This post may contain affiliate links.
If you have space in your backyard, rearing chickens is an excellent idea! A flock of feathered friends brings numerous benefits to your homesteading efforts, as well as being highly entertaining to care for.
While having a chicken for a pet or a regular supply of eggs is always a popular option, some of us also rear chickens for food. One of the main reasons for rearing our own chickens is that we control what they are fed, resulting in meat and eggs with fewer chemicals.
When raising chickens, it’s essential to give them the right food. According to chicken welfare specialists and poultry experts, the ideal diet for a chicken should consist mainly of a commercially produced balanced diet. The remainder – up to 10% of their daily food intake – can consist of treats. That’s around a tablespoon per chicken per day of energy-dense treats or a large handful of healthy vegetables.
Chickens can also get very greedy for treats, leading them to ignore their normal food rations. It is a good idea to save treat time for later in the day after they’ve eaten up all their regular food.
Here’s a look at some foods you can feed your backyard chickens.
Poultry Pellet
Poultry pellets are a staple food for chickens, and this commercially-produced balanced diet should make up at least 90% of their daily food intake.
Make sure you buy a high-quality pellet that adequately meets your backyard chickens’ nutritional needs, depending on their age and purpose.
Poultry pellets are readily available at any animal feed store. While you are there, a sturdy dispenser for the feed is advisable to help keep the feed clean and dry.
Grain
While at the feed store, you can also pick up some wheat, corn, or a mixture of grain (often called ‘scratch grains’). Grains can be scattered on the ground after they’ve eaten their daily pellet ration to encourage the birds to scratch and forage.
Chickens also love rolled oats, so if you have oats for breakfast in the morning, you can put some aside! Wholemeal rice is also healthy for chickens, particularly during colder weather.
Cooked Foods
Chickens are surprisingly fond of a variety of cooked foods, which can be a nutritious and delightful addition to their diet. Cooked foods like vegetables, grains, and even some meats offer a change from their usual feed and are a great way to provide additional nutrients to your flock. Cooking up a pot of vegetable peelings with some rice is a tasty treat for your chickens on a cold winter’s day when foraging opportunities are scarce.
When introducing cooked foods, always make sure they are free from seasoning, oils, or excessive salt. Avoid overly fatty or sugary items, and remember that these treats should complement, not replace, their regular feed. Providing cooked foods in moderation can help keep your flock happy and healthy and add variety to their diet.
Bread
With its soft texture and enticing aroma, bread is a treat that many chickens will flock to! While bread can be a fun occasional treat, it should be given in moderation due to its high carbohydrate content and lack of essential nutrients.
If possible, opt for whole-grain or multi-grain bread over white bread to provide a bit more fiber and nutrients. Ensure the bread is fresh and free from mold before offering it to your chickens, and avoid bread with added sugars or artificial ingredients.
Pasta
Cooked pasta, whether it’s spaghetti, macaroni, or any other shape, can be a great source of carbohydrates and energy. However, like bread, pasta should be served in moderation and without sauces or seasoning. Remember that pasta has a low nutritional value, so will add calories to your chicken’s diet with very little in the way of other essential nutrients.
Offering plain, cooked pasta is a way to provide variety in their diet while avoiding unnecessary additives. Ensure the pasta is well-cooked and cut into smaller pieces to make it easier for your chickens to consume
Beans
Beans, when properly prepared, can be a nutritious treat for chickens. They are high in protein and fiber, which are beneficial for your flock’s health particularly when they are molting. All types of fresh or dried beans should be cooked thoroughly before being offered, as raw beans contain toxins that can be harmful to chickens.
Additionally, avoid beans that have been seasoned or prepared with other ingredients, particularly salt. Providing beans as an occasional treat and a balanced diet can support your chickens’ overall health and vitality.
Corn
Corn is a favorite treat among chickens, prized for its sweet taste and high energy content. Whether served on the cob or as kernels, corn is a great source of carbohydrates and can help provide extra calories, especially in colder weather when chickens need more energy to stay warm.
Chickens can eat raw or cooked fresh corn, and dried corn is a tasty treat that many chooks enjoy. Whatever type of corn you are feeding, ensure it is free from mold. A fun way to feed corn to chickens is to hang whole cobs of corn in the run for them to peck at.
While corn can be a fun and nutritious treat, it should be given in moderation to avoid an imbalance in their diet. Combining corn with other treats and a balanced poultry feed will help maintain your flock’s health and happiness.
Fruits and Vegetables
Chickens can have many raw fruits and vegetables. Depending on what is available in your region, you can feed your chickens, cabbage, coconuts, bananas, chickweed, silverbeet, and so on.
When you peel your fruits or vegetables, you can also toss them the peelings! They will love it! However, always make sure that your peelings are not spoiled or rancid, and never feed raw potato peelings to chickens.
Cooked Eggs
Eggs are the ideal complete food for a chicken, containing the perfect balance of nutrients. However, you should never feed uncooked eggs to chickens because they might decide to get a snack all by themselves at egg-laying time! The last thing you need is for your hens to devour your nice fresh eggs before you get a chance to collect them.
