Yes, what a chicken eats affects the yolk color. Here are examples.

Did you know that you can affect the color of your yolks by what you feed your chickens? It's true!

Back in the day, it was true that pasture raised chickens, actively foraging, produced eggs with darker yolks. From a nutrition standpoint, this was a great indicator of egg nutrition. Pasture raised eggs from naturally tended birds are more nutritious. So naturally minded consumers sought out eggs with darker yolks.

But... as time went on, the farming industry caught onto this consumer demand. They started adding colorants to chicken feed to make the yolks a consistent shade of yellow or orange. Synthetic carotenoids like apo-ester can be added. And more natural ingredients like marigold and paprika can be added, too. They have no necessary nutritional value. They're there specifically for yolk color.

In today's world, a deep orange yolk doesn't necessarily mean a bird lives outside, is on pasture, or is foraging. It doesn't mean the egg is more or less nutritious. Yolk color has become superficial. 

At Merry Natural, this is a sad thing. You're losing such an important indicator of what your chickens are eating. That's why we choose to add ZERO colorants to our feed, even the natural ones. 

Whether foraging in your yard or pastures or eating kitchen scraps, what you feed your birds affects the yolk color. 

Of course, the exact color and difference depends on how much yours birds are eating of each thing, the variety, the stage of growth, etc. But isn't it neat to see the changes? Here are some examples:

Grains (like Wheat, Oats, and Barley) = Pale Yellow Yolks

Dandelion = Yellow Yolks

Corn = Yellow Yolks

Zucchini = Yellow Yolks

Sunflowers = Yellow Yolks

Alfalfa = Golden Orange Yolks

Green Peppers = Golden Orange Yolks

Kale = Golden Orange Yolks

Clover = Golden Orange Yolks

Chickweed = Orange Yolks

Grass = Orange Yolks

Sardines = Orange Yolks

Watermelon Rinds = Orange Yolks

Carrot Tops = Orange Yolks

Pumpkins = Orange Yolks

Tomatoes = Orange Red Yolks

Red Peppers = Orange Red Yolks

Marigolds = Orange Red Yolks

Grapes = Green Brown Yolks

Acorns = Green Brown Yolks

Rosemary = Gray Yolks

Cabbage = Blue Green Whites