My Exact Chicken Feed Recipe for Low-PUFA, Nutrient-Dense, Deep-Orange Yolk Eggs!! (and Why 'Pasture Raised' Eggs Aren't What You Think)

I studied wild chickens and ancestral feeds to make low-PUFA, deep-orange yolked eggs- 100% from real food.

When I lived in New York, I was obsessed with finding the best eggs. Deep orange yolks, thick shells- not only do they taste totally different, but the nutrients and quality of fats are totally different as well!

When chickens are fed corn and soy, their yolks actually become higher in PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) than canola oil.

So on top of Pasture Raised eggs, I always hunted for corn and soy-free eggs.
And when we moved to Santa Fe and I finally got my own flock, I went online (and in store, to almost every store) to buy the best quality feed I could find! Organic, corn & soy free, the whole laundry list, and looked through every ingredient.

Except… every single “corn and soy-free” feed I found was full of seed oils, synthetic vitamins, and industrial fillers.

Literally, not one SINGLE brand I would ever even touch!

So- I read about wild junglefowl (the original chickens) diet, compared the amino acid profiles of bugs vs. grains, looked into traditional European and Chinese peasant feeds, to create the feed formula that gave me the lowest PUFA, most nutrient-dense, rich and creamy yolks while being made from 100% REAL food!

I cannot WAIT to get my first eggs when they are old enough! Also- really excited for the herb blend I put them on to. (Linked below as well!)

My Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe

(balanced for laying hens around 20 weeks and older, when they start laying I’m going to add egg shell powder on the side. You should always have grit available as well!)

• 890 g of Millet (I get my grains from Grand Teton!)

• 726 g Einkorn

• 330 g Split peas

• 125 g Black soldier fly larvae

• 125 g Crickets

• 60 g Alfalfa meal

• 49 g Dried berries

• 9 g Kelp

• 10 g Gelatin

• 15 g Colostrum

Instructions:

1. Place a bowl over a classic scale (the sourdough ones are great) and measure each ingredient in.

2. This is optional, but I blend everything that way the chickens don’t just pick their favorites! Amazon has great glass blenders for $30. I bought a blender just for making chicken feed.

3. Pour into your feed bucket and you are all done!

Why It Works

• Low PUFA base: Millet and einkorn are ancient grains with far lower PUFA than corn or soy.

• High nutrient density: Black soldier fly larvae and crickets are naturally rich in calcium, zinc, B12, and essential amino acids.

• Similar to their wild diet: This feed mirrors the natural omnivore diet of wild fowl- a mix of seeds, insects, and greens!

• Deep yolk color: The carotenoids from alfalfa and berries create that dark, glowing yolk (a visual sign of nutrient richness).

• Digestive health: The gelatin and colostrum improve gut health and shell strength - it’s basically a pro-metabolic diet for your flock. Chickens peck at carcasses in the wild, so the gelatin gives a similar amino acid profile to animal skin.

Bonus Tips

• I add in this herbal blend for extra vibrant yolks + nutrition!

• If I’m eating meat or liver (I always eat grassfed) I always give them the scraps!

• This goes without saying, but let your chickens free to get sunlight, forage, catch bugs & live how they were meant to!

Anyways- I keep getting comments on Tiktok and Instagram that people want to buy my eggs which makes me so happy!!! However we only have 3 chickens, but I’d love a little chicken farm one day, with a few dairy cows, and to make my own cheeses. So who knows! Would be so much fun.