What is the best diet for chickens?

When asking the question, "What is the best diet for chickens?", We should start by considering what is not. The general diet for most backyard chickens is a grain and seed mix combined with leftovers of kitchen scraps as well as garden waste. It may seem like a natural diet but is not recommended for the health and well-being of laying hens.

Laying hens need a high protein diet as well as proper hydration for healthy egg production. As a rule, the majority of bright coloured seed and grain mixes available at most pet stores do not have the required protein for laying hens. Such a diet can reduce the quality of the eggs as well as the volume quantity produced. Also, with mixed feeds such as seed and grain mix, hens pick out what they like and leave the rest discarded. So their diet is unlikely to meet even their dietary requirements.

Are Scraps and Leftovers ok for Chickens and Hens?

Let's be very clear here. Chickens can have kitchen scraps and garden waste. Chickens and Layers can be given a seed and grain mix. But, these food sources should be used as treats one or two times a week. Also, because these are generally hand feed to chickens or sprinkled on the coop floor, only give the chickens enough that they can eat it all within 15 minutes. Any more than this shall likely remain on the floor and be an attraction to rodents at night. The best time to feed scraps like this is at lunchtime.

Limiting garden waste and kitchen scraps will not only ensure that laying hens are getting the balanced nutrition that they require, but it may also help to control rodents in the chicken coop by removing a readily available food source in the form of rotting scraps.

What is the best feed for chickens?

The best diet for chickens is a pellet mix. While it looks bland, it is formulated to provide the required protein for your hens. If you wish to supplement the protein, a great healthy treat for chickens is Dried Mealworms. Due to the dry nature of a pellet mix, always ensure your chickens have adequate water at all times. You can provide sufficient water all the time using a Dine A Chook Chicken Drinker System. The water is not only essential for their digestion of the feed but also the chickens use the water to help soften the pellets when eating and swallowing.

If you want organic eggs, visit your Chicken Feed Supplier and ask them about their range of Organic Chicken pellet mix. Homegrown Organics eggs simply come down to the feed which the chicken consumes.