Raising chickens in your backyard is fun, but buying their food all the time can be expensive. Luckily, there are cheaper and more natural ways to feed chickens without buying feed.
You can give them food scraps from your kitchen, like vegetable peels or old bread. You can also grow a garden just for them. They can eat the plants and bugs there. Trying out different grains and seeds is also a good idea. In this way, you’ll be reducing waste and living a more self-sufficient life.
It’s a win-win situation! Chickens get some free-range exploration, and you save a few dollars on feed. Want to know more in detail? Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
What Can You Feed Chickens Without Buying? List of 6 Ideas!
Chickens are naturally curious and foragers, so they’ll enjoy a wide variety of foods for free! Now you must think about “what do chickens eat,” right? Here’s a list of free food for chickens to grow –
1. Kitchen Scraps and Vegetable Trimmings
Safe scraps like veggie peels, bread crusts, and fruits make excellent low-cost, nutritious chicken feed.
Feed scraps fresh and combined with their regular balanced feed. Store scraps in a sealed cool, dry container. Reduces food waste while providing chickens with varied nutrients and flavors. Get scraps from local stores or restaurants!
2. Grow Your Own Chicken Feed
I suggest growing leafy greens like –
- Kale
- Swiss chard
- Clover
- Corn
- Sunflowers
- Wheat, and
- Oats in a dedicated chicken garden.
Let chickens graze the plants, seeds, and grains directly from the garden. Use your kitchen veggie scraps and chicken manure as nutrient-rich compost fertilizer.
This approach is very cost-effective and the feed is guaranteed pesticide and chemical-free.
3. Foraging and Free-Ranging
Allow chickens ample time to freely forage to catch insects, bugs, seeds, greens, and more in a secure enclosed run or pen. You can use vacuum clear to collect all the bugs to offer your chickens!
Foraging satisfies their natural scratching and pecking behaviors while supplementing their diet. The exercise from foraging promotes a healthier, more active flock. Rotate which areas they access to prevent overgrazing.
4. Supplementing with Alternative Grains/Seeds
You can add more affordable grains like –
- Wheat
- Oats, and
- Corn.
Well, it provides the bulk of nutrients combined with protein and fat from seeds like sunflower, flax, or pumpkin seeds. Soybean, milk, and alfalfa are also good sources of protein for chickens.
Besides, I also became satisfied when I included supplements like –
- Rock phosphate
- Yeast
- Diatomaceous earth
- Probiotics and
- Kelp.
Understand proper dietary ratios – the majority from grains supplemented with protein seeds/legumes. Properly prepare by cracking/grinding grains and soaking/sprouting seeds. Add mealworms, cooked eggs, or meat for extra protein. Various grain types, and provide insoluble grit for digestion.
5. Using Leftovers and Byproducts
Feed chickens cooked grains like –
- Rice or quinoa
- Stale bread/tortillas, and
- Vegetable trimmings/peels in moderation
Avoid moldy, salty, sugary, or highly processed human foods.
Think of sources of spent grains from local breweries, mills, or bakeries. It’s for an affordable, carb-rich base. Properly store by refrigerating freshly cooked items and keeping dry goods in sealed, pest-proof containers.
Be sure you discard anything rotten, smelly, or showing signs of spoilage.
6. DIY Feed Mixes
Make your own complete chicken feed by combining bulk ingredients like –
- Grains
- Seeds
- Dried legumes, and
- Supplements like calcium, minerals, and vitamins.
It allows you to precisely tailor nutrition ratios for protein, carbs, and fats. It depends on the flock’s age and egg production cycle. Laying hens need additional calcium sources like oyster shells, limestone, or aragonite for strong eggshells.
Premix large batches of dry ingredients stored in airtight bins. Then combine proper portions with wet ingredients like powdered milk or fish meal when feeding.
Mix thoroughly, label with dates, and regularly rotate feed to prevent staleness or rancidity.
Is It Possible for Chickens to Thrive Without Chicken Feed?
To be honest, chickens can survive without chicken feed! But they’ll get skinny and stop laying eggs. Here’s why.
- Chicken feed is balanced: It has all the nutrients chickens need to be healthy and productive. Like vitamins for people, it keeps them in top shape.
- Foraging takes time: Finding bugs and plants takes work. Without feed, they might not get enough good stuff.
So, while they can nibble on scraps and bugs, they probably need some store-bought feed to truly thrive.