Cooked eggs, conversely, are fine; chickens would not recognize them as eggs since they have a different texture and smell. Scrambled eggs are also tasty, but ensure they are made without milk and salt.
Fish Or Fish Meal
Due to their high quantities of Omega 3 oils, sardines, and tuna are a particularly nutritious snack for chickens, although any oily fish is healthy. Chickens adore sardines, a high-protein fish. Don’t worry about the bones; they’ll consume the tiniest ones, but leave the larger ones alone.
When you feed anything larger like a whole herring and mackerel, the head and skeleton remain once the chickens have scavenged the rest. As with any food, fish should be fed without any added oil or salt.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are among the best high-protein feeds available to your flock. Organic seeds should be used instead of packaged seeds, which are sometimes heavy in salt. After a couple of days, they lose their freshness and some of their nutritious content, so don’t try to stockpile them.
You may either feed them right out from the pumpkin to your birds or softly toast them. Even better, they’re high in antioxidants, which may aid your hens in their fight against sickness. They don’t kill parasites or cure infections, though.
Mealworms
Mealworms are high-protein food that chickens like eating. They’re a great technique to get your flock to scratch and forage if you scatter them over the run. They’re a crunchy delicacy that your flock will adore, whether added to a delicious mushy chicken porridge or a pumpkin cake.
But don’t go crazy with them as feeding too many mealworms can lead to a nutritional imbalance. Give a just few to each fowl a couple of times a week as a special treat.
Sprouted Lentils
One of my all-time favorite delights is sprouting lentils, which I use all year. They’re one of the best high-protein foods on the market and low in fat. My chickens don’t appreciate them as much as some high-protein treats, but they’ll eat them up eventually.
Cat Food
Anybody who’s ever witnessed hens battling more than a lizard or frog can attest that they aren’t vegetarians. They devour both plants and animals, making them omnivores. They also enjoy beef. Whether dry kibble or canned meat, cat food is a contentious chicken food.
Several swear by it, while others warn that it should not be used near a chicken coop. Like many other high-protein foods, it should not be consumed regularly but rather as a rare treat.
Sunflower Seeds
A fun way to feed this treat to chickens is to sow sunflower seeds in the spring and allow your flock to serve themselves to the heads whenever they’re ready! Sunflower seeds can also be sprinkled on the ground or added to treat bars for hens. These tasty snacks for chickens are rich in proteins and abundant in disease-fighting polyphenols.
Garden Peas
For millennia, peas have been fed to chickens, either those deemed “unfit for human eating” due to their form or size or those bred specifically for animal feed. They’re simple to grow and can be served with other vegetables or blended into a treat block.
I like to keep a bag of budget frozen peas for my chickens. They’re frozen so fast that they may contain greater nutrients than those offered in stores as ‘fresh’, and make a cooling treat on a hot summer’s day.
Parsley
Parsley is a powerful immunity booster for chickens and is also rich in essential minerals and vitamins. This popular flavoring will be devoured by hens, and the flat-leaved Italian strain is particularly a rich source of anti-carcinogen calcium.
Oats
Even though oats just aren’t as rich in proteins as other foods, they are particularly useful in a variety of recipes for chicken treats by adding bulk and binding together different ingredients. They contain calcium, soluble fiber, iron, and protein.
Chickens shouldn’t consume oats in large quantities, but they’re a good addition to a well-balanced diet. Avoid the ‘quick’ type, which is processed and contains fewer nutrients and more salt and sugar. Choose whole organic oats whenever possible.
Soaking oats in water before feeding them to your chickens renders them simpler to digest, and it’s a wonderful method to keep them hydrated during hot summer months or even during the winter, whenever water can freeze.
Shrimp Shells and Lobster Shells
Shrimp and lobster shells are excellent sources of chitin, a type of fiber that can aid in controlling internal parasites in chickens. These shells can be fed to your chickens either raw or cooked. Ensure no spices or harmful ingredients are added.
However, ensure they are crushed or ground to aid in digestion. It’s a novel way to recycle kitchen scraps while enriching your chickens’ diet.
This meat is packed with high-quality protein and essential amino acids necessary for feather regrowth during the molting season and overall health.
This protein source is particularly useful during the molting season or when your chickens need an extra protein boost.
19 Things You Should Know Before Getting Chickens
Before you jump into the world of chicken-keeping, there are a few essential things to know. Here’s our comprehensive guide of 19 essential tips to help you become a confident and successful chicken owner!
19 Things You Should Know Before Getting Chickens
How to Choose a Heritage Chicken Breed for Your Homestead
Many homesteaders raise heritage breed chickens on their land for eggs, meat, or both. Here are the best ways to choose a heritage breed over a hybrid or production breed.
How to Choose a Heritage Chicken Breed for the Home
How to Raise Your Own Chickens
Here’s a guide on how to raise your own chickens to lay eggs and eat meat.
