Chicken feed - storage

It is important to correctly store your chicken’s feed so that it remains safe for your chickens to eat, as damp, out of date feed can be very harmful to their health.  You need to ensure that the feed cannot get wet and make a note of the use by dates on the packs. Storage containers with securely fitting lids will prevent rats or other vermin accessing the feed, we have a particular problem with crows and other wild birds.

Water

Fresh clean water is essential for your chickens and should ALWAYS be available.  It is important to regularly check the water supply at least twice a day and more often in extreme weather.

During the hotter months, a chicken's thirst can mean that the water containers (drinkers) may need filling up more regularly.  Dehydration can result in a stressed bird and decreased egg production.   Where possible, the drinkers should be situated out of direct sunlight in a shaded area.  You may notice that, due to the warmth of the season, algae on the sides of the drinker are more of an issue and you will need to be more vigilant in cleaning it.

In the winter, the cold temperatures can obviously cause the water to freeze – some hot water from the kettle will be a temporary solution.  However, if you do live in a persistently cold climate where water freezing will be an ongoing problem, then you may need to look at alternative methods e.g. installing a heater in the chicken house/lagging the container.

There are many different plastic and metal water drinkers on the market to suit most budgets. In considering the needs of your chickens, you should bear in mind the importance of keeping the water clean.   A water container shouldn't allow your chickens to step in it, tip it over, perch on the edge of it, or be in a position where chicken litter and droppings can easily be kicked into it.  If possible, buy a container that can be suspended from the roof of the hen house, or if not, raised off the floor securely on bricks.

If you have young chicks, do make sure that whatever type of drinker you use is safe so that they can’t drown in the water.

Chicken feeders

It isn't wise to just use any old bowl or container for your chicken's feed as they can be easily tipped over, soiled with droppings and make food more accessible to predators.

Commercially available feeders are usually made from plastic or a galvanised metal material.   For the small scale chicken keeper, a plastic feeder with inserts that can be suspended or raised on bricks etc., is probably the best and cheapest option.  Food spillage will be minimised and soiling greatly reduced in comparison to a metal open feeder for example.  They are also very easy to clean. 

You need to make sure that you do have enough feeders (and drinkers) to provide your chickens with sufficient space to access their food and water, with minimum competition to avoid bullying and fighting (See DEFRA).

Grit (insoluble)

Despite being able to deliver a very well timed and well placed peck, chickens cannot bite you as they have no teeth! A lack of teeth can lead to problems, as they are not able to grind their food in their mouths before swallowing it. This part of the digestive process happens in their gizzards where muscular contractions help to break up the food. Grit is an important part of the chicken's diet as it assists in the grinding up of the food into smaller, more digestible portions.

A free-ranging chicken may be able to find enough stones and grit of its own. It is advisable, even in this instance, however, to provide a source of grit within the chicken run. Widely available commercially, grit is relatively cheap to purchase and all you need to do is leave it out in a suitable container (e.g. a grit hopper) and let the chickens help themselves.

Grit (soluble)

For a laying hen in particular, it is important that they get enough calcium to produce strong shells. Most compound feeds include additional calcium but you may find that you need to supplement this nutrient further. Crushed oyster shells are a popular choice but you can make your own DIY version by heating and crushing egg shells – make sure that you crush them beyond recognition as you don’t want your chickens thinking their own eggs would make a nice meal!

Feeding baby chicks (6-8 weeks)

Young chicks need to have a diet specific to meet their very fast growing needs, yet suitable for a young digestive system to tolerate. For the first 24 hours of life, a chick, whether raised by a broody hen or through incubation, can manage perfectly well without any food and water because during the hatching process, chicks absorb all the nutrients they need from the yolk sac within the shell.

After the first 24 hours until about 6-8 weeks of age, a chick's main diet is in the form of chick crumbs. You will find that some formulations of chick crumbs have an added coccidiostat, which is a medication added to reduce the risk of coccidiosis, a potentially fatal parasitic disease. If you choose to buy this type of feed, you need to be aware that it is can be very harmful to ducks and geese and should not be fed to them.

