What to Feed Chicks, Pullets, Layers, and Broilers

Chicken feeding gets much easier once you stop thinking of every bird as needing the same food.

A newly hatched chick is busy building bones, feathers, muscles, and organs. A growing pullet still has plenty of development ahead of her. A laying hen suddenly needs much more calcium to support eggshell production. Broilers are fed differently again because they are raised mainly for meat growth.

That is why so many beginner feeding problems start with one of three things: the wrong feed, switching feed too early, or giving so many treats that the balanced ration becomes an afterthought.

The simple approach is usually the best one.

Feed a complete ration made for the bird’s age and purpose, keep clean water available all day, and treat scratch grains and kitchen scraps as extras rather than the main diet.

Mississippi State University Extension explains that complete poultry feeds are formulated to provide the protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients birds need for growth, egg production, and health. Read the Extension feeding guidance here.

Quick Answer:
Chicks need starter feed. Growing pullets need a grower or developer ration. Laying hens need layer feed once egg production begins. Broilers normally move from broiler starter to grower or finisher feed.

If you are new to keeping chickens altogether, start with our Poultry Care for Beginners guide, which covers feeding, water, housing, weather care, daily checks, and flock management.

Why a Good Chicken Feeding Guide Matters

Feed is not simply something you pour into a feeder every morning.

It influences growth, feather development, bone strength, body condition, egg production, and eggshell quality.

Chickens are excellent at finding extra food. Give them a yard and they will scratch for insects, seeds, bits of vegetation, and almost anything else that looks interesting.

That does not mean they can balance their own diet.

A backyard hen may happily eat corn and kitchen scraps all afternoon while missing nutrients she would receive from her complete ration.

The University of Minnesota Extension recommends prepared feed balanced for protein, vitamins, and minerals as the nutritional base for chickens. It also notes that scratch grains can be offered in moderation but do not provide all the nutrients chickens require.

Water matters just as much.

Birds need continual access to clean, fresh water. This becomes particularly important during hot weather, when chickens use panting to help regulate body temperature.

Practical Flock Tip:
Check the water before you check the feeder. Perfect feed cannot compensate for an empty, dirty, frozen, or overturned waterer.

For a broader daily-care routine, see Poultry Care for Beginners: Simple Tips That Actually Work.

What Chickens Actually Need in Their Diet

A healthy poultry ration contains several things working together.

Chickens need:

• Protein and amino acids
• Energy
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Calcium and phosphorus at appropriate levels
• Clean water

The amount of each nutrient changes as the bird grows.

Young chickens require nutrition that supports rapid development. Growing pullets still need to build their bodies without receiving the high calcium levels intended for active layers.

Laying hens are different.

Once eggs begin arriving, calcium demand rises sharply because every eggshell requires a substantial amount of calcium.

The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that growing birds commonly receive diets containing around 0.8–1.2% calcium, while laying birds require considerably more because of the demands of eggshell formation.

That is one reason feed bags have labels such as starter, grower, developer, layer, and broiler finisher.

They are not simply marketing names.

They represent different feeding purposes.

Keep It Simple:
For most beginners, a commercially prepared complete feed matched to the bird’s life stage is much easier and safer than trying to formulate a homemade ration from grains and supplements.

Chicken Feed Types Explained Simply

When you first walk into a feed store, the number of bags can make chicken feeding look more complicated than it is.

Most backyard keepers only need to understand a few main categories.

Mississippi State University Extension describes a similar feeding progression: chicks begin on starter feed, pullets move to developer feed, broilers move to finisher feed, and laying birds receive a layer ration once egg production begins.

The exact ages printed on feed bags can vary because feed programs are not identical.

Some manufacturers sell separate starter and grower diets.

Others sell a combined starter-grower product.

That is why the feed label matters more than memorizing one rigid internet chart.

What to Feed Baby Chicks

Chicks should start with a complete chick starter feed.

Starter is usually sold as mash or crumble, both of which are easy for small chicks to eat.

Mississippi State Extension recommends feeding chick starter soon after hatch and describes starter as the highest-protein stage in a typical chicken feeding program.

