Tag: chicken nutrition

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Crumble vs Poultry Mix: What Should You Really Be Feeding Your Chickens?

When it comes to feeding chickens, one of the most common questions is whether to use a poultry mix or a complete feed like crumble or pellets. At first glance, poultry mix feels like the more natural option. It looks like real food. You can see the grains, the seeds, the variety. But what looks good to us isn’t always what works best for the flock.

A Simple Way to Think About It

Poultry mix is a bit like a bowl of snacks. If you gave someone a mix of chips, nuts, and vegetables, they’d probably eat the chips first, pick through the rest, and leave what they don’t enjoy. Chickens do the same thing. They’ll go straight for the tastiest, high-energy ingredients and leave behind the parts their body actually needs most.

Chickens eating corn Mix

What Happens When Chickens Pick Their Feed

Chickens are natural foragers, and when given a mixed feed, they don’t eat it evenly. Instead, they select what they prefer first. Most flocks will go straight for the grains and seeds, picking out the higher energy ingredients while leaving behind the components that are less appealing but nutritionally important.

Over time, this creates an imbalance. On paper, poultry mix may be designed to be a complete feed, but in practice, what your chickens actually consume is often very different. They tend to take in more energy than they need, while missing out on enough protein and essential nutrients. It’s these small gaps that start to show up in the flock. Feather condition can decline, younger birds may not grow as steadily, and egg production can become inconsistent. It doesn’t usually happen overnight, but gradually, the effects of an unbalanced diet begin to appear.

Why Crumble and Pellets Work Differently

Complete feeds like crumble or pellets remove that choice entirely. Each bite contains a consistent balance of protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals, so your chickens receive what they need every time they eat. Instead of relying on them to balance their own diet through selective feeding, the feed does it for them. It’s a simple, consistent, and reliable approach, especially for growing birds and laying hens where steady nutrition makes a noticeable difference.

Poultry mix looks balanced in the bag.
Crumble makes sure it’s balanced in the bird.

Does That Mean Poultry Mix Is Bad?

Not at all. Poultry mix still has its place, but it works best when it’s treated as a supplement rather than a main diet. Used occasionally, it can encourage natural foraging behaviour, add variety, and keep the flock engaged. The key is balance, using it alongside a complete feed rather than relying on it as the foundation.

Where People Often Go Wrong

A common mistake is feeding poultry mix as the main or only feed. This is where selective eating becomes a problem, and nutrition starts to slip without it being obvious straight away. Another one is assuming that because chickens look happy eating it, they must be getting what they need. Chickens will always choose what tastes best, not what’s most balanced.

What to Look for in a Good Feed

Whether you choose crumble or pellets, a good feed should be appropriate for the bird’s age, whether that’s a grower or a layer, and contain adequate protein to support development and production. It should be nutritionally complete rather than made up of simple grains, and avoid unnecessary fillers that don’t add real value to the diet. If you’re feeding laying hens, calcium should be available to support shell quality, but it’s important not to overdo it for younger birds that don’t yet require those higher levels.

A Practical Feeding Approach

A simple way to structure feeding is:

  • Main diet: A quality crumble or pellet
  • Extras: Occasional scraps or poultry mix
  • Free choice: Shell grit or calcium source

This keeps things balanced while still allowing for variety.

Feeding chickens doesn’t need to be complicated. The goal is consistency. When their main diet is balanced, everything else becomes an addition rather than a risk. Poultry mix has its place, but complete feeds like crumble make it much easier to ensure your chickens are getting what they actually need, not just what they prefer to eat.

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Why Eggs Are One of the Best Foods for Chickens

Why Eggs Are One of the Best Foods for Chickens

It might feel a bit strange at first… feeding eggs back to your chickens. After all, it’s the very thing they produce. But done properly, eggs can be one of the most beneficial additions to your flock’s diet.

Eggs are naturally rich in protein, essential vitamins, and healthy fats. These nutrients directly support feather condition, overall health, and steady egg production. Protein, in particular, plays a key role during periods of feather growth, recovery, and seasonal change. It’s a simple way of returning valuable nutrition straight back to the birds, using something already produced within your own flock.

Is It Safe to Feed Eggs?

