feeding chickens:
part 1 of our 2-part series on feeding chickens!
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This article has moved! Click here to go to the new, revised and updated article: FEEDING CHICKENS!
The updated article includes even more information on the basics of feeding chickens.
One common question on our poultry message boards concerns feeding chickens. Many of our members also wonder about feeding geese and feeding ducks. For example, one member wrote:
- "Should I feed my chickens feed other than grain? I am wondering about amounts per day per chicken and what you feed them?"
Feeding chickens is relatively simple. On the most basic level, all you have to do is go to your local feed store and grab a bag of chicken feed formulated for the age group and type of chicken that you're raising. There are specific commercial feed formulations for layers, meat birds (broilers), chicks, growers, show birds, etc.
That is, of course, the simple answer. As a small-scale hobbyist and chicken enthusiast, you have certain freedoms and flexibility in regards to what you feed your chickens. As message board contributor Heidicat does, you can supplement your chickens' diet with things like healthy kitchen scraps. "[My chickens] LOVE greens, i.e., grass, lettuce, apples, leftover veggies from dinner the night before, and bugs," she says. However, "the main source of their food should come from the layer feed, as it has all of the vitamins [that] they need to be healthy," says Heidi.
The purpose of this free poultry article is to provide you with a brief overview of what most chicken feeds should have in their ingredients, methods of feeding chickens, and how to supplement their diet with healthy kitchen scraps.
How To Feed Your Chickens:
First, make sure your chicken feed is fresh. If it's stale or moldy, throw it out! That being said, many hobbyists feed their chickens simply by filling their feeders in the morning and replenishing it in the evening.
Message board member Burlsun says "I feed my chickens Hi Lay 16 pellet. They do get the grain also. The brand of the feed is Honor, same with the grain. I have chicks also. I feed them All-purpose poultry."
cguardsman, another poultryOne forum member, uses general purpose crumbles, but will "generally throw out scratch grains in the evening...mine have not started to lay yet so I have not switched to layer rations."
For meat birds, 100 4-week old meat birds should eat no less than about 7-8 pounds of chicken feed/day. Hens, on the other hand, depend on their size and breed and the rate of their lay. Generally, small layers like Leghorns will eat about 4-5 ounces of feed per day. Larger breeds, like Barred Plymouth Rocks (which is the type of chicken that I have), eat a little more.
Important Notes About Feeding Chickens:
Did you know that a chicken's body is more than 50 percent water? Water is a very important thing to provide your chickens with. Too little water results in dehydration, excessive stress, and a decline in egg production. Chickens deprived of water for 24 hours will take 24 more hours to recover completely. If you are starting your chicken flock from chicks, a gallon of clean water per day should be enough for 100 chicks. Mature birds need about 1 to 2 cups of water a day, with layers needing more water than non-layers. The weather/heat also affects how much water a chicken will drink. Water should be clean, fresh, and available at all times.
Besides feed and water, you will also want to provide them with a calcium supplement (if they are layers). poultryOne member cguardman advises that "oyster shell (calcium) should be given when they start laying. If given too early, they could have egg binding issues." Finally, you'll want to provide your chickens with grit. Because all birds lack teeth, grit helps the chickens digest their food.
Both calcium supplements, if needed, and grit (essential!) should be offered free-choice in a separate dish. You can leave it out all day for them to pick at when they need to. On our forum, Heidicat's suggestion is that "a bowl, or a pet self feeder works just fine for the grit. [Give] Oyster shell after you see the first egg. I picked up a couple of self feeders for cats, at a garage sale, and cut the bottoms bigger to let the grit and shell flow easier. Put them up on a cement block, to keep them clean, and it has worked for years now."
Besides the "essentials", some hobbyists feed their chickens something called scratch. Chicken scratch is basically a mix of two or more types of grain. Do not feed them too much, since that can throw off the nutritional balance of their regular feed. However, it makes a great treat and something healthy for your chickens to peck at.
Many hobbyists also feed their chickens kitchen scraps. This is a great way to supplement their diet. Keep in mind that you should only feed your chickens HEALTHY kitchen scraps such as vegetable and fruit scraps. Certain things that shouldn't be fed to your chickens include meat, fat, spoiled food, onions (it will taint the eggs), raw potatoes, and sugary human food.
Essential Nutrients in Chicken Feed:
- Protein: Humans already know the importance of protein for strong muscles and growth. The same goes for chickens! Protein is an essential part of your chickens' feed requirements. Protein supplies crucial amino acids, and too little (or too much) protein is bad for your hens. Therefore, be sure to check that you're buying the right food for the type of chicken that you are raising. For example, layer hens do not need the same exorbitantly high levels of protein that growing chicks need.
Minerals: Important minerals for your chickens include calcium, phosphorus and salt (also known as sodium chloride), all in the proper ratio. Calcium is especially crucial for layer hens, and a deficiency in this mineral will manifest itself as weak (or no) egg shells. We offer a short article about proving layer hens with calcium.
Vitamins, Carbohydrates, and Fats: Energy, in poultry terminology, is portrayed as M.E., or metabolized energy. Your chickens will demand more carbohydrates and fats during the cold winter nights when they need extra energy to keep warm. This goes both ways, and you'll notice your chickens eating less during the heat of summer.
Chickens need their vitamins, just like people do! Common vitamins include the B complexes (essential for managing chicken stress management), vitamin C (great for your chickens' immune systems and health), and vitamin D (essential to prevent rickets - discussed in our "Diseases" section)
Reader Comments About This Poultry Article:
Jennifer: Very interesting article. However, could you please advise as to how much food I should be feeding my chickens on a daily basis. I have a flock of 20 and usually give them half a bucketful every day. Egg production is very good.
Pamela: where are the gizzards found in a chicken
Pat: how long after a hen has chicks does she start laying eggs again
Barb: This article is the best I've read, as a beginning chicken farmer, as far as clarity, being concise, and attending to the most important issues. Thank you!
Anonymous: Well, the info is good. Seems I have a prolapsed chicken. Do they make chicken hemorrhoidal cream? Or are you referring to use of a HUMAN medication? Does it go on the INSIDE? Or the outside? If the prolapse immediately sucks back into the nether cavity, what does one do then? Oh, apply inside? Does it take two people to do this? I do have a prolapsed silkie, and am a new chicken owner. Trying to find out: 1) if this is what I have. 2) EXACTLY how to treat. 3) What causes this and how to prevent in the future. It is a good article, but a bit non-specific when popped up on a Google search #1 in the gate on search criteria: prolapsed vent chicken.
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