Alternatives for Chicken Feed

Store bought chicken feed usually contains a heavy amount of grains that have been enhanced with chemicals and other inorganic chemicals to help chickens grow and produce a higher concentration of meat. There are some alternatives, however, to this store bought chicken feed that will help you raise healthier chickens in a more organic fashion.

  1. Soybean Meal

    • Soybean meal for chicken feed is a common and healthy substitute for the grainy corn chicken feed purchased at most barn animal supply stores. It contains a large number of minerals and nutrients that are beneficial for the chicken. The only issue with feeding soybean meal to chickens is that it is often more costly than normal corn-based chicken feed. This being the case, it can be mixed in with cornmeal as well as peanut meal and fish meal to make it last longer.

    Whole Grains

    • If you are not worried about the price, whole grains may be used as chicken feed as well. Whole grains are the most nutritious form of chicken feed that is available because it uses all-natural grains and provides the highest concentration of protein, vitamins and minerals that chickens need. Grains are not mashed, crushed or boiled in their processing, making them contain all possible nutrients. The price of whole grains is the highest of any type of feed, but often produces the best quality eggs and meat in chickens.

    Cassava Flour

    • Though it is rare to see cassava flour used as chicken feed in the United States, many other countries use it because of its high nutritional value for the chicken and its natural composition. It is much cheaper than soybean meal, but often costs more to have it imported because it requires a certain type of soil to grow. It also helps the chickens produce more eggs because of how it boosts the reproductive organs. Cassava flour on its own is bland and not filling, so many farmers mix it with rice bran to make it last longer.

    Ground Peanuts

    • Another more expensive alternative to corn chicken feed, peanuts in their raw form can be crushed and ground to smaller sizes to make a nutritious and filling feed for chickens. Though peanuts can be altered by hormones, they are a nut, so their composition is relatively standard. The only pitfall of using peanuts is that they do not help the reproductive organs of chickens as well as other feeds, so farmers will lose production in the chickens in exchange for health.