Even if you don't eat eggs every morning, you've probably wondered why the yolks in your carton of Nellie's Free Range Eggs look darker than others you've purchased at the store or enjoyed at your favorite diner.
Once you dig in, you might find that they taste better, too. Unsurprisingly, it all comes back to the hen.
What makes an egg yolk orange or dark yellow?
There are many factors that can influence the color and richness of an egg yolk. The most notable ones include:
- Outdoor forage
- Chicken feed
- Age of the hen
- Environmental factors
Outdoor forage
Free range hens that have access to green, grassy pastures tend to lay eggs with darker yolks than their caged counterparts. This is primarily due to the carotenoids (yellow, orange, and red plant pigments) found in the clovers, grasses, and other greens that the hens consume outdoors. Free range hens instinctually snack on insects and grubs too, which have a high concentration of protein and other nutrients that affect the color and quality of their eggs.
While free range has many benefits, it can also lead to more variation in yolk color than you might find in a carton of eggs from a factory farm. Every hen is unique, and differences in grazing habits from hen to hen and from flock to flock can result in a mix of orange and lighter yellow yolks in any given carton.
Chicken feed
The composition of and ingredients in the chicken feed available to a flock have a big impact on yolk color in the long run. Our Certified Humane Free Range hens spend most of their days foraging outdoors for bugs and tasty greens, but unlike cows or sheep, they are not ruminants and cannot subsist solely on the pasture that's available to them. That's why we provide our hens with a supplementary feed containing a wide range of beneficial nutrients and minerals that are essential to their health.
Flock age
As hens age, their grazing habits and feed composition change, and they tend to lay eggs with lighter yolks than hens in their prime laying days. While we wish we could guarantee a consistent color for all of our egg yolks, we feel that the benefit of giving our hens the freedom to live a longer life on our farms is worth any inconsistencies in yolk color that may result. We partner with over 45 farms that are family owned and run, which means at any given time, our flocks are all different ages. Despite any differences in appearance or flavor, eggs from older flocks still have the same nutritional value of eggs from hens in their prime layings days.
Environmental factors
Hens are sensitive to their surroundings, and small changes like a shift in season or temperature often affect characteristics like yolk color in their eggs. Generally speaking, these factors can't be controlled, but ensuring that our hens have access to a safe, warm, well-lit hen house keeps their stress to a minumum.
Does yolk color impact nutritional content?
The nutritional value of an egg can't be judged solely by yolk color, but darker yolks are usually a good indicator that the hen has been fed a healthy, varied diet. In other words, yolk color doesn't necessarily impact nutritional value, but it does correspond to the health of the hen herself.
Does yolk color indicate freshness?
The short answer is no: yolk color does not indicate freshness. Although egg whites can become "looser" or more watery over time, yolks generally don't lose their hue as they sit in the refrigerator.
Are darker yolks more rich and flavorful?
There's no proven correlation between yolk color and flavor, but most people agree that darker orange yolks tend to taste richer and more flavorful. This can be attributed to the diet of the hens: as is true of grass-fed meats and pasture-raised milk, the product of a humanely treated animal with access to a healthy, varied, natural diet tends to taste better.
