Feed

Chickens need a high-quality diet with the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals to support their basic body functions plus enough extra to put towards producing eggs. The best way to do this is by giving them a commercial feed that has been specifically formulated for the life stage of your birds.

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What to Feed

It is very difficult to meet a backyard chicken’s nutritional needs through free-ranging and foraging alone.  This is because chickens usually don’t have access to an adequate quantity and variety of food sources in the environments we typically keep them in.  That’s why we always recommend feeding a balanced commercial diet.

Commercial feed comes in 3 main forms:

Mash (Finely Ground)

Mix of finely ground grains. It is usually made by grinding up the raw ingredients. These can sometimes be contaminated by weed seeds from the harvested grains as well as rodent and wild bird faeces, which are a health risk to your birds. Although this feed usually less expensive, it can also cause problems for your birds if the particle size is not just right. Too small and the birds won’t eat it. Too large and they will selectively pick out their favourite bits which can lead to an unbalanced diet.

Crumble (Medium-Sized)

Made by crumbling pelleted feed into medium particle sizes. Usually given to chicks during the first 1 to 2 weeks of life.

Pellets (Large-Sized)

Mash that has been compressed into a pellet. Although this feed is usually more expensive, the processing process makes it more digestible for birds and all the ingredients are closely bound together into the pellet which makes sure the birds are eating everything they need. Pelleted feed has been compressed using steam at high temperature which kills off bacteria from rodent and wild bird contamination. Pellets are the best type of feed for growing and adults birds.

Scratch feed is a mix of larger size grains (usually wheat or maize) and should not be used as a primary feed source.

There are starter, grower, and layer feeds that are formulated to contain the right nutrient balance for each life stage. 

Although it is ideal for layers to have at least 16-18% protein in their diet, they can still produce well on a lower protein feed in the 14-16% range.  During their annual moult, increasing the protein levels to at least 20% can help them regrow feathers more efficiently.

How much to feed

You generally don’t need to worry about overfeeding chickens since they will naturally tend to eat just the right amount to meet their daily protein and energy needs.  However, it is still important to make they are provided with enough in their feeders. 

The average laying hen will eat about 125g (~ 0.5 cup) of feed per day. Larger heritage breeds may need a little extra at 150g of feed per day.  You may also need give your birds some extra if they are being fed a low quality feed that has less nutrients per gram of food than higher quality feeds.

When To Feed

Feed should be given first thing in the morning so that birds fill up with their daily nutrients before starting to forage on other lower nutritional value foods.  If you want to feed them again in the afternoon, you can give them a scratch feed (eg, wheat, maize) at 10g per bird. In the winter, this can help keep their body temperature up overnight as the chickens digest the high carbohydrate content in the food.

How to Feed

There are many different styles of feeders that can be divided into three main categories:

Tray, Bowl, or Trough

These feeders are cheap and quick to build using wooden frames or split PVC pipes. The main disadvantages are that they can get dirty very quickly from birds jumping in the feeders, they are more prone to spills leading to wasted feed, and they can attract rodents or other wild birds.

Gravity-Fed Feeder

These feeders dispense a small amount of feed through openings in the bottom. They are low maintenance, easy-to-use, and provide chickens with a constant source of food.

Treadle or Flip-Top Feeder

These feeders usually have a plate or a bar that chickens step on to open a lid to the feed. The storage container can be filled up so that chickens can access feed all the time. These systems are designed to minimise wastage and keep rodents or other birds from getting into the feed.

Larger indoor commercial operations will often use spin feeders that distribute food in a large circular pattern which allows birds to forage, scratch, and peck for food like they would in a natural environment. These also reduce stress because birds don’t have to compete for space at the feeder.  The main disadvantage is that it only works with pelleted feeds and the feed gets mixed into litter and manure. These systems aren’t recommended for outdoor environments.

In general, you want the feeder to be positioned with the height about level with where the back of the bird’s neck meets the body. This will usually be about 10 to 15 cm off the floor but may need to be lower if you have a mixed flock with smaller birds.

 If the feeder is too high, it prevents birds from eating.  If the feeder is too low, birds may waste feed and it increases the risk of breast and leg injuries as a result of laying down for long periods while eating. In mixed flocks, you may need to have two feeders adjusted to appropriate heights. 

If you have a rodent problem, you may wish to position the feeder above chicken height and provide a step for them to reach it.

According to the Code of Welfare, linear feeders need to provide at least 10cm of space per hen and circular feeders need to provide at least 4cm of space per hen. If it gets too crowded, hens that are lower in the pecking order may miss out on feed or feel stressed.

Where to Feed

Most people choose to keep feeders in the run if their birds are allowed outdoor access during the day. The feeders should be located in an area that will be protected from wind and rain.  Underneath a two-storey coop or underneath the overhang from the coop ceilings are ideal places.

Make sure to clean up any spilled feed every day to prevent it from moulding and to stop it from attracting predators.

Storing Feed

It is recommended to keep at least 3 to 7 days worth of feed on your property in case of emergency. However, you don’t want to store more than 6 to 8 weeks of feed to maintain freshness and quality.

Feed needs to be stored in a dry place that is protected from rodents and wild birds. Rodents can chew through even quite thick plastic so you may need to consider using metal bins or metal storage containers.