Yard Bird vs Trader Joe's - An Egg Yolk Color Comparison

My friends Greg and Lani gave me a couple of eggs from their chickens.  I put a large egg from Trader Joe's in the mix for comparison.

The store bought egg is the white egg on the right

The brightest two yolks are from the yard birds

I don't claim to know that there are benefits to a brighter colored yolk, but since free range yolks seem to be more colorful...

Here's what some folks at Chow have to say about the subject.

Richer-colored egg yolks are more likely to come from free-range hens, says Dr. Hilary Shallo Thesmar, director of food safety programs for the Egg Nutrition Center (ENC): Free-range hens have the opportunity to eat more pigmented foods, and the pigment is then transferred to the yolk.

So, while the color doesn't make them more healthful, maybe more healthful eggs tend to be more colorful.

The paler yolk, above, is from a basic Trader Joe's egg (the $1.49 for a dozen variety).  I have previously compared the TJ's yolks to those from the grocery store, costing up to double the cost.  I found that the yolks from TJ's eggs are consistently brighter and more colorful.  However, TJ's doesn't claim these are cage free or free range or anything special.  Maybe they are just fresher.  I don't know, but they are cost effective, pretty, and tasty.

A perfectly cooked yolk (from the brown egg, btw)