Many small flock keepers prefer their chicken's feed to be free from any additives such as this, so opt for coccidiostat-free preparations. Just check the ingredients listed to make sure that you are getting the type of feed you want. Coccidiostats are really more relevant for larger-scale commercial flocks where transmission of disease could be more prevalent and financially very damaging.

Chick crumbs should be available freely. If your chicks are residing with the rest of the flock, you may want to consider using a smaller feeder/chick-specific feeder so that the larger birds can’t access their food.

Feeding growers (6-17 weeks)

Poultry growers pellets or mash can be fed to young chickens/pullets from approximately 6 weeks to 16/17 weeks of age. They should be gradually introduced to avoid any sudden dietary change and upset to the chicken. If you are keeping your chickens for the table, they can usually be fed to finish on this type of feed – just check the packaging to make sure it is drug free.

Growers feed can be made freely available for your chickens – as long as you are not over-indulging them with too many other treats (e.g. pasta, bread), weight management shouldn't be a problem.

Feeding point of lay pullets (from around 18 weeks)

If you are keeping your chickens for their eggs, then you will need to gradually introduce a layers mash/pellet feed when they become point of lay from about 16/18 weeks of age. This type of feed is specially formulated to ensure that is contains all the necessary nutrients – especially calcium – to maximise your hen's egg laying potential. Don't worry if your hens are not laying yet, or have stopped laying due to the winter months or annual moult. It is still the most appropriate feed for them.

As with the other feeds, layers pellets/mash can be made freely available to your chickens. It is important to ensure that feed left out all the time isn't easy pickings for predators. Most food-pinching opportunists will be more active at night time, so you may need to lift the food and clean out any containers in the evening. A more simple solution is to keep the food inside the chicken coop which will be locked up overnight.

Feeding cockerels

If you have a cockerel/rooster in you flock, don't worry that he may be needing any special manly food!! He'll do very well on the same feed that the rest of the hens are getting and, if free-ranging, will no doubt make sure that he is getting some nice extras too!

Vegetarian/genetically modified (GM) free or organic feed

Chickens are omnivores and, if free ranging, will thoroughly enjoy scratching for bugs and insects in the ground as well as greens and other vegetation.  This is normal behaviour and promotes a balanced diet.

However, in the UK, YOU are NOT ALLOWED to feed the following animal proteins or any feedstuffs containing them (Refer to DEFRA):

• Processed animal protein;
• Gelatine of ruminant origin;
• Blood products;
• Hydrolysed protein;
• Dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate of animal origin                             

Now this may seem quite a clear and comprehensive list but I'm not sure that many people would really be aware of just what all these animal proteins are and where they can and cannot be found.  To try and assist the consumer, any commercially available compound feeds will list quite clearly the composition of their feed.

Many chicken owners prefer to stick to a guaranteed vegetarian option or even one that is G.M. free or organic.  Some layers feeds have extra omega oils included to promote better egg quality.  Shop around – there's quite a good choice available.

Fresh food and table scraps

One of the fun aspects of chicken keeping is providing them with different foods to try – hanging up some broccoli or spring greens is a great way of enriching their environment and can help reduce boredom and the incidence of feather plucking, bullying or egg pecking.

Bearing in mind the guidance from DEFRA in relation to banned animal proteins, it really is safer to stick to fruit and vegetables. Whilst pasta, rice and bread may be safe alternatives, you do need to be careful that your birds don't pile on the pounds!

Maize, oats, barley and wheat

Some chicken keepers may decide to feed their birds a separate grain ration in addition to the compound feed. It can work out more cost effective and provide some variety in your chicken's diet. Deciding to abandon a compound feed altogether and use a combination of free-ranging, grain and table scraps, is something probably best left to the chicken experts. Getting the right combination of correct nutrients using this method is not easy.

Supplements and tonics

A compound feed should provide all the nutrition needed for your chickens. Some supplements are available on the market e.g. cod liver oil, poultry spice, poultry drinks and multivitamins but are usually only necessary for the those interested in showing their birds, or to treat specific conditions or deficiencies

Back to Chicken articles index