What Should I Feed My Chickens? The Complete Guide
Raising backyard chickens can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Fresh eggs every morning, free pest control, fun pets – what’s not to love? However, keeping chickens healthy and productive requires more than just setting up a coop. You need to make sure you’re feeding them a balanced diet with all the nutrients they need.
As a new chicken owner, you may be wondering: what should I feed my chickens? There’s a lot of information out there and it can get confusing. That’s why I’ve created this comprehensive guide to walk you through everything you need to know about chicken nutrition.
The Basics: Chicken Feed
The foundation of any chicken diet should be a complete feed specifically formulated for the type of chicken you have. Here are the most common types:
-
Layer feed – High in calcium for egg-laying hens over 16 weeks old 16-18% protein
-
Chick starter – Higher protein for baby chicks from 0-8 weeks old.
-
Grower feed – For pullets 8-16 weeks old transitioning from starter to layer feed.
-
Broiler feed – Higher protein and calories for meat chickens to grow quickly.
Feed comes in different forms like mash, crumbles and pellets. Pellets cut down on waste but require a transition period. Offer free-choice oyster shell or crushed eggshells to supplement calcium needs.
How Much and How Often?
On average, chickens eat 1/4 to 1/2 pound of feed per day. Feed them twice daily, providing enough to last all day in the morning and a smaller portion at night. Always provide fresh, clean water. Investing in an automatic feeder and waterer can save you time.
Treats and Supplements
In addition to their regular feed, chickens enjoy and benefit from a variety of treats and supplements:
-
Fruits and veggies – Great source of nutrients. Offer a wide variety.
-
Mealworms – Excellent source of protein.
-
Scratch grains – Whole grains chickens love to peck at.
-
Oyster shell – Provides calcium for egg production.
-
Chicken vitamins – Maintain health and boost immunity.
-
Probiotics – Improve gut health and digestion.
-
Apple cider vinegar – Supports immune function and gut health.
Kitchen Scraps
One of the perks of having backyard chickens is that they’ll gladly take those vegetable peelings and leftovers off your hands. Some healthy scraps chickens can eat include:
-
Stale bread, pasta and rice
-
Chopped fruits and veggies
-
Cooked beans, peas, lentils
-
Small amounts of cheese, yogurt, milk
-
Cooked eggs, meat without bones
Avoid anything moldy, salty, sugary or greasy. Introduce new foods slowly.
Foraging and Free Ranging
When allowed to roam freely, chickens will supplement their diet by foraging for seeds, grass, weeds, bugs and worms. This provides nutrients, encourages natural behaviors and cuts down feed costs.
Some plants chickens can forage on:
- Grass
- Dandelions
- Chickweed
- Clover
- Fruits and veggies from the garden
Provide chickens with adequate space to roam safely while protecting your garden. Move portable fencing regularly so they have access to fresh plants and insects.
Grit for Digestion
Unlike humans, chickens have no teeth to chew and grind their food. They swallow it whole and rely on their gizzard to break it down. Feeding grit provides the sand and small rocks chickens need internally to properly digest their food. Offer chickens grit starting around 4 weeks old. If free ranging, they may get enough grit naturally from the soil.
What Not to Feed Chickens
While chickens aren’t picky eaters, some foods can make them sick or even cause death. Never feed chickens:
- Chocolate
- Raw dried beans
- Avocado skin and pits
- Moldy or rotten foods
- Onions, garlic or leeks
- Raw potato peels
- High-salt foods
Monitor your chickens while they eat table scraps or treats and remove anything they avoid. When in doubt, don’t feed it!
Signs of a Poor Diet
If chickens aren’t getting proper nutrition, you may notice:
-
Decreased egg production
-
Lethargy
-
Weight loss
-
Bad feather condition
-
Increased aggression and feather pecking
-
Eating less or disinterest in food
Consult an avian vet or experienced chicken owner if you notice any of these signs. Adjust their diet to get your flock back to optimal health.