For a small backyard flock, feeding chicks should stay wonderfully boring.

Give them:

• Appropriate chick starter
• Fresh clean water
• Enough feeder space
• A clean brooder

That is enough to build a solid foundation.

Beginners sometimes become excited about giving chicks lettuce, corn, mealworms, fruit, bread, or kitchen scraps.

There is plenty of time for variety later.

During early growth, the balanced starter feed is doing important work.

Chick Feeding Callout:
A young chick does not need an interesting menu. It needs consistent access to a nutritionally complete starter ration and clean water.

How Long Should Chicks Eat Starter Feed?

There is no single transition date that matches every commercial feed program.

Mississippi State’s general poultry feeding guidance uses starter through roughly 6–8 weeks before moving pullets to developer feed. Some commercial starter-grower feeds are designed to be fed longer.

Always check the instructions on the feed you actually purchased.

Do Chicks Need Grit?

This question causes a lot of unnecessary confusion.

If chicks are eating only a complete starter mash or crumble, additional grit may not be necessary.

Grit becomes more relevant once birds begin eating foods that need to be physically ground in the gizzard, such as whole grains, forage, and various treats.

If you introduce those foods, use appropriately sized poultry grit for the bird’s age.

And remember:

Grit is not oyster shell.

We will come back to that distinction shortly.

What to Feed Growing Pullets

A pullet is a young female chicken that has not yet entered regular egg production.

After the starter stage, pullets generally move onto a grower or developer ration.

This stage is easy to overlook because young chickens can begin looking surprisingly mature before their bodies are actually finished developing.

A 16-week-old pullet may already look like a proper hen.

That does not mean she needs layer feed.

Mississippi State Extension recommends developer-type feed for pullets after the starter stage and until they approach egg production.

The goal is steady development without loading an immature bird with the elevated calcium level intended for hens actively producing eggs.

Important Feeding Callout:
Do not switch a pullet to layer feed just because she looks nearly full grown. Her nutritional needs change when she approaches egg production, not when she starts looking like an adult chicken.

Why Layer Feed Should Not Be Given Too Early

This deserves more attention than it usually gets.

Layer feed contains substantially more calcium than diets intended for growing chickens.

That calcium is useful when a hen is producing eggs.

It is not intended for immature, non-laying birds.

The Merck Veterinary Manual specifically warns against feeding high-calcium layer diets to growing, non-laying poultry and notes that doing so can contribute to serious kidney problems.

This is especially important in mixed-age flocks where young pullets share space with older laying hens.

Veterinary Safety Note:
Layer feed is not an “adult chicken feed” for every mature-looking bird. It is formulated primarily around the nutritional requirements of birds in lay.

When Should Pullets Switch to Layer Feed?

Think point of lay, rather than simply thinking about age.

Many pullets begin producing eggs somewhere around the late-teen weeks or a little later, depending on breed, management, nutrition, season, and individual development.

Penn State Extension recommends a layer ration for laying hens over about 18 weeks, while Mississippi State’s feeding program transitions birds when egg production begins.

The feed manufacturer’s directions should guide your actual transition.

You do not need to panic if one hen produces her first egg a few days earlier than expected.

Chicken feeding works better when you follow the bird’s stage and the ration instructions instead of treating one age number as a deadline.

What to Feed Laying Hens

Once hens begin laying, use a complete layer ration formulated for egg-producing birds.

Layer diets provide the energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals needed for maintenance and production while also providing considerably more calcium than grower diets.

That extra calcium has an important job.

Eggshell production places a real daily demand on the hen’s calcium reserves.

When dietary calcium is inadequate, birds may draw calcium from their skeleton to support egg formation. Merck’s poultry nutrition guidance discusses the high calcium demand associated with laying and the relationship between calcium nutrition, bone health, and shell quality.

If you are choosing birds mainly for backyard egg production, you may also like our guide to Cinnamon Queen and Columbian Wyandotte chickens.

Layer Feeding Tip:
Good eggs start before you reach the nest box. Consistent layer feed, clean water, suitable calcium, good housing, and overall flock health all contribute to reliable production.