Feeding eggs to chickens is a common and practical approach when done properly. Like anything in your flock’s diet, it comes down to balance, consistency, and good routine. Eggs are best viewed as a supplement rather than a staple. Your chickens will always perform best when their main diet is a complete, balanced feed designed to meet their nutritional needs. Eggs simply sit alongside that, offering an additional boost when needed. When used this way, they support the flock without disrupting feeding habits or overall nutrition.

How to Feed Eggs Properly

The way eggs are fed makes all the difference. Cooking them first, either scrambled or boiled, is the best approach. Cooking improves digestibility and makes the nutrients more accessible. It also removes the visual link between what they’re eating and what they lay, which helps prevent unwanted behaviours forming in the flock. Once cooked, eggs can be fed on their own in small portions. Offering only what your chickens will eat straight away helps prevent it sitting around in the coop or run. Keeping it simple is key. No seasoning, no additives, just plain cooked egg.

Eggs are considered Restricted Animal Material (RAM), and there are strict rules around this.

They’re not suitable for livestock like cattle, sheep, or pigs under certain conditions, but for backyard chickens, they can be used safely when handled the right way.

A Note on Raw Eggs

Raw eggs are best avoided. While they contain similar nutrients, they don’t offer any advantage over cooked eggs and can lead to poor habits developing. Chickens learn quickly, and repeated exposure to raw egg can increase the likelihood of them recognising and targeting eggs in the nesting box. Cooked eggs remove that risk while still delivering the same nutritional benefit.

What About Eggshells?

You’ll often hear advice about feeding eggshells back to chickens as a calcium source. While it can be done, it’s something we generally avoid. The main reason isn’t the shell itself, but what it can teach your flock. Chickens are quick to associate food with what they recognise. Once they connect eggs with something edible, it can lead to them pecking and breaking their own eggs in the nesting box.

That’s a habit that’s much harder to fix than it is to avoid in the first place. There are also practical considerations. Shells need to be cleaned, dried, and crushed properly before feeding. If not handled well, they can become another messy feed source that attracts unwanted attention in the coop or run. For us, it’s simpler and more consistent to rely on a balanced feed for calcium, and keep eggs as a clean, occasional supplement.

Keeping It Clean and Low-Risk

Cooked egg is a soft feed, and like any soft food, it needs to be managed properly. Leaving it sitting in the run can attract rodents or wild birds, particularly in open setups. It can also spoil quickly in warmer conditions, which is something many backyard keepers overlook.

It’s also best to avoid using heavily soiled or cracked eggs. Starting with clean, good-quality eggs keeps things simple and reduces unnecessary risk. Feeding smaller amounts that are consumed quickly, and removing anything uneaten, keeps things clean and controlled. Combined with a consistent feeding routine, this helps maintain a healthier environment for your flock.

Good feeding isn’t about more food. It’s about feeding the right things, the right way.

A Simple Addition, Not a Replacement

Like most things on the farm, balance is what makes the difference. Eggs can be a simple and effective addition when used properly, but the foundation should always be a quality feed and a consistent routine.

That’s what keeps a flock healthy, productive, and easy to manage.

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Why Your Chickens Choose Scraps Over Feed

Why Your Chickens Choose Scraps Over Feed

There’s a moment most backyard chicken owners notice sooner or later. You throw out a handful of scraps and the whole flock comes running, straight to your feet, full of energy and interest. But when it comes to their regular feed, they pick at it, wander off, and come back to it later. It can feel like they’re being fussy, or that something’s off with the feed itself. Most of the time, it’s just their natural behaviour showing through.

Chickens don’t look at food the way we do. They’re not weighing up what’s balanced or what will keep them productive over time. They’re wired to go for what’s easiest and most rewarding in the moment. Scraps tend to be softer, quicker to eat, and often higher in energy, which makes them more appealing straight away. It’s the same instinct that has them chasing insects or working over freshly turned soil. Given the choice, they’ll go for what gives them the quickest return, not what supports them long term.

Where It Starts to Catch Up

On its own, that behaviour isn’t a problem. It becomes one when it starts replacing what they actually need. A good layer feed, sitting around that 16–18% protein range, is balanced to carry birds properly. It supports egg production, feather condition, and overall health in a way scraps simply can’t match.

