Chicken Food

The right chicken food helps keep your flock fed and ready for life around the coop, whether you’re raising backyard laying hens or growing meat birds. Start with a complete chicken feed made for your birds’ age and purpose. Chick starter feed supports early growth, while grower feed meets the needs of developing pullets before they begin laying. Layer feed provides calcium for eggshell formation and is intended for laying hens, not young chicks. Meat birds need a feeding program suited to their breed and growth stage, so check the feed label for directions rather than feeding every bird the same ration. Chicken feed comes in forms such as mash, crumbles and pellets, and the best fit depends on your flock’s age, feeding habits and feeder setup. For a mixed-age flock, an all-flock feed labeled for each bird’s life stage may be an option, with supplemental calcium offered separately for laying hens. A steady chicken feeding routine goes a long way toward supporting flock health and keeping waste down. Make complete poultry feed the main part of the diet, and keep scratch grains, mealworms and other chicken treats to no more than about 10% of daily intake so they don’t crowd out essential nutrients. Birds that eat scratch grains, forage or table scraps need access to appropriately sized insoluble poultry grit to help grind those foods in the gizzard; oyster shell supplies calcium but does not replace grit. Keep fresh, clean drinking water available at all times, especially during hot weather, and place chicken feeders where feed stays dry and protected from droppings. Store chicken food in a dry, covered container that helps keep rodents out, and discard feed that shows mold or signs of spoilage. Whether your birds roam the yard or spend their days in a coop and run, matching backyard chicken feed to their needs helps support growth, feather condition and egg production through each stage of flock life.