What should I feed my Chickens?

As with any pet, making sure your Chickens get a complete and balanced diet is essential to maintain their happiness and health. We have a whole category dedicated to keeping chickens here.

It is a great start to give your chickens a good quality poultry feed, something like the layers pellets for example. They will help make sure your chickens get all the nutrients they need. Feeds can come in pellet, mash, or crumbled forms and are usually made up of grains, grit, and vitamins.

Alongside pellets, you can also feed a mix of fresh fruit and vegetables, this could be vegetable peels from when you prepare your evening meal, or apples & berries, you can not really go wrong!

A chicken’s nutritional requirements, however, do change given age, size, and if they are laying eggs. For example, if you find your hen’s eggs are thin-shelled for example, this could be an indicator that they are not getting enough Calcium in their diet, giving them a calcium supplement, for example, could be the best answer though always get advice from your vet if you have any concerns. A good indicator is looking at feeding behavior as this could be an indicator of something wrong with their diet.

Foods to avoid include citrus, raw potato, avocado, onion, garlic, and uncooked pasta & beans. Avoiding anything high in fat and sugar also is a must.

Those keen-eyed will have noticed that there is a good proportion of poultry feed that consists of grit. Grit is essential for a chicken to digest and break down their food in their stomachs. For chickens without access to dirt in the garden, you will need to provide them with some grit. Grit usually consists of crushed shells, stones, or gravel and can be bought by the tub. If your chicken has access to your garden, they will pull up weeds and plant roots, it is essential to make sure that there would be nothing poisonous for them in these situations.

As with any pet, ensuring the right diet is a must. Keep an eye on your pet’s coat/feather, eyes, and teeth/gums alongside their general behavior and feeding. All can be an indicator of your pet’s overall health and wellbeing.