When that balance starts to shift, the changes don’t show up overnight. That’s why they’re easy to overlook. Egg production can feel inconsistent. Shell quality may drop slightly. Birds don’t quite hold their condition the same way they did a few weeks earlier. It’s not dramatic, just a gradual change building in the background.

It’s not dramatic, just a gradual change building in the background.

Most flocks will always have some scraps, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s part of keeping chickens. The difference comes down to how much influence those scraps have. When they stay as a small addition, everything tends to hold steady. When they begin to take over, even slowly, that’s when things start to drift. Chickens won’t balance this out for themselves. If they’re given the opportunity, they’ll always pick what they enjoy first.

What Usually Works Without Overthinking It

The simplest approach is usually the one that holds up. Let birds settle into their feed first, then bring scraps in afterwards. That keeps everything in balance without needing to constantly adjust or second guess things. It doesn’t need to be strict, just consistent. Over time, that consistency is what keeps birds in good condition and avoids the small issues that tend to build when feeding starts to drift.

A Simple Way to Look at It

If chickens had their way, they’d eat like kids at a birthday party, straight to the easiest and most rewarding food first, without much thought for what comes next. That’s not a flaw, it’s just how they’re wired. Their regular feed does the heavy lifting in the background, quietly supporting everything you don’t always see day to day.

Looking Ahead

As routines shift through the season, small habits like feeding tend to matter more than they first appear. Nothing stands out straight away, but over time, consistency in feed and access plays a big role in how birds settle and perform.

If you’ve noticed your flock favouring scraps or picking around their feed more than usual, it’s usually a good time to bring things back into balance before it starts to show up elsewhere. If your chickens seem to waste feed or pick around it more than they should, our next blog will cover a simple approach that can make feeding easier and more consistent.

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Why Avocado Is Bad for Chickens

Why Avocado Is Bad for Chickens

It’s One of the Few Foods to Avoid Completely. Most kitchen scraps are fine for chickens in moderation.

Vegetables, fruit, leftovers, even things you wouldn’t expect, chickens are generally very good at picking through what they need and leaving the rest. Avocado is one of the few exceptions. It’s not something they should have access to at all, not because it’s messy or hard to eat, but because it contains a compound that can be harmful to birds.

What Makes It a Problem?

Avocado contains a natural toxin called persin.

In small amounts, it doesn’t tend to affect humans, but birds are far more sensitive to it. For chickens, it can interfere with how their body functions, particularly affecting breathing and internal organs. The important thing to understand is that it’s not just one part of the fruit. Persin is present throughout the avocado, though some parts contain more than others.

The Parts to Avoid

The highest concentration sits in the skin and the pit, which is where most of the risk comes from. These parts should never be fed. The flesh itself is lower in persin, but it’s still not considered safe to offer, especially when there are plenty of better options available. As a general rule, it’s best treated as a complete avoid, rather than something to portion or manage.

What Happens If They Eat It?

In most cases, chickens won’t actively seek it out in large amounts, but if they do consume it, the effects can show up fairly quickly. The first signs are usually subtle. Birds may seem quieter than usual, less active, or slightly off their normal behaviour. As it progresses, you may notice breathing becoming more laboured, or a general drop in condition.

Severe cases are rare in backyard flocks, but the risk is there, particularly if larger amounts are consumed or if birds are exposed repeatedly.

Why It’s Easy to Miss

Avocado doesn’t stand out as a risky food. It’s soft, fresh, and seems similar to other scraps that are normally fine. Because chickens will peck at it out of curiosity, it can easily be offered without a second thought. That’s usually where the problem starts, not from overfeeding, but from assuming it’s just another harmless scrap.

What to Do Instead

There’s no shortage of better options. Leafy greens, vegetable offcuts, and fruit that’s safe for poultry all give the same benefits without the risk. Chickens will still show the same interest and behaviour, just without the downside. Keeping scraps simple and familiar tends to avoid most issues.

Final Thought

Most foods are fine in moderation. Avocado isn’t one of them. It’s one of the few scraps that’s best left out completely, not because it’s likely to cause immediate problems every time, but because there’s no real benefit to taking the risk.

We’ll be covering more common foods like this in upcoming posts, what’s safe, what’s not, and what’s worth thinking twice about before it ends up in the coop.