What Do Chickens Eat? A Complete Guide

Chickens are omnivores — in the wild, they eat seeds, insects, worms, small lizards, and whatever else they can scratch up. In a backyard or pastured setting, your job is to make sure their diet covers all their nutritional needs while letting them express their natural foraging behavior. Here's everything you need to know.

The Foundation: Commercial Layer Feed

For laying hens, a quality commercial layer feed should make up the bulk of their diet — roughly 90%. Layer feed is formulated to provide the right balance of protein, calcium, and other nutrients for consistent egg production.

Layer feed comes in three main forms:

• Pellets: Compressed and uniform. Less waste, easier to manage in feeders. Best for most backyard and pastured flocks.
• Crumbles: Broken-down pellets. Good for younger birds transitioning from chick starter.
• Mash: Ground feed. Higher waste but some birds prefer it. Can be mixed with water to make a wet mash.

Feed Quality Tiers

• Conventional layer feed: Most affordable, widely available. Contains corn and soy, may include synthetic amino acids.
• Non-GMO layer feed: Made from non-genetically modified grains. Preferred by many small-scale producers and backyard keepers who want to avoid GMO ingredients.
• Certified organic layer feed: Non-GMO plus no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers in the grain supply. Required for certified organic egg production.

For more detail on feed quality, see our complete chicken feed guide.

Protein Requirements by Life Stage

• Chick starter (0–8 weeks): 18–20% protein — supports rapid growth and feather development
• Grower/developer (8–18 weeks): 16–18% protein — supports continued growth without excess calcium
• Layer feed (18+ weeks): 15–18% protein + 3.5–4% calcium — supports egg production and shell quality

Don't feed layer feed to chicks under 18 weeks — the high calcium content can damage developing kidneys.

Calcium: The Egg Shell Mineral

Laying hens need significantly more calcium than non-laying birds — about 4 grams per day. Layer feed provides most of this, but many keepers also offer free-choice oyster shell in a separate dish. Hens will self-regulate and take what they need.

Crushed eggshells are a free alternative to oyster shell — bake them at 250°F for 10 minutes to kill any pathogens, then crush and offer free-choice.

Grit

Chickens don't have teeth — they grind food in their gizzard using small stones called grit. Hens on pasture usually find enough grit naturally. Confined birds need it provided. Offer insoluble grit (granite or flint) free-choice in a separate dish from oyster shell.

Water

Fresh, clean water is the most important thing you provide. Hens drink 1–2 cups of water per day — more in hot weather. Egg production drops quickly when water is restricted. Clean waterers at least weekly; daily in summer.

Treats and Supplements

Treats should make up no more than 10% of the diet. Too many treats dilute the nutritional balance of their layer feed. Good options:

• Vegetables: Leafy greens, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes — most vegetables are fine. Avoid avocado, onion, and raw potato.
• Fruit: Berries, melon, apple (no seeds) — high in sugar, so limit quantity.
• Mealworms: High protein, great for molting birds. Dried or live both work.
• Scratch grains: Corn, wheat, milo — a treat, not a feed. Low in protein and calcium. Best used in small amounts in the evening to encourage natural scratching behavior.
• Herbs: Oregano, thyme, lavender, mint — chickens enjoy them and some have mild antimicrobial properties.

What Chickens Should NOT Eat

• Avocado (toxic — can be fatal)
• Chocolate or caffeine
• Raw or dried beans (contain hemagglutinin, toxic to chickens)
• Onion and garlic in large quantities (can affect egg flavor and cause anemia)
• Moldy or spoiled food
• Salty foods
• Raw potato or green potato skins (contain solanine)

Feeding on Pasture

Pastured hens supplement their diet with insects, worms, seeds, and plant matter. This is one of the reasons pastured eggs have darker yolks and higher omega-3 content — the varied diet shows up in the egg. On good pasture, hens may reduce their feed consumption by 10–20%, but they still need full access to layer feed at all times.

Ready to Start Your Flock?

Our Golden Comet pullets arrive ready to lay and already transitioned to layer feed — no starter or grower phase to manage. Order your pullets here and we'll deliver free on orders of 100 or more.