The Key to Happy, Healthy Chickens
Feeding backyard chickens doesn’t have to be complicated. Provide a quality complete feed appropriate for their age and purpose. Supplement with a variety of treats and kitchen scraps. Allow chickens to free range to encourage natural foraging behaviors. Be sure to offer oyster shell for calcium and grit for digestion. Avoid any unsafe foods that could make your flock sick.
Following these simple guidelines will keep your chickens healthy, productive and entertained. Get to know your chickens’ preferences and you’ll quickly become a pro at chicken keeping! Raising chickens is incredibly rewarding, especially when you give them the proper nutrition they need to thrive.
What Shouldn’t Chickens Eat
There are many theories out there about foods chickens shouldn’t eat. You may have heard that avocados aren’t good for chickens (the skins and the pit should be avoided). And while this may be true, Dalia shared that the chickens in Guatemala are eating avocadoes and doing just fine.
That said, chickens that have free-ranged for generations may have a better sense of not overeating something before it affects them negatively.
Ultimately, you don’t want to feed your chickens anything that you wouldn’t consider healthy for yourself. Getting a shipment of day-old donuts from the bakery and tossing them into the coop is not ideal. Just as with us, there needs to be a balance for your chickens to maintain their health.
Can Chickens Survive Without Chicken Feed?
Backyard chickens 1,000 years ago likely weren’t laying an egg a day; the foraging and free-ranging of their diet wouldn’t support it.
But can chickens of today survive without chicken feed like those chickens of our ancestors? Maybe!
If you have enough land with crops growing and bugs plentiful, you can allow your chickens to forage for most of their diet from bugs and plants during the time of year that the plants are growing. Because they won’t be getting as high of a protein ratio, you won’t get as many eggs.
Right now, we are thankful for modern commercial feeds. They certainly make our lives easier and make home production much simpler. But with inflation and generally rising prices, if the cost of feed prohibits you from keeping your chickens, then perhaps it’s time to think outside the box and find another solution to feeding your chickens.
Will it be perfect? Maybe not. Will they get the exact proper ratio of protein? Maybe not. But as long as your chickens are happy and healthy, there is some wiggle room and we want to encourage you to have the freedom to find for yourself.
There are many ways you can get creative with what to feed your chickens beyond layer feed.
7 Surprising Rules for Feeding Chickens
FAQ
What is best to feed chickens?
… mostly of commercial chicken feed, followed by greens and healthy kitchen scraps, with the occasional chicken treats, mealworms and other healthy proteinJul 22, 2023
What is the primary feed for chickens?
A primary feed is the required data source that the Merchant Centre needs to be able to display your products on Google. A supplementary feed provides additional data that can be connected to existing product data in the primary feed.
Why is it illegal to feed chickens kitchen scraps?
What is a chicken’s favorite food?
Chickens’ favourite treats include carrots, corn on the cob, plain popcorn, strawberries, tomatoes, and grapes. Your chickens will love it if you lift a log and let them forage for bugs!
What is the easiest way to feed chickens?
The easiest way to feed chickens is with a treadle feeder. A treadle feeder is a large capacity feeder that uses a step activated door that gives chickens access to the feed. Treadle feeders are the best feeder for chickens because they keep rodents and wild birds out of the chicken feed, and protect the feed from rain and snow.
Can you feed a chicken a chick?
It is up to you whether you want to purchase medicated or unmedicated feed – just make sure you only feed chicks chick starter. When your chickens become pullets, they can be switched to layer feed or broiler feed. Layer feed has 16% protein and should not be given to birds unless they are lying.
What food is best for chickens?
Chickens prefer larger seeds like grass seeds and millet seeds. Providing them with lettuce, celery tops, chickweed, spinach, egg food, sprouted seeds, spray millets, carrot tops, and some nutritious fruits will help ensure they receive adequate nutrition. A regular supply of cuttlebone, grit, and fresh water is also necessary.