What do chickens eat

Feeding chickens

As it occurs in many types of livestock, we have the well-known "pasture versus commercial feeding" controversy. Supporters of the “grassland” school of thought claim that the natural food for chickens is grass along with insects, worms, sand, small stones, and whatever the chicken likes to explore by itself rather than being served in a dish.

 

Chickens

Walking around and exploring the food is very important and related to the safety and health of the chickens. With the term pasture, we identify a wide range of plant species: grass, alfalfa, (Medicago sativa), chicory, legumes, brassica and others. The biological diversity of rangelands is directly related to the quality of food consumed (more diversified food - better quality). Many chicken keepers contend that if a field can provide enough grass for chickens all year round, there is no reason to offer anything other than grass, straw and ground corn in the feeder. Many farmers also use chicken frames (or boxes) as an easy and convenient way to offer fresh grass to chickens in a small space. The chickens can only eat the top of the stems, while the roots of the plants are protected, so that the plants will grow back in a few days.

However, it is not safe to allow your chickens to eat any unknown plant. When raising chickens, it is highly recommended to remove any nocturnal plants (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, etc.) from your field, as the leaves and other parts of these plants are toxic to chickens. It has been found that other ornamental plants (azaleas) and shrubs are toxic to chickens and may cause the death of chickens even when eating one small leaf.

Although a field rich in diverse plants is an excellent source of nutrients, keep in mind that during cold winter days, even if the field can provide adequate plants and even if you open the cage door, chances are that the chickens will not be able to get out of the cage for most of the day. Thus, in most cases we must have sufficient stocks of commercial poultry feed in order to provide balanced feed of adequate levels of protein and fibre.

Most popular commercial chicken feeders are a mixture of soy, corn and cottonseed, often mixed with alfalfa. Young poultry require starter feed, which usually contains 20% protein and is often treated against coccidiosis. The admixture is used to add energy to hens that lay eggs and eat grass. This mixture is usually made from ground corn and whole wheat, and is a suitable food for keeping chickens warm during the cold winter. When we raise chickens for eggs, as a common practice we are offered (amongst other feeds) high calcium pellets (3%), which promote egg production. When we raise chickens for meat, we usually add more grains (wheat, barley, sorghum) to their diet (protein up to 20%), in order to stimulate their growth.

These days, nutritional supplement tablets are the most popular among poultry keepers. The reason for this is that tablet feeding ensures that chickens will receive the optimal mix of nutrients according to their intended use, stage of growth and needs. Therefore, the chicken will not have the opportunity to choose the food it likes, and leave the rest without touching it. However, even breeders who offer chicken pellets usually add whole grains in a small proportion to the chicken's diet. The reason is that eating whole grains stimulates a sensitive part of the stomach in chickens, which was found to be closely related to the health and safety of chickens. Keep in mind that grit is also important when the chickens are not out foraging. Gravel (excrement, sand and small stones) is very helpful in digestion, because chickens have no teeth. If your chickens are released outside in search of food, they definitely get their share of grit, so there is no need to add extra grit to their diet.

Finally, chickens need water 24 hours a day. We can place fixed waterwheels (automatic or not) inside the cage and in 2-3 remote areas in the field.