What Do I Feed My Roosters?

While some claim that roosters need separate diets from hens, most people who keep chickens and roosters in their backyard find that roosters will quite happily eat the same basic diet as the hens in the flock. The claim that roosters should be fed a separate diet to hens stems from commercial breeders who keep roosters and hens separately and thus feed them separate diets.

  1. Roosters for Different Purposes

    • Commercial breeders often feed roosters specific diets so that the roosters do not get too big to mate with the hens. In these cases, the composition of the feed is very different from the hens' feed. For those wishing to use their roosters for productive breeding, it is advisable to feed roosters a diet that contains less protein, energy and calcium than that of hens. While hens need a high protein and energy diet to lay a maximum amount of eggs, you may find that roosters become big and lazy if given the same diet. This may lead to the roosters becoming inactive and mating frequency can decrease.

    Small Flocks

    • However, when you keep your roosters and hens together, it is not always feasible to feed your hens and roosters separate diets. Many people who keep a small amount of hens and roosters let their roosters eat the layer food that they give to their hens, with no detrimental effects. If productivity is not your main concern, roosters will live happily and healthily for three to five years on a similar diet to your hens. Roosters will usually only eat the food that provides for their specific needs. If you feed your hens oyster shells in order to strengthen the shells of the hens' eggs, it is likely that your roosters will simply ignore this food. However, you may wish to place food supplements for the hens, such as layer pellets and oyster shell, in a separate dish.

    Poultry Nutrition

    • Learn about poultry nutrition by reading and researching the best diet for your hens and roosters. Providing a complete diet for your flock will increase production. Common diets include food scraps, chicken feed, layer pellets, grass clippings and corn, oats and alfalfa pellets as treats. To give your roosters and hens the best nutrition, buy a balanced, quality chicken feed that states the ingredients on the label. Or, you may wish to mix your own feed.

    Supplements

    • You should still supplement the diets of free-range roosters and hens even though they will forage for food themselves. Although chickens eat seeds, bugs and worms in the ground, as you can't see them, it is difficult to estimate how much your chickens are eating and if they are getting enough food. One suggestion is to offer your chickens as much high-quality and balanced chicken feed as they want in order to supplement the natural food that they find on their own.