As the son of a 2nd Gen poultry farmer I have to disagree, the color of the yolk is related almost entirely to the feed source.
I'm all for locally produced food and sustainable farming practices, but I'm really becoming frustrated with the portrayal of farmers and current farming practices as evil and ignorant and what not.
A specifically formulated poultry feed, the difference in nutritional value of the eggs would be almost negligible although less consistent in birds being fed household scraps in addition to feed, as the feed is generally designed as a whole food source.
The issue of yolk colour is really an aesthetic one and feed is supplemented to produce a yolk colour in accord with the preferences of distributors. The levels of xanthophylls, or yellow pigment, in commercially produced eggs is high enough to realise positive health benefits.
I'm all for keeping backyard chickens by the way, I just don't agree egg quality is a very good argument for it. It also has some serious implications for the spread of disease, which makes quarantined commercial production more resilient - assuming of course a ready supply of energy, which could well be a problem.
Thanks. I found a list of her publications here, though I couldn't seem to find the relevant journal article so I have contacted her to see if it was published.
It is interesting, though the nutrient levels are not that astounding, certainly nothing like what motherearthnews was claiming,
I'm not sure whether it is happening in the states, but one of our biggest producers in Victoria, Australia is now distributing eggs with "double the amount of omega-3" apparently this is achieved with a multiple phase flaxseed-based diet
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I'm all for locally produced food and sustainable farming practices, but I'm really becoming frustrated with the portrayal of farmers and current farming practices as evil and ignorant and what not.
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(The comment has been removed)
The issue of yolk colour is really an aesthetic one and feed is supplemented to produce a yolk colour in accord with the preferences of distributors. The levels of xanthophylls, or yellow pigment, in commercially produced eggs is high enough to realise positive health benefits.
I'm all for keeping backyard chickens by the way, I just don't agree egg quality is a very good argument for it. It also has some serious implications for the spread of disease, which makes quarantined commercial production more resilient - assuming of course a ready supply of energy, which could well be a problem.
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
That is an interesting graphic although it doesn't seem to cite anything... If you know of peer reviewed studies I have electronic journal access.
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(The comment has been removed)
It is interesting, though the nutrient levels are not that astounding, certainly nothing like what motherearthnews was claiming,
I'm not sure whether it is happening in the states, but one of our biggest producers in Victoria, Australia is now distributing eggs with "double the amount of omega-3" apparently this is achieved with a multiple phase flaxseed-based diet
Reply
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