Feed the Flock
The old adage “You are what you eat” certainly applies to chickens. A strong foraging instinct gives chickens the ability to naturally thrive on a wide variety of plants and insects. However, some modern backyard birds aren’t lucky enough to range countless acres and forage for their own nutritional needs.
Further, young chickens have different needs than mature birds. In addition, layers and meat birds should be fed specific diets depending on their purpose. As the seasons change, so do nutritional requirements. So what is a chicken keeper to do? That all depends on what kinds of chickens you have and what their purposes are.
Back in the old days, Grandma would toss a few handfuls of scratch grains and some kitchen scraps to the yard birds each day. Her hens would free range around the farm during the day and roost in the coop at night. So what’s so complicated about feeding chickens, then? First of all, we know a
