Raising Chickens/Feeding

Feeding chickens is almost as easy as watering them. In nature chickens are the garbage cleaners of the south east Asian jungle. For everyday food you can feed your chickens either chicken food (found at feed stores) or pig food. In Alberta the UFA Hog Grower is the same as the chick starter except the pellets are bigger, and the hog grower contains less antibiotics. If you have access to grain then you can feed that to them. Whenever you make food with lots of scraps (peelings and bits of vegetables that humans shouldn't eat) then feed those to them. Chickens can be trained so well if they see a small bucket (for carrying chicken scraps) they get excited because a treat is coming. You can feed your chickens in a trough, appropriate sized container, or by scattering the food on the ground. You can even give your chickens bones with scraps of meat on them. There is very little that they won't eat.

Information Specific to Laying Hens
Laying hens require calcium for egg shells. During the laying season, put a pile or box of crushed clam shells in their pen. Crushed clam shells are available at most local feed/farm stores. If you scatter the clam shells too much, you won't know when the hens need more until you see paper-thin shells. Egg shells also work for the calcium, but you run the risk of the birds learning to eat their own eggs. To avoid this you should crush the shells so that they don't look like eggs.

Other Information
If you have any questions about whether chickens should eat a particular food or not post your question on the Raising Chickens/Feeding discussion page.

Lettuce, cauliflower and cabbage leaves Feel free to add items that you have found chickens shouldn't or won't eat though just like people they are individuals and all have their own likes and dislikes so it cannot be justly said that they WILL or WILL NOT eat a certain food.

Cheese: My chickens go mad for cheese. It is very fatty however and should not be given in abundance.

And finally, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER feed chickens (or any other bird) avocado. Avocados (their peelings, the fruit itself, and the seeds) are POISONOUS TO BIRDS.