Do Laying Hens Need Oyster Shell?

Oyster shell is commonly offered as a separate calcium source for laying hens.

The University of Minnesota Extension includes crushed oyster shell as part of laying-hen nutrition guidance, while Penn State recommends a calcium source such as oyster shell for laying flocks.

The important part is understanding what oyster shell does.

It provides calcium.

It is not a complete ration.

And it is not grit.

Offering an appropriate calcium source separately allows laying birds access to additional calcium without turning oyster shell into the main feed.

Grit vs Oyster Shell: The Easy Difference

Beginners mix these up all the time.

Here is the easiest way to remember them.

Easy Rule:
Grit helps with digestion. Oyster shell provides calcium. Complete feed provides the main nutrition.

Do not use oyster shell as a replacement for grit.

Do not use grit as a replacement for calcium.

And neither should replace a complete ration.

What to Feed Broiler Chickens

Broilers follow a different feeding program because they are raised primarily for meat rather than egg production.

Young meat birds normally begin with a broiler starter and later move to a broiler grower or finisher ration.

Mississippi State Extension separates broiler feeding from pullet feeding and recommends finisher diets for broilers after the starter stage.

The exact timing depends on:

• Broiler strain
• Feed program
• Desired processing weight
• Production system
• Manufacturer recommendations

For more detailed meat-bird management, see the University of Minnesota Extension guide to raising chickens for meat.

If you are planning a broiler batch and want to estimate feed purchases, use the free BlogAgri Broiler Feed Calculator. It estimates total feed, bags, and feed cost for a broiler cycle.

You can also track efficiency with our Feed Conversion Ratio Calculator, which compares feed consumed with live-weight gain.

Broiler Feeding Callout:
Broilers are not simply laying hens that happen to be raised for meat. Their growth rate and feeding program are different, so use a ration designed for meat birds.

Simple Age-by-Age Chicken Feeding Guide

Here is a useful beginner framework.

Treat this table as a framework rather than an inflexible calendar.

Your feed bag may use slightly different age ranges.

Follow the manufacturer’s feeding directions and adjust according to the type of chickens you are raising.

How Much Feed Does a Chicken Eat?

This is one of the first questions beginners ask, and it is also one of the easiest questions to overcomplicate.

Feed intake varies with:

• Breed
• Age
• Body size
• Egg production
• Weather
• Activity
• Feed formulation
• Health
• Production purpose

The University of Minnesota Extension gives a useful benchmark of roughly 3 pounds of feed per week for a 6-pound laying hen.

Mississippi State Extension gives another broad estimate of about 1/4 to 1/3 pound per day for an average laying hen, depending on factors such as weather, bird size, and productivity.

Those are planning numbers, not a strict ration for every individual hen.

A bantam and a large dual-purpose hen obviously do not have identical appetites.

For flock budgeting, use BlogAgri’s free Poultry Feed Calculator. It can estimate daily feed, total feed for a selected period, feed bags, and estimated cost.

Planning Callout:
Use a feed calculator to estimate purchases and costs. Do not use a generic calculator to replace the feeding directions for your specific ration or bird type.

How to Tell Whether Chickens Are Eating Enough

Do not judge the flock by one number alone.

Watch several things together.

Look at:

• Feed consumption
• Body condition
• Growth
• Egg production
• Eggshell quality
• Behavior
• Droppings
• Feather condition

If feed suddenly lasts much longer than normal, ask why.

Did the weather become extremely hot?

Is the feed damp or stale?

Did the waterer stop working?

Are several birds becoming sick?

If the flock suddenly empties feed much faster, check for waste and rodents before assuming every chicken has developed a bigger appetite.

Good flock management is partly about noticing when the normal routine changes.

Treats, Scratch Grains, and Kitchen Scraps

Treats are where many good feeding programs slowly become unbalanced.

Chickens are extremely persuasive when food appears.

They will happily convince you that they have not eaten for three days even when a feeder full of balanced ration is sitting a few feet away.

