What Should I Feed My Chicken for a Treat?

People raise and keep chickens for a variety of reasons. They are relatively inexpensive to maintain, they provide fresh eggs that are free from pesticides and hormones, they provide excellent fertilizer and they are actually friendly, fun pets. Though their dietary needs are not as complex as ours, like us, chickens need a mixture of proteins, carbohydrates and fats as well as minerals and vitamins. As with any pet, food for your backyard chicken is readily available, as are a variety of treats.

  1. Basic Needs

    • Chicken feed is easily obtainable at feed and pet stores.

      You can provide chickens with their basic nutritional needs though readily obtained mixes that consist of grains, corn or prepared pellets. Because chickens require calcium in order to lay eggs, crushed oyster is often an ingredient in prepared feed. If it is not in your feed, add it to the regular diet. Feed chickens in a common trough or feed holder, or scatter food on the ground to emulate chickens' natural feeding habit of scratching and pecking the ground. Fresh water is also a daily requirement for healthy chickens.

    Foraging for Food

    • Chickens forage on the ground for seeds and small insects.

      Chickens' natural instinct is to forage on the ground for a wide variety of food items, such as grass and other small plants, seeds, insects, worms and even small animals, such as mice. Insects and small animals provide additional protein to their diet. This is often called "scratch" because of the way the birds scratch at the ground to uncover these tiny bits of food. Chickens will also swallow tiny rocks (called gizzard stones) which help them digest their food.

    Offering "People Food" as Treats

    • Instead of throwing away edible leftovers, feed them to your chickens.

      Chickens are omnivores and can healthfully eat a wide variety of foods. Supplementing their ordinary diet with human leftovers will ensure that they receive proper nutrition as well as enjoyable treats. Examples of "people food" that are safe to feed to your chickens are spaghetti or other pasta, meat scraps, cheese, dog or cat food, bones with bits of meat and bread scraps. Some chickens also love yogurt, which has the added benefit of providing additional calcium to their diet. Never feed spoiled food to your chickens.

    Favorite Treats

    • Fruits and vegetables make the best treats for chickens.

      Chickens prefer fruits and vegetables as treats, along with one item most humans definitely do not prefer: mealworms. All chickens will rush to gobble up mealworms. Most chickens also enjoy a long list of fruits such as apples, bananas and berries or fresh vegetables such as broccoli, squash or peas. Try various fruits and vegetables with your chickens to determine which they prefer. Prepared chicken treats are also available at feed stores or online. Just as people tire of the "same old thing" over and over, chickens do too. Vary the treats you offer to your birds. Like us, individual chickens may have certain likes and dislikes. While one hen may rush to pick up a piece of an apple, another may turn up its beak at it and go instead for a handful of oats.