What Backyard Chickens Eat (Complete Guide)

A backyard chicken's diet has four parts. 1) Complete formulated feed (crumble or pellet) as the base, sized to life stage: chick starter 18-20% protein for weeks 0-8, grower 16-18% protein for weeks 8-18, layer 16% protein plus 3.5-4.5% calcium once the first egg drops (around 18-20 weeks), or all-flock/flock-raiser 18-20% protein for mixed-age flocks with a separate oyster shell dish. Feed should stay in front of the birds all day, not rationed. 2) Fresh clean water at all times, refilled daily. A hen drinks about 500 ml a day, more in heat. 3) Grit (insoluble crushed granite) offered free choice so the gizzard can grind whole grains, seeds, bugs, and forage. Free-range birds pick up their own grit; confined birds need a small dish. 4) Treats and forage as under 10% of daily intake, so the balanced feed still does its job. Good treats: leafy greens, cucumbers, watermelon, cooked squash, plain cooked oats or rice, sunflower seeds, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, garden bugs. Chickens are omnivores and will happily eat bugs, small frogs, and mice too. Age matters more than most owners think. Feeding layer feed to chicks or roosters can damage kidneys from the excess calcium, and feeding low-calcium grower feed to laying hens produces thin-shelled eggs. When in doubt, feed all-flock and let the layers self-serve calcium from a separate oyster shell dish.