If you feed laying hens oil rich in a fat called SDA, their eggs end up with way more of the good omega-3 fats—like EPA, DPA, and DHA—compared to feeding them another plant-based omega-3 oil. This...

Feeding hens a certain type of fat called stearidonic acid helps their bodies make more healthy omega-3s in egg yolks—43% better than another fat called ALA—because it’s easier for their bodies to process.

Feeding hens a special fat called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) boosts certain healthy fats in their eggs more than another fat called linoleic acid (LA), and it might skip a slow step in the process — meaning more of the good stuff ends up in the yolk.

Feeding laying hens a diet containing 3.0–4.5% Sacha Inchi oil for 56 days results in egg yolks with omega-3 fatty acid levels rising from 0.8% to over 9.1% and the n-6/n-3 ratio dropping by about nine times, while egg production and most quality measures remain unchanged.

When the feed for laying hens is adjusted to contain more alpha-linolenic acid, the eggs produced contain higher levels of omega-3 long-chain fatty acids including EPA and DHA.

Feeding laying hens linseed oil at 2.5% in their diet increases the omega-3 fatty acid content in their egg yolks by 13.6% and lowers the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio from 4.95 to 1.01, changing the fat composition of the eggs without affecting how many eggs are produced.