Feeding hens: layer feed, grit, oyster shell, treats and kitchen scraps

TUREFF• •0

A laying hen turns a surprising amount of food into eggs, and what she eats shows up in her health, her feathers and her eggshells. The basic diet is simple: a complete feed, clean water and a couple of supplements, with treats kept small.

Layer feed is the main meal

Most of a laying hen's diet should be a complete commercial layer feed, sold as pellets or mash. It is formulated to provide the protein, vitamins and calcium a laying hen needs.

Pellets waste less and are easy to use in a hanging or treadle feeder.
Mash is the same food in a looser form; some keepers like it, but it is messier.
Make feed available throughout the day so hens can eat when they want.
Use feed for the right life stage. Chicks need chick crumb, growing birds need grower feed, and layer feed only once hens are near laying, because its extra calcium is not suited to young birds.
Store feed in a dry, sealed metal bin to keep out rats and damp. Mouldy feed should be thrown away.

Water

Hens drink a lot, and a laying hen without water stops laying quickly.

Provide fresh, clean water every day from a drinker that hens cannot foul.
Keep drinkers in the shade in summer, and check them for ice on frosty mornings.

Grit

Chickens have no teeth. They grind food in the gizzard using small stones.

Insoluble grit (small flint or granite chips) helps them break down food, especially grain and greens.
Free-ranging birds pick some up naturally, but it is sensible to leave a small dish of grit available.
Birds fed only on pellets need less, but grit does no harm when offered separately.

Oyster shell

Crushed oyster shell is a source of calcium for strong eggshells.
Offer it in a separate dish so each hen takes what she needs, rather than mixing it into the feed.
Thin or soft shells can be a sign a hen needs more calcium, but they can also point to illness or age. If it persists, talk to a poultry vet.

Treats

Treats are fun and help with taming, but they dilute the balanced feed.

Keep treats to a small part of the diet and give them later in the day, after hens have eaten their main feed.
Mixed corn is popular, particularly in the afternoon, but it is mostly carbohydrate.
Greens from the garden, such as weeds and vegetable leaves, are good scratching material when given straight from the garden.
Mealworms are a high-protein treat many hens love, especially while moulting.
Avoid anything mouldy, salty, sugary, or known to be toxic to birds, such as avocado.

Why kitchen scraps can be illegal in the UK

In the UK, feeding catering waste to farmed animals is against the law, and in this context hens kept as pets count as farmed animals. Catering waste includes food that has been through a kitchen, including a household kitchen, as well as meat and meat products. The rule exists because food waste can spread serious animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease and African swine fever. In practice, that means:

Do not give hens leftovers from your plate or your kitchen, even vegetable peelings that have passed through the kitchen.
Garden produce fed straight from the garden is generally treated differently, but check the current guidance.
Never feed meat or meat products to hens.

Check the details on gov.uk or with APHA, as the precise boundaries matter. In other countries, rules on feeding food waste to poultry differ, so check with your national agriculture authority before relying on scraps.

Changes in appetite

Hens eat less in hot weather and more in cold. A hen that stops eating, stands hunched or looks fluffed up and lethargic may be ill; isolate her and contact a poultry vet rather than trying remedies. What do your hens go mad for, and how do you handle feeding? Share your routine or ask a question in the comments.