Mallory Provides Egg-actly the Right Info

It’s all about eggs.

Shannon Mallory, Agriculture Extension Educator with the Kay County OSU Extension joined radio personality Sean Anderson on KPNC’s Sean in the Morning show, and News Director Mike Seals, Friday morning to talk about eggs.

Sean, Team Radio’s food expert, asked how important the color of egg yolks is, and if different colors mean anything. Shannon said that yolks can vary in color from a pale yellow to a bright red orange. And, went on to explain that the color of the yolks is influenced by the chicken’s diet.

Shannon provided the following information:

Darker egg yolks are not an indication of a better egg.

Certain chicken feeds have properties that result in changes in the yolk color. According to a study conducted by the University of Illinois Extension, “birds that have access to green plants or have yellow corn or alfalfa in their feed tend to produce dark yolks.”

Regardless of their color, according to the USDA, egg yolks are a good nutritional source of vitamin A and iron.

Can I make my chickens have darker eggs?

Maybe! While diet is important, there are other factors at play. The age of the chicken, their overall health, and the breed of the chicken can influence color as well.

You can try feeding them more greens and grass, and adding marigold petals to their food.

Are Organic eggs healthier?

Contrary to the beliefs of many critics, “organic eggs” do not have higher nutritional values. The chief characteristic of organic eggs may be a strong flavor acquired when the chickens eat bugs, worms, decaying matter, or similar materials. That is not a nutritional plus.

Is Omega 3 fatty acid present in egg yolks?

Yes there are omega 3s in egg yolks. Chickens can even be fed a diet that increases the amount of omega 3s in the yolk. Conventional eggs have on average about 25mgs of omega 3s, and feeding chickens a flax seed, or algae diet can increase Omega 3s to levels of around 100mg. Which is nice, but you can get significantly more Omega 3s from a few bites of salmon.

BOTTOM LINE: Eggs are good. Eat the eggs you want to eat.

(And, the only cracks in his presentation were Sean’s wise cracks)