Providing compassionate, lifelong care for chickens in sanctuaries or as backyard companions begins with a well-informed approach to their diet. With a plethora of information available, understanding the specific nutritional needs of chickens is crucial for their health and well-being. This guide explores the essential components of a natural diet for chickens, covering everything from protein and grains to necessary supplements and potential hazards.
Essential Nutritional Components
Like all animals, chickens have specific nutritional needs that must be met to ensure their health and well-being. A balanced diet for chickens should include the following key components:
Protein
Protein is essential for chickens' muscle development and overall growth. This is particularly important for hens, as egg-laying places a significant nutritional demand on their bodies. To compensate for this loss, their diets must be rich in protein. Soybeans can be mixed into their daily feed to provide an additional protein boost. Some caretakers also allow hens to consume their own eggs, which can help replenish lost nutrients.
Grains
Grains, such as oats, corn, and wheat, are excellent sources of Vitamin B, Vitamin E, phosphorus, and protein (especially whole grains). Scattering a whole grain chicken scratch across the yard not only provides food but also allows chickens to engage in natural foraging behavior. However, it's important to remember that scratch grains should only constitute about 10% of a chicken's total diet, as they are not nutritionally complete. Additionally, grains must be stored properly to prevent them from becoming wet and moldy, which can be harmful to chickens.
Greens
Fresh greens are beneficial for chickens, providing Vitamin E (important for the immune system), Riboflavin, Vitamin A, and Calcium. If you have a yard, allowing chickens to graze on the grass can fulfill some of these needs. However, it's crucial to ensure that the yard is not treated with pesticides, as these can be harmful to chickens.
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Insoluble Grit
Insoluble grit refers to small, hard rocks and pebbles that chickens swallow to aid in digestion. These small stones help grind food in the gizzard, a muscular part of the digestive tract. Free-range chickens typically obtain grit naturally, but those in confinement need to be provided with it at least once a month. The grit should be appropriately sized for the bird, with chicks requiring smaller particles than adult chickens. A bucket of grit can be left out for chickens to access as needed. Lack of grit can lead to digestive issues, such as an impacted crop.
Calcium & Vitamin A
Chickens that consume a lot of greens or formulated food typically get enough Vitamin A and calcium. However, it is important to monitor the quality of hens' eggshells. Soft eggshells can indicate a calcium deficiency, which may require supplementation to protect hens from reproductive illnesses and osteoporosis. If you notice soft-shelled eggs, consult with a veterinarian to rule out other potential causes.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is produced in a chicken's body through exposure to sunlight. In areas with limited sunlight, it's important to supplement chickens with Vitamin D, especially in the form of Vitamin D3. A Vitamin D deficiency can lead to weak bones and shells.
Water
Fresh, clean water is essential for chickens every day. The water source should be easily accessible, located in or near their coop. To prevent water waste and maximize cleanliness, consider using a poultry fountain. In the winter, ensure that the water supply doesn't freeze.
Commercial Chicken Feed
There are various commercial chicken feeds available, formulated for different life stages and breeds. Many of these feeds provide complete nutrition without antibiotics, hormones, or animal byproducts. When choosing a commercial feed, it's important to avoid those designed for rapid growth and weight gain, such as "broiler" or "meatbird" food, especially in a sanctuary setting.
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Chickens bred for egg production or ornamental hens that are actively laying should be fed "layer" food. This food is specially formulated to compensate for the nutritional deficit created by egg-laying. There are many high-quality, complete diet "layer" foods on the market, including organic varieties. For additional calcium, some sanctuaries cook and feed back the hens' eggs, shell and all.
Considerations for Non-Laying Hens and Roosters
If you are feeding non-large breed chickens who are no longer laying due to age or who have been implanted, you may need to adjust their nutrition in terms of overall calorie or protein ratios. Roosters also do not typically need the extra protein and calcium that "layer" food provides. Some recommended options for non-large breed chickens who are not laying include Roudybush Low Fat Maintenance, Purina Game Bird Maintenance Chow, or an "All Flock" food. Roudybush is a high quality food, but is expensive, so may not be an option for everyone.
Non-large breed chickens should be fed free choice, meaning they can have access to unrestricted amounts of food for most of the day. In addition to their primary food, scratch can be served as a treat or motivator for chickens, but should comprise no more than 10% of their diet as it is not nutritionally complete.