Special Note: The most important food is whole grains for chickens! Feeding whole grains instead of ground mash or pellets can reduce the cost of feeding chickens.
13 Special Considerable Things to Feed Your Chickens (Less Expensive)
Although I covered the main food options for chickens, you have more options. Not all of us will meet the food I mentioned above. So, if you wonder, “What can you feed chickens if you run out of feed, here’s a special list to follow –
- Comfrey: Comfrey is a great food for chickens. It’s full of protein, vitamins, and minerals. You can grow it yourself and harvest it eight times a year.
- Stinging Nettle: Nettles are another good option. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, and chickens love them. You can find them in the wild or grow them yourself.
- Grass and Lawn Clippings: Fresh grass or lawn clippings are a tasty treat for chickens. They contain lots of protein and other nutrients. Let your chickens roam in the yard to enjoy them.
- Hay: Chickens enjoy hay as well. It’s rich in fiber and protein, and they’ll peck at it happily.
- Animal Carcasses: If you have a predator problem, you can feed the carcasses to your chickens. Chickens are omnivores, so they’ll eat meat.
- Maggots: Maggots are high in protein and fat, so chickens love them. You can make a maggot bucket to attract flies and collect the larvae.
- Winter Squash: Winter squash is a nutritious option for chickens. They’ll enjoy the seeds and flesh, and it’s high in vitamins and minerals.
- Berries: Chickens love berries, like blackberries and strawberries. If you have such fruits in the house, offer them.
- Nut and Fruit Trees: Nuts and fruits from trees are a good snack for chickens. Break them up and feed them to your flock.
- Duckweed: If you have a pond, you can collect duckweed for your chickens. It’s high in protein and easy to dry and feed.
- Soldier Fly Larvae: Soldier fly larvae are full of protein, fat, and nutrients. You can harvest them and feed them to your chickens.
- Vermicomposting: You can use earthworms to turn waste into compost for your chickens. It’s a great way to recycle food scraps.
- Farm Products: Extra milk, eggs, and meat from your farm can also be fed to your chickens. They’ll appreciate the extra treats.
Want to get more ideas on feeding without buying feed? Check out this video!
6 Food You Should Never Feed Your Chicken (Not Even with Money)
Chickens have sensitive tummies, and some foods can make them very sick. Here’s what’s a definite no-no for your feathered friends:
- Bad Fruits & Veggies: Avoid avocado pits and skins, green potato peels, rhubarb leaves, and tomato plants. These can cause breathing problems, vomiting, or worse.
- Spicy Stuff: Chilies, onions, and garlic might be tasty for us, but they can irritate a chicken’s stomach.
- Salty Snacks: Potato chips, popcorn (with salty seasoning), and processed treats are a big no-no. Too much salt can make your chickens very thirsty and unwell.
- Sweet Treats: Candy, chocolate, and sugary drinks are a bad idea. They can upset their digestion and cause health problems.
- Uncooked Beans & Raw Rice: These can be hard to digest and even cause blockages. Always cook beans thoroughly before offering them to your chickens.
- Moldy or Spoiled Food: Just like us, chickens shouldn’t eat rotten food. It can make them very sick. I said it earlier.
FAQs
Need further clarification? Our FAQs might help you.
Q. Can I give eggshells to my chickens?
Yes, crushed eggshells are an excellent source of calcium for laying hens. It helps strengthen their own eggshells. So, you can scramble all the eggs.
Q. Are chickens expensive to feed?
No, chickens are relatively inexpensive to feed compared to other livestock, especially if you let them forage and feed them scraps/homemade mixes.
Q. How much to feed chickens per day?
For laying hens, provide 1/4 lb to 1/3 lb of feed per chicken per day, adjusting up for excess foraging/activity.
Q. How do you feed 1000 chickens?
For large flocks, use mechanical feeders and bulk grain/feed storage. Rotate chickens through foraging areas systematically.
Q. How much do 20 chickens eat a day?
20 laying hens will eat approximately 6-8 lbs of feed per day on average.
Q. Is it OK to feed chickens once a day?
It’s better to feed twice a day by topping up feeders after their initial morning feeding for optimal nutrition.
Final Say
Are you tired of spending a fortune on chicken feed? Well, worry no more because I’ve covered some fantastic ideas to keep your chickens well-fed without breaking the bank! From turning kitchen scraps to growing your own leafy greens and grains, there’s a whole world of cost-effective feeding options.
The best part? Not only you save some serious cash, but you’ll also be reducing waste and living in your house!
