What to Feed Backyard Chickens by Age and Season

Walk into any feed store and you will find a wall of bags labeled starter, grower, layer, and flock raiser, plus scoops, oyster shell, and a dozen treat mixes competing for your attention. Getting feed wrong is one of the most common ways new keepers accidentally hurt their flock — too little protein stunts growing pullets, too much calcium too early damages young kidneys, and too many treats crowd out the balanced diet a hen actually needs to lay well. This guide breaks down exactly what to feed at every life stage and season, and why the switches matter.

Starter Feed: Hatch to About Eight Weeks

From the day chicks hatch, they need a chick starter feed running roughly 20–24% protein, offered free-choice so they can eat small amounts often. That protein level fuels the rapid frame and feather growth happening in the first two months, and cutting corners here shows up later as smaller, slower-maturing birds. Starter comes in medicated and unmedicated versions; medicated starter contains a low dose of amprolium, which guards against coccidiosis, a common and sometimes fatal intestinal parasite in young chicks, and is worth using unless your chicks were already vaccinated for it at the hatchery. Chicks on straight starter crumble do not need added grit, since it is fine enough to digest without help.

Grower Feed: Roughly Two to Five Months

Once chicks are feathered out and moved to the coop, typically around eight weeks, step them down to a grower feed at about 16–18% protein. This transitional feed still supports skeletal and muscle development but backs off the higher protein load of starter, which is more than a growing-but-not-yet-laying bird needs. Grower feed should carry them until they are close to their first egg, usually somewhere between 16 and 20 weeks depending on breed — our first-egg timeline guide covers what to expect breed by breed. If you keep a mixed-age flock, an all-purpose "flock raiser" feed around 18–20% protein is a reasonable single-bag compromise, as long as you offer oyster shell on the side for any hens already laying.

Layer Feed: From First Egg Onward

The moment you spot a first egg — or your pullets hit about 18 weeks, whichever comes first — switch to a layer feed at 16–18% protein with added calcium, typically 3.5–4.5%. That calcium is the whole point of the switch: a laying hen puts roughly 2 grams of calcium into every eggshell, and layer feed is formulated to replace it. Feeding layer feed to chicks or non-laying pullets is a common mistake worth avoiding, since the excess calcium can strain young kidneys before they are ready for it; keep layer feed exclusively for hens that are actually laying.

Even a good layer feed rarely meets 100% of a hard-laying hen's calcium needs on its own, especially for heavy breeds or hens in their peak first year. Offer crushed oyster shell free-choice in a separate dish alongside the feed rather than mixed in, so each hen can take what her body calls for. A hen running short on calcium lays thin-shelled or soft-shelled eggs and, over time, risks depleting her own skeletal calcium reserves.

Grit: The Part of the Feed Bag You Cannot Skip

Chickens have no teeth, so anything tougher than crumble or pellets — bugs, grass, garden scraps, scratch — needs to be ground down in the gizzard, and that grinding only works with grit: small, hard insoluble particles like granite chips. Confined chickens with no access to soil or pebbles need it supplied in a separate dish; free-ranging birds on gravelly or sandy ground often pick up enough on their own. Do not confuse grit with oyster shell — grit is a digestive tool with no nutritional value, while oyster shell is a calcium supplement; hens need both, offered separately.

Feed by Age and Life Stage

Treats, Scratch, and the 90/10 Rule

Treats are part of the fun of keeping chickens, but they dilute the balanced nutrition in a complete feed, so the standard guidance is the 90/10 rule: at least 90% of a hen's daily intake should be her formulated feed, with treats, scratch, and kitchen scraps making up no more than 10%. Overdoing treats is the most common way keepers accidentally create a nutritional imbalance without realizing it, since the effects — thinner shells, slower molt recovery, weight gain — show up gradually.

Scratch grain — usually a cracked-corn and grain blend — is a treat, not a feed. It is low in protein and calcium relative to a complete ration, so scattering handfuls of scratch as a flock's main diet is a common and easily avoided mistake. Use it for cold-weather warmth (digesting corn generates body heat) or as a training tool to call the flock home in the evening, not as a meal replacement.

Kitchen Scraps: What Is Safe and What Is Not

Most kitchen scraps make fine occasional treats: leafy greens, melon rinds, cooked rice or pasta, berries, and cooked eggs are all safe and popular with a flock. A handful tossed into the run also gives hens something to forage over, which cuts boredom-driven pecking.

A short list of foods should stay out of the coop entirely. Avocado skin and pit contain persin, which is toxic to poultry and can cause heart damage. Raw or dried beans contain a compound called phytohaemagglutinin that is toxic until fully cooked; canned or thoroughly cooked beans are fine, raw or dry ones are not. Moldy or spoiled food of any kind can carry mycotoxins that damage a chicken's liver, so when in doubt, throw it in the compost instead of the run. Chocolate, caffeine, and heavily salted or processed foods are best avoided too, for the same reasons they are poor choices for most pets.

Fresh Water and Feeder Hygiene

None of the feed advice above matters much if water access is inconsistent. Chickens drink roughly twice as much water by weight as they eat feed, and laying hens are especially sensitive — even a few hours without water can trigger a temporary drop in egg production. Check water at least twice daily, more often in hot weather, and scrub the waterer weekly with a stiff brush to prevent the algae film and bacterial buildup that plain rinsing misses.

Feeders deserve the same attention. Damp feed clumps and molds quickly, so keep feeders under cover from rain and elevated slightly off the ground to reduce contamination from droppings. A galvanized metal feeder and waterer set holds up far better than lightweight plastic against pecking, weather, and the occasional tip-over — check current pricing on Amazon if your current setup is showing rust or cracks. Empty and scrub both at least once a month even if they look clean, since biofilm builds up long before it is visible.

For a broader look at building out your flock's full setup from day one, our guide to backyard chickens for beginners covers feed alongside coop and space planning, and our best gear picks page keeps current feeder, waterer, and supplement recommendations in one place. If you shop on Amazon regularly for flock supplies, an active membership can shave meaningful time and cost off routine feed and gear orders — see current Prime offers.

FAQ

How do I know when to switch from grower to layer feed? Switch as soon as you see the first egg, or around 18 weeks of age if you want to be ahead of it, since the added calcium in layer feed is specifically there to support shell production. Switching a few days early rarely causes harm, but switching too early — while pullets are still purely growing — is best avoided.

Can I feed layer pellets to my whole mixed-age flock? It is not ideal. The extra calcium in layer feed can be hard on the kidneys of chicks and non-laying pullets over time. If you keep mixed ages, a flock raiser or all-flock feed around 18–20% protein with a separate dish of free-choice oyster shell lets each bird self-regulate calcium intake safely.

Do chickens need grit if they only eat pellets? If a bird's diet is entirely commercial pellets or crumble with no scratch, treats, or forage, it technically does not need supplemental grit. The moment you offer anything else — garden scraps, bugs, scratch grain — grit becomes necessary to help the gizzard break it down, so most keepers offer it free-choice year-round just in case.

Is scratch grain bad for chickens? Scratch is not harmful in moderation, but it is a treat, not a balanced feed, since it runs low in protein and calcium compared to a complete ration. Keep it to a small handful per bird a few times a week, well within the overall 90/10 rule, and lean on it more heavily in cold weather when the extra calories help hens stay warm overnight.