Special Considerations for Large Breed Chickens
The term "large breed" refers to Cornish crosses and other chickens bred to grow quickly. These breeds are often marketed as "free-range broilers" and include various trade names such as Freedom Ranger, Red Ranger, and Kosher King.
Caring for large breed chickens requires careful monitoring of their food intake, as they have been selectively bred to grow very rapidly, which can be detrimental to their health. It is recommended to weigh large breed chickens monthly and monitor their body condition to ensure they maintain a healthy weight. A mature male large breed chicken will typically weigh about 10-18 pounds, and a mature female large breed chicken will typically weigh about 8-12 pounds, though some may be naturally bigger or smaller. A healthy large breed chicken will have significant muscle mass on either side of their keel bone.
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Large breed chickens must not be fed "free choice" as they will eat everything in sight. As a result, you may need to keep them in a separate living space from other breeds of chicken who are on a free choice diet. Large breed chickens are highly prone to arthritis, obesity, gout, and heart attacks. Be sure to monitor their health and weight closely as little is known about what they require nutritionally for long term care. You may need to modify their food amounts throughout the year, such as in the springtime when they might have more vegetation and bugs to eat in their outdoor space.
Large breed chickens should receive pellets twice daily and can also receive supplemental greens. A good starting point is to offer roosters 1/3 cup of food and hens 1/4 cup of food per feeding along with a handful of greens. While you don’t want to overfeed them, feeding them too little is also dangerous for their health and nutrition, so try to find the ideal weight maintaining amount of food for each of the large breed birds in your care. Because of how quickly and enthusiastically they eat, large breed chickens have been known to inhale small particles of food.
If the birds are laying, you can feed them a "layer" food (like Layena) in managed portions, or if not laying, they can be fed a low protein and low calcium food such as Purina Game Bird Maintenance or Roudybush Low Fat Maintenance. Ensure that there are enough spaces with the feeders you use for every large breed bird to get their fair share of food.
Large breed chickens have been known to eat free choice grit until they’ve completely filled up their crops, causing serious digestion issues. Carefully monitor their intake, and limit their grit to managed portions if the large breed birds seem a bit too fond of pebbles! Most recommendations about insoluble grit pertain to non-large breed chickens, and therefore recommend free choice access. In speaking to some experienced large breed chicken caretakers, it seems that if the birds have access to an outdoor space containing small pebbles, even for only limited periods of time, they will likely find enough natural grit to ensure proper digestion year round. If you feel your large breed chicken residents need supplemental insoluble grit, but have found you cannot offer it free-choice, you may want to discuss how to safely supplement with your veterinarian.
Food Storage
In addition to feeding a high-quality food, it's crucial to store the food properly to ensure your residents reap all the nutritional benefits. Food will keep best if kept in a cool, dry, dark place. All food, including unopened bags, should be stored in tightly sealed metal cans or bins to prevent rodents from getting into food. You can contact the supplier to determine their food's recommended shelf life, but in general properly stored bagged food will last about 3 months.
Potential Hazards
There are a number of foods that contain potential toxins or substances chickens cannot digest or tolerate. It’s good practice to have the occasional treat for the flock. This keeps them happy and can also serve as a motivator if you need them to go to a specific area.
Poisonous Plants
Certain plants are toxic to chickens and should be avoided.
Supplements
You should always consult with a veterinarian or avian expert when deciding how to treat chicken health issues, as natural remedies rarely will work as the sole solution for many ailments, especially when it comes to pain or infections. However, there have been reported benefits from certain supplements added to a chicken’s diet.
Flaxseed
When using flaxseed as an animal supplement, it should be ground, not served whole. Consider using a clean coffee grinder and grinding the seed right before feeding for greatest effectiveness!
ACV Alert
DO NOT put apple cider vinegar in a galvanized waterer.
Probiotics
The short answer is, “only if the chickens need them”. Probiotics are a dietary supplement that increase ‘good’ gut flora that help process food in the intestines. Good gut flora also combats dangerous bacteria before it can take hold across a body. It also can reduce Salmonella and E. coli presence in eggs. However, if you have a healthy adult chicken, there’s little reason to modify their gut flora with probiotics. If a chicken is on antibiotics to fight a gut infection, the good gut flora will likely be killed as well, so probiotics can be a good measure to keep them healthy. Once they’ve completed their antibiotic regimen, you can give them probiotics for a week or two. This can also stimulate a recovering chicken’s appetite, nutritional absorption, and immune response.