
Hens who free range, pasture range or have access to all the garden weeds they want typically have beautiful orange yolks. This is because leafy greens are typically rich in lutein, which is then deposited into the hen’s yolks.
Another Pizza Topping That Works!
Bell pepper seeds and flesh contain leutin and provide a nice oomph of orangey color to the hen’s yolks and it does not matter if they are green, red, orange or yellow. (Would it surprise you to learn green bell peppers have the highest amount of leutin?) They are yet another pizza topping that can help you get those stunning blaze colored yolks!
Gardening for Orange Yolks
If you’d like to grow a chicken treat that will give your hen’s yolks a gorgeous orange tint, opt for any spicy peppers! Feeding both the pepper fruit and leaves you trim from the plant will provide the hen’s body with beneficial carotenoids. If spice is not your thing, grow sweet or bell peppers and be sure to give your flock all the bell pepper tops and seeds discarded from the kitchen.
Is using Red Pepper Flakes Cheating?
Red pepper flakes are supplying the hen’s body with a hefty dose of nutrients. Lutein is being deposited into the yolks by her body, the same as if it came from eating kale or other dark leafy greens. If you’re already feeding your flock a blend of feed, seeds, meal worms, garden weeds and kitchen scraps, the red pepper flakes are a great supplement to an already robust diet. However, if you are selling free range or pastured eggs but keeping the hens confined and feeding only commercial feed and red pepper flakes, I would absolutely consider this to be cheating. The egg yolk may be orange but it is missing other nutrients that only come from hens who have unrestricted access to foraging for their own weeds, seeds, and live bugs.
Should I Add Red Pepper Flakes to my Homemade Feed Mix?
I have and I love the results! My flock’s feed is not a true homemade from scratch feed but rather a blend of non-GMO crumbles made by Texas Natural Feed, black oil sunflower seeds, whole oats, dried meal worms and a pinch of red pepper flakes. A pound of red pepper flakes is about 2 cups or 32 Tablespoons and will last my flock over a month if I give 2 Tablespoons every other day or so. 5 pound bags of red pepper flakes can be ordered from Amazon if preferred. (Affiliate links)
Wintertime Boost
If your hens lay eggs that seem to go pale in the winter as the green weeds die off and bugs go dormant, red pepper flakes can be a wonderful addition to the flock’s feed. While you may find no need for summertime supplementation, late fall, winter and early spring are a good time to experiment with the amounts of pepper that produce the sunset colored yolks we prefer.
Pizza Anyone?
Now that you know what to feed to get orange egg yolks, give it a try! Red pepper flakes purchased in bulk are not very expensive. If you have a small flock, simply increasing your consumption of bell peppers will produce the free kitchen scraps needed to positively impact their yolk colors.
You Might Also Enjoy Reading:
How to Feed Chickens When Commercial Food is Gone
Chicken Scratch Recipe for Orange Egg Yolks
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