What to Feed your Chickens? Info on Chicken Feed

Deciding on what to feed your chickens is nearly as complicated as what to feed your children. There are so many different options on the market.

Medicate vs Non-Medicated

If your chicks have been vaccinated against coccidiosis, you should use non-medicated chick feed. By feeding the medicated chick starter, which has small doses of the medication, it counteracts the immunity from the vaccination. 

If you have a flock of all ages and your chicks haven’t been vaccinated, you should use non-medicated chick feed, especially if you are using a broody hen. Older chickens have either been vaccinated against coccidiosis or have built up an immunity and you don’t want to interfere with that.

Coccidiosis can kill an entire flock. If your chicks haven’t been vaccinated and you don’t have older birds, use a medicated chick feed until 16 weeks of age.

Feeding a Mixed Flock

Layer feed has more calcium than chick starter or the grower/finisher. Given too soon, before their body needs it, it can damage their kidneys. You can try and feed your birds separately. However, once you start to integrate the babies into your flock, it’s nearly impossible to keep them from eating each other’s food.

We usually start to integrate around twelve weeks of age. It’s just easier for us to manage. Since we offer food 24-7, the babies do have access to the layer feed. I will feed them first before letting them out in the morning. Hoping they will be too full and ignore the big girl’s food. Due to the pecking order, the older chickens run them off anyways.

Now if the chicks don’t eat all their feed, the big girls will devour it. They act like it’s a special treat. So, because of this, I try to pick it up whenever possible.

I can always tell when the older girls are eating too much chick starter, they will go through a few weeks where the eggshells are thin and not as strong. When this happens, I’ll sprinkle crushed-up tums on top of their treats plus we offer oyster shell free choice. The babies usually don’t bother the oyster shell. 

Switch to grower/finisher/developer

Some old-timers will say you don’t need grower-finisher feed and they will go from chick starter to layer feed. This is a personal preference, but we use the grower-finisher. Chick starter is high in protein. Depending on the brand, usually around 20-24%, which their little bodies need the first few months. The finish grower we use has less protein.

If you decide to use the grower/finisher, introduce around 2 months of age.

When you start to make the changeover, I like to mix half chick starter with the grower-finisher.

I think a lot of chickens are picky about their food and our girls are no exception. By mixing half and half, this gives them a chance to get use to the different tastes and texture plus it’s easier on their gut. 

When to Switch to Layer Feed?

Around eighteen weeks, I’d start mixing your grower-finisher with the layer feed, like you did the chick starter and the grower-finisher. This way when you’re ready to switch completely, it will not be such a hard transition.

Most hens will start laying around eighteen to twenty weeks. Some of the smaller breeds, like Leghorns and Sexlinks, could lay earlier and some of the heavier breeds, maybe around twenty-two to twenty-four weeks.

If your hen doesn’t get enough calcium, her body will pull it from her bones. So as soon as they are laying, you want to be using the layer feed 100% of the time. 

Egg production requires a lot of protein and calcium so feeding a quality layer feed is essential.  

Crumble vs Pellets

Young chickens prefer crumbles over pellets. As your chicken ages, they are able to pick up larger pieces and some prefer it.

Feeding pellets make less of a mess and my friends that use it will tell you there is less wasted. Our girls make the biggest mess when eating, throwing food everywhere.

We’ve tried to switch to pellets, but our girls prefer the layer crumbles. Hazel our Wyandotte has a trimmed beak., so when we got her, I purchased layer pellets. I thought it would be easier for her to pick up and it would be a great time to switch everyone over.

But nope! Our girls looked at us like we’d lost our minds! They wouldn’t even touch it.

Because I hate for anyone, person or animal, to go hungry, I gave in and reverted back to the crumbles. We really don’t spend a lot on feed (maybe $20 a month for our six girls) but I still don’t like to waste so I’ll probably try and switch again.  

Meat Birds

If you are raising meat birds, there is a specific feed designed for them. It’s higher in protein and has less calcium. Meat birds are growing rapidly so their protein requirement is higher. When our girls are molting, and they aren’t laying, I’ll substitute their layer feed with meat bird feed.

Scratch Feed

You may hear the term scratch feed which can be confusing. Scratch grains are a treat and usually consist of corn, oats, milo, barley, millet and sunflower seeds.

Scratch is high in carbs and low in protein, so it’s not a complete feed. It’s a great boredom buster and we use it as a treat in the winter to add extra calories. I also like to sprinkle in the run. The girls scratch the bedding around which cuts down on my chores.

Treats

We love giving our girls treats and they’ve come to expect it. It’s a great way to socialize with them and get them used to you. Generally, I like to give treats based on what they may need. For example, in the summer, I give grapes, blueberries, watermelon, and cantaloupe. When they are molting, we will give treats higher in protein, like mealworms, sardines, sunflower seeds, and eggs. In winter, we do more scratch than anything else.

To keep your chickens healthy, a balanced nutrient intake that includes the six major building blocks: protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and water, is required.

Make sure your birds have adequate feeder space. Chicks and pullets need 2 inches of feeder space and adult birds need 4 inches. Also, place your feeder in an open centralized area so each bird has access to it.

Treats should only make up about 10% of their diet. As a general rule of thumb, don’t give more than they can consume in 20 minutes. For their health, try and limit.