What Kind of Grain Foods Can Chickens Eat?

Chickens can eat all grain types as long as the individual kernels are small enough for the birds to swallow. Since chickens have no teeth, they swallow their food whole and particle size is important. A primary objective in feeding chickens, or any animal, is to ensure the ration is meeting nutritional requirements. Chickens need adequate amounts of protein, energy, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy, raise their young and provide meat and eggs. Grain is a good source of energy and also provides some protein to the diet.

  1. Suitable Grains

    • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), chickens can be given corn, rice, barley, oats, sorghum and millet. They can also be fed meal and bran made from these grains. Good criteria for selecting grains is cost, palatability and energy content. Since grains vary in energy content, the lowest cost per pound may not indicate the best buy. Cost also depends upon the amount of grain needed in the feed ration to meet energy requirements.

    Meal and Bran

    • Chickens can easily eat meal and bran because of their small particle sizes. Both of these materials are by-products of the milling process where grains are prepared for food, ethanol and plastic manufacture. Bran is the fiber part of the grain or seed that is screened from the remaining ingredients. There are two types of meal: gluten and germ. The seed germ is separated early in the milling process and is often added to other ingredients to produce a mixed feed. Gluten meal is what is left after oil, germ, starch and fiber have been removed from grain.

    Grain Preferences

    • Although chickens will eat most types of grain, they have a preference. In a research study conducted by Ohio State University, chicks were fed wheat, hulled barley, sorghum and dry corn at 17, 34 and 51 percent of the feed ration. Feed consumption decreased as wheat, barley and sorghum content was increased in the feed. Because of reduced energy intake, the chicks did not produce expected growth. Chickens fed hulless barley will have an increase in weight. This study shows that feed consumption needs to be measured on a daily basis and rations adjusted if chickens are not obtaining their required nutrients.

    Energy Content

    • Metabolizable energy varies between types of grain and between lots of the same grain. That is why it is important to obtain nutrient analysis of your feeds before designing rations and measuring consumption. Metabolizable energy of corn is around 4,700 kilocalories per kilogram and in wheat; it averages from 3,340 to 3,650. Barley's metaboizable energy values range from 2,890 to 3,290 kilocalories per kilogram and milo or sorghum contains from 3,490 to 4,190.