What Types of Foods Do Chickens Eat?

Chickens are not finicky eaters. Free-range chickens can roam the yard and peck and scratch to feed themselves. If they are kept for egg production or for hatching more chicks they may need additional foods in their diet. Proper diets help them produce healthy chicks and eggs with sturdy shells. Commercial feeds are available at farm supply stores.

  1. Vegetables

    • Scratch feed purchased at farm supply stores and some major grocery stores contains coarsely ground or crushed corn. Chickens like anything that is a corn product. Table scraps which contain vegetables are suitable. Fresh vegetables should be chopped or broken into smaller pieces. Potato peels, cooked potatoes, carrot tops and other vegetable discards can be fed to chickens.

    Greens

    • Chickens enjoy greens. Cabbage, chickweed, comfrey, dandelion, parsley, red clover, watercress and many other greens add variety to their diet. If the chickens don't have access to these, pull them and toss them in the chicken coop. To clear a weedy area in your yard, put up a fence and place the chickens in it for awhile. It'll be clean in no time. They will scratch and eat, including the roots.

    Grains

    • Wild birdseed mixtures that contain a variety of seeds and grains can be given to chickens. They like alfalfa, barley, rice, rye, sunflower seeds, oats and wheat. Laying hens need about a half cup of commercial laying mash everyday to be good producers. Organic grains can be purchased at health food stores. Crumbled leftover breads, rolls and cooked noodles can also be included.

    Miscelleanous

    • Chickens that are allowed free range enjoy scratching for worms, grubs and other small insects. Bugs and worms provide the protein they need. Melon and melon rinds are a treat for chickens as well as apple peelings and cores. Crushed egg and oyster shells provide calcium in their diets. Including cheese scraps will also help. Egg shells that you crush for them should be rinsed to remove the albumen. They will also peck meat from bones, even poultry bones.