Why Are Some Egg Yolks So Orange?
The easiest way to understand yolk color is to think about diet.
Hens that consume feed containing more yellow, orange, or green plant pigments can produce eggs with more intensely colored yolks.
Things such as corn, leafy greens, marigold-derived pigments, and other plant ingredients can influence yolk color.
That means two perfectly ordinary hens can produce eggs with noticeably different yolks simply because their diets are different.
One might produce a pale yellow yolk.
Another might produce a deep orange one.
And both can still be perfectly good eggs.
Carotenoids Are the Color Connection
Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments found in many plants.
You have probably encountered them without realizing it.
They’re responsible for some of the yellow, orange, and red colors found in foods such as carrots, squash, corn, peppers, and leafy greens.
When laying hens consume diets containing different amounts and types of these pigments, some of those compounds can make their way into the yolk.
