Feeding Guide

Eating, scratching ground looking for insects and drinking water are three of a chicken's favourite things. Sunbathing is also a big hit with them, but the weather will sort that out for you, normally when you and the chickens least expect it. As for food, I buy the best I can afford, as whatever goes into that hen comes out as an egg - which I then eat. If you think of it that way, your attitude to the type of food you give them may change. You can fill them up with leftovers from the kitchen, but that isn't a healthy diet for a chicken - and it won't get you the best eggs.

1. Crumbs, Grit, Growers, Mash and Layers.

Chick Crumbs

So, from birth a chick eats Chick Crumbs. These are easily digestible little bits of high protein food, which the older chickens will go for too. I always think of chick crumbs as the poultry equivalent of 'Farleys Rusks' - they taste good whatever your age! However, once a chick is able to access adult food and scratch in the ground, it will also do that. Put the crumbs down in your nursery cage, but also put down adult food for the hen and wait for the chick to go for it. I always buy a bag of crumbs and never finish it as the chick's tastes have already moved on before the end of the food.

Layers Pellets with Grit

After Chick Crumbs, you 'should' then feed Growers Pellets to your chicks until they are about 16 weeks old. This gives them more protein and will help to bulk them up. I never do this as they migrate onto the same Layers Pellets that my adult chickens eat without any problems. I need to keep my chickens on the Layers Pellets as my hens need the nutrients in them to lay, so Growers are not an option for me. I then continue to feed Layers Pellets throughout the adult life of my birds, to both the hens and cockerels.
Always have bird grit available for your chickens. They need about 30 grams a month in their gullet to help breakdown their food. Grit also comes with 'Oyster shell', which is a great boost for hardening the chickens' shells. You can either buy this separately, or it's included in some brands of Layers Pellets.

Layers Mash

Grower Pellets

An alternative to Layers Pellets is Layers Mash. Instead of the food in pellet form, this is the basic formula as a loose mix. I don't use it as my chickens rake through it to eat only the bits they like, which gives them an uneven diet. It also blows away in a slight wind, so it's a bit wasteful.

If your chicks are divided from the main flock your food options are greater. You could choose to do the Growers Pellets stage, or if you are rearing a bunch of cockerels for the pot - then Growers Pellets are all you will need until you are ready to either cull or sell them at about 5 - 6 months.

2. Chicken Treats

Yes, they love treats. But leave these until later in the day. If your chickens are egg layers, they will need to get nice and full on Layers Pellets in the morning so that they have all the nutrients they need to make an egg. Later in the day you can treat your chickens to some Mixed Corn, (yellow corn is like chocolate for them!), or pumpkin seeds, fresh vegetable peelings, even chips! Think of your chicken's diet as you do your own - your chicken will thrive on fresh produce, but will eat all the rubbish that we put in our bodies. However, it's no better for them than it is for us - so keep the treats simple and healthy.

3. Meat
Chickens eat insects and even the occasional rodent. Some owners I know say that a tin of good quality cat food once a month is a good supplement to a chickens diet if they don't have access to their natural diet. I've fed mine a tin of tuna, which they loved, and also bits of bacon - which they go bonkers for. Just don't do it too often, as they don't need it.

4. Supplements
Your absolute basic supplements are time-tested and known by all hardened poultry-fanciers. That's Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and Poultry Spice. ACV has to be 'live', like a yoghurt, to be effective. When you buy it, ensure it has 'mother' in it - the strange substance that makes it live. Don't use ACV from the supermarket - it's been pasteurised and has no health benefits. I use a glug of ACV in each load of drinking water. It helps with the chickens overall condition and it's also a disinfectant. If a chicken looks a bit mopey, ACV can often pick it up again.

Your other traditional supplement is Poultry Spice. This is a powdered mixture of calcium and other vitamins and minerals, along with a hefty dose of spices, that can be added to layers pellets. To stop it from falling off the pellets and going to waste at the bottom of your feeder, mix your daily pellets in a bowl with a big pinch of Poultry Spice and a glug of vegetable oil. Mix it all together and the oil will ensure the powder sticks to the pellets.

I use another supplement each day that has a multitude of benefits: Diatomaceous Earth (DE). The brand name is DiatomX. This is a white powder that I add along with the Poultry Spice and oil to the pellets each day. It works as an internal wormer and insecticide and helps to keep your flock healthy. As a bonus it also comes out of their body in their faeces and dis-inhibits the growth of fly larvae, so you also end up with fewer flies around.

There are many other supplements and you can spend a fortune on high-tech concoctions, but buyer be canny. Check the content for exactly what you're buying, as you may be buying an old favourite that's just been dressed up in posh new clothes.