A Balanced Diet for Laying Hens: The Dine-A-Chook Guide
A balanced diet is essential for healthy, happy chickens. And if you keep chickens for fresh eggs, you know that the quality and quantity of eggs are influenced by the diet of your layers. But what is the best diet for laying hens?
I cannot count the number of times a customer has complained that their hens are not laying well. While there are many possible explanations for why chickens aren't laying, diet can be a key contributor. Think about how much energy it takes to lay a healthy egg—a nutritional deficiency can have a huge impact!
At Dine-A-Chook, we are dedicated to reducing the work of keeping chickens for our customers. We have spent over 10 years working with backyard poultry keepers to keep their hens healthy, happy, and laying well, and we have kept chickens ourselves for much longer. We have consolidated everything we’ve learned into this handy guide.
The Dine-A-Chook Guide to Feeding Backyard Chickens is based on our customers' most frequently asked questions and the most common mistakes made by new chicken keepers. Please note that every flock is unique, and not all advice is applicable to everyone. If you would like specific information or have a question that isn't answered here, please feel free to get in touch.
What Is the Best Diet for Chickens?
Based on customer feedback, the most common diet for backyard chickens is some type of grain mix supplemented with leftovers, kitchen scraps, and garden waste. While this sounds like a "natural" diet for a chicken, it is NOT recommended for laying hens.
Layers need a high-protein diet for egg production. Most commercially available grain mixes are low in protein, and hens are distracted from their main source of energy and nutrition by a smorgasbord of treats in the form of kitchen and garden waste. These treats, while tasty, are unlikely to meet their dietary requirements.
This doesn’t mean that chickens cannot have kitchen scraps and garden waste, or that grain mixes should be forbidden. However, for better health and egg production, we recommend feeding chickens a complete feed in crumb or pellet form, supplemented by no more leftovers, kitchen scraps, garden waste, or scratch mix than can be consumed in about 20 minutes.
Limiting garden waste and kitchen scraps will not only ensure that laying hens get the balanced nutrition they need, but it may also help control rodents in the chicken coop by removing easily available food sources like rotting scraps. For more information, explore our Chicken Feeders to help keep your coop clean and efficient.
How Do I Choose a Chicken Feed for Laying Hens?
Many of our customers start out using a mixed-grain feed, as these are often the most attractive-looking feeds on the market. But there’s a reason why it’s usually the cheapest option. Scratch mixes encourage chickens to “scratch” the feed around, eating only their favorite morsels. This leads to mess and waste, which attracts vermin to your chicken coop, and means your chickens aren’t getting a balanced diet.
We recommend a complete feed as the best option for laying hens, ensuring they receive the ideal proportions of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and fibers. The best type of chicken feed is usually crumbed or pelleted, as the uniformity discourages selective feeding and prevents waste. If you prefer a feed based on whole grains, choose a crushed product or mash instead of a scratch mix.
What Is the Best Commercial Chicken Feed for Laying Hens?
Most commercial chicken feeds are designed to provide everything a bird needs. However, starchy fillers are far cheaper than high-protein seeds, so it’s important to read the analysis panel on the bag. When choosing a commercial chicken feed, look for a mash or pelleted feed that contains:
- 16-18% protein
- At least 2.5% calcium for egg-shell production
- A maximum of 10% fiber
Ideally, unless you are providing a supplement, you also want your feed to be fortified with essential vitamins (especially A, E, D3, and B vitamins), minerals (including iron, iodine, and zinc), and fatty acids.
Are Kitchen Scraps Good for Chickens?
Kitchen scraps are good for chickens in moderation, but they shouldn't form the majority of a bird's diet. Leftovers may be tasty, but they likely don’t have the balanced nutrients that chickens need for good health and consistent egg production.
The main diet of laying hens should be a high-quality, complete feed. Kitchen scraps should be a treat—don’t feed your chickens more scraps than they can consume in 20 minutes, so the majority of their daily diet comes from nutritionally balanced feed.
Is a Scratch Mix Good for Chickens?
Scratch mixes are usually not as nutritionally balanced as other commercial chicken feeds. The visible grains encourage selective feeding. Wouldn’t you pick out your favorite bits first, like corn and sunflower seeds, if you were a chicken? Selective feeding leads to a less balanced diet, and it creates additional waste and mess in the coop, which may attract rats and other pests.
We recommend using a crumbed or pelleted feed for laying hens. Use a scratch mix as a treat to encourage foraging (and scratching) rather than as their main source of feed. As with kitchen scraps, don’t give them more than they’ll eat in about 20 minutes. To learn more about feeding efficiency, visit our Chicken Feeders page.
Why Aren’t My Hens Laying?
There are many reasons why chickens may not be laying well—they may be broody, moulting, too old, or too young. Often, poor laying is caused by a nutritional deficiency. If your hens aren’t laying well, check the nutritional content of their diet to ensure they’re getting enough protein and calcium.
If your chickens are eating a balanced diet but still not laying well, it could be an issue of access. Watch your flock to ensure that more dominant birds aren’t preventing the weaker ones from feeding. If they are, we recommend installing a second feeder in a different area to ensure all birds have equal access to feed.