Backyard chickens have gone from a hobby to a way of life. More families every year are bringing home a box of peeping chicks, building a coop, and learning what it means to raise birds. The eggs are a bonus. The real reward is watching a flock thrive.
But the number one mistake we see new keepers make is feeding the wrong thing at the wrong time. A chick, a teenage pullet, and a laying hen are three very different animals, and each one needs a feed built for that stage of life.
Get the timing right and your birds grow strong, lay well, and stay healthy. Here's how to do it.
Chicks: The First Weeks Set Everything
Baby chicks grow at an astonishing pace, and they need a feed packed with protein to fuel it. A starter feed, usually around 18 to 20 percent protein, is made to deliver exactly that. Purina Start & Grow is a popular choice for young birds, and it works for chicks and for other young poultry as well.
You may see starter feeds sold as medicated or non-medicated. Medicated feed contains a coccidiostat, which helps young birds build resistance to coccidiosis, a common intestinal parasite. If your chicks have been vaccinated for coccidiosis, you should use non-medicated feed, so ask the hatchery or us if you're unsure.
Fresh, clean water matters even more than the feed. Chicks can dehydrate fast, and a shallow waterer helps keep them from drowning or soaking themselves. Keep both feed and water clean, because wet, dirty bedding invites trouble.
Growing Pullets: Don't Rush to Layer Feed
Around six to eight weeks, chicks start to look more like young birds than fluff balls. Their protein needs begin to ease, and many keepers move them to a grower feed or continue with a start-and-grow formula until they're closer to laying age.
Here's the mistake to avoid. Layer feed is high in calcium, which is great for a hen producing eggs but hard on the kidneys of a young bird that isn't laying yet. Switching a pullet to layer feed too early can cause real harm.
A good rule is to keep young birds on a start-and-grow feed until they begin laying, usually around 18 to 20 weeks, or until the first egg shows up in the nest box. Then make the change.
Laying Hens: Feeding the Egg Machine
A laying hen is doing hard work. Producing an egg nearly every day takes protein, energy, and a lot of calcium to build the shell. Layer feed is formulated to provide all of that in the right balance, and for most backyard flocks it should make up the bulk of the diet.
Purina Layena is one of the most recognized layer feeds, and it's built to support steady egg production and strong shells. Look for a layer feed with roughly 16 percent protein and enough calcium for shell quality.
Many keepers also offer oyster shell in a separate dish, free choice. Hens will take extra calcium when they need it, and leave it when they don't. If you see thin or soft shells, that's often a sign something is off in the diet, and a good reason to stop in and talk it through.
Treats, Scratch, and Grit: Keep It Balanced
Everyone loves watching chickens run for a handful of scratch grain. The trouble is that treats are like candy. Birds that fill up on scratch and kitchen scraps eat less of the balanced feed they actually need, and egg production and health can suffer.
A good guideline is that about 90 percent of the diet should be complete feed, with treats making up the rest. Scratch is better as a small afternoon snack than a main meal.
Grit is the other piece. Chickens have no teeth, so they use small stones in the gizzard to grind food. Birds that free-range usually find their own, but birds on feed alone, or fed lots of scratch and scraps, should have access to chick grit or hen grit, depending on age.
Flock Block: Enrichment That Doubles as Nutrition
Chickens are curious, busy animals, and a bored flock can turn to feather picking and bullying. Giving them something to peck at is good for both their minds and their bodies.
Purina Flock Block is a solid, pecking-friendly block made for exactly this. It gives birds something to work at through the day, and it carries extra nutrition along with it. It's especially handy in cold or rainy weather, when birds spend more time cooped up.
A few other simple habits help a lot. Keep the coop clean and dry, give birds space to move, and watch for changes in behavior or droppings. Chickens hide illness well, so catching small changes early makes a big difference.
Questions? Come Ask the People Who Keep Birds
Raising chickens is a learning curve, and everybody starts somewhere. The good news is you don't have to figure it out alone.
Our team has helped generations of local families get their first flocks started and keep them going strong. We'll help you pick the right feed for your birds' age, answer the odd questions that come up at 6 a.m. in the coop, and point you toward what you actually need.
Stop by Fox Feed at 17028 Sierra Highway in Canyon Country, or call us at (661) 252-9790. Bring your questions, and we'll bring the answers.