According to Shivanagowda, a chilli trader and president of the Haveri District Industrial Body, is possible for a hen to lay red eggs. The secret lies in chillies.
With Byadagi chillies used for the extraction of Oleoresin, a natural colour, the small town of Byadagi, India, has shot into instant fame. Red oil (Oleoresin), a natural colour, is extracted from these chillies. When this colour is mixed with poultry feed, the eggs hatched will be red in colour!
Byadagi chillies, which are less spicy and are well-known for their deep red colour, are now in great demand, particularly from foreign countries.
These byadagi chillies are dried and stored in cold rooms with temperatures from 4-6 degree Celsius. Storing Byadagi chillies in the cold storage not only preserves their natural colour, but also results in the extraction of more Oleoresin from these chillies.