Pale yellow yolks ... indication of health?

[hannakat]

I bought some eggs online to hatch. When they came, one was cracked so I cooked it this morning for the dog. I was very surprised to see that the yolk was so pale....yes, I'm used to my own chicken eggs, but this thing was PALE!

Since it has to be what the chicken has been fed...does anyone know if this is an indication of possible poor health in the chicks?

They went into the incubator last night, so it'll be a while before I know how they're progressing.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think your question is real hard to answer and give a definite answer. The yolk color comes from what they eat. Our yolks are usually so dark because we feed them so much green stuff or treats other than just pure chicken feed. Some of that stuff causes the yolk to be darker. Light yolks does not mean that the chickens are unhealthy or even that they are not fed treats. It simply means that they are not being fed treats or green stuff that colors the yolk. It certainly does not mean they are not getting proper protein and other nutrition.

On the other hand, there is a lot more to good hatching eggs than just protein. The hens need to have various vitamins, minerals, and such for the eggs to hatch well. The commercial hatcheries feed their breeders a special feed with specific supplements to get better hatches. From what I have read, additional protein does not help if they are getting enough protein to start with, but these supplements do. With most of us, they get various treats or free range enough to eat various weeds and all that and they have enough of these other nutrients so it is not a real issue with us. Most eggs would hatch anyway without these additional supplements, even if they were just fed regular feed, but there is a difference in us setting a few eggs in an incubator and a commercial hatchery hatching thousands of eggs a day. Just a small percentage in hatch rate is a lot of chicks for them.

So do the light yolks mean you have a problem? No, but I would feel better if they were darker.

 

[hannakat]

Thanks Ridgerunner!

I'm not particularly happy, but it is what it is. They did come from an NPIP certified breeder so I feel okay about that part!

 

[welasharon]

I all let my chickens free range except the seramas. Yesterday I noticed how much lighter their yolks were than my other chickens. I pulled some grass and weeds and put in for them. I was thinking it was the difference in the feeding. I guess I will see if they change after getting grass and such.
sharon

 

[hannakat]

Over the winter, I supplemented our birds with kale, lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, celery leaves....chopped it up, sometimes added plain yogurt, raisins, dried meal worms and other stuff ... they looked forward to their platter coming. With the ground covered in snow all winter, it seemed to make them calmer and happier and their yolks maintained the darker yolk.

I'd certainly give them grass at every opportunity. Just watching ours picking at grass constantly and digging in the leaf and sticks looking for bugs has given me a better understanding of the workings of a chicken!

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

My leghorn lays eggs with pale yolks. She gets the same feed that the other girls do but the hatch rate on her eggs is lower that the others. All of my BO eggs hatched. Six out of eight of the Leghorns hatched. This was just the last hatch. In previous hatches it was always the Leghorn eggs that did not make it. It makes me wonder.

 

[hannakat]

Quote:
umm.... guess I'll just have to wait and see...