Scratch grains, greens, insects, and suitable kitchen scraps can add variety and enrichment.

They should remain extras.

The University of Minnesota Extension specifically notes that scratch grains do not provide all of a chicken’s nutritional needs and should be given in moderation.

The Merck Veterinary Manual also warns that overfeeding scratch can contribute to an imbalanced diet and recommends that most of a backyard bird’s diet come from a nutritionally complete ration.

Treat Rule:
If your chickens are filling up on treats and leaving their complete feed behind, the treats have stopped being treats.

Do Free-Range Chickens Still Need Feed?

Yes.

Free-ranging is wonderful for natural behavior.

Birds get exercise, scratch through soil, chase insects, pick at vegetation, and spend much of the day behaving like chickens.

But a large yard is not a nutrition label.

The amount and quality of available forage change with:

• Season
• Rainfall
• Temperature
• Vegetation
• Flock size
• Soil
• Insect populations
• Property size

Free-range birds should still have access to a nutritionally balanced ration.

The University of Minnesota Extension recommends prepared balanced feed even though chickens naturally consume grains, vegetation, fruits, and insects.

Free-Range Reality Check:
Let the yard provide enrichment and extra foods. Let complete feed provide the dependable nutritional foundation.

For more advice on managing outdoor birds, water, housing, predators, and daily routines, read Poultry Care for Beginners.

Feeding Roosters and Mixed Flocks

Mixed flocks need more thought than a group containing only laying hens.

A rooster does not produce eggs.

A young pullet does not produce eggs yet.

Their calcium requirements are therefore not the same as those of actively laying hens.

This is where simply filling every feeder with layer ration can become problematic.

The Merck Veterinary Manual warns particularly about giving high-calcium layer diets to immature, non-laying birds.

If you keep laying hens, pullets, and roosters together, choose a feeding program suitable for the entire group and provide laying hens with an appropriate separate calcium source where advised.

For complicated mixed-age setups, your feed manufacturer, poultry veterinarian, nutritionist, or local Extension specialist can help you choose the best ration.

Mixed-Flock Callout:
Do not assume one high-calcium layer feed is automatically suitable for every chicken sharing the coop.

Feeding Chickens in Summer

Hot weather often reduces feed intake.

That does not mean you should immediately change the ration.

Water becomes especially important.

During hot weather:

• Keep fresh water continuously available.
• Check water more than once a day.
• Keep waterers clean.
• Keep feed dry.
• Provide shade.
• Maintain good ventilation.
• Watch for unusual weakness or reduced activity.

University of Minnesota Extension notes that feed intake may decrease during hot weather while clean, fresh water becomes particularly important.

Summer Tip:
If the feeder is unusually full on a very hot day, check the birds and water supply before assuming there is something wrong with the feed.

Feeding Chickens in Winter

Cold weather can have the opposite effect.

Birds may consume more feed as their energy requirements increase.

Keep their complete ration available and make sure drinking water does not freeze.

Do not replace a balanced ration with large amounts of corn simply because winter arrives.

A little scratch may be enjoyed as an extra, but it is still not a complete feed.

The University of Minnesota Extension notes that feed consumption can increase during winter as birds use more calories.

Cold-Weather Rule:
Winter is not a reason to abandon the normal ration. Keep the complete feed consistent and make unfrozen water a priority.

Common Chicken Feeding Mistakes Beginners Make

Most beginner mistakes are surprisingly simple.

Switching to Layer Feed Too Early

Large pullets may look mature before they begin laying.

Keep them on an appropriate growing ration until they approach the laying stage.

Feeding Too Many Treats

Treats dilute the balanced diet when birds eat them instead of complete feed.

Using Scratch as the Main Feed

Scratch is not a nutritionally complete ration.

Confusing Grit and Oyster Shell

Grit helps grind food.

Oyster shell supplies calcium.

Ignoring Water

Feed intake and flock performance can quickly suffer when clean water is unavailable.

Changing Feed Constantly

Do not change rations every time the flock has one unusual day.

Look at weather, health, stress, age, molt, water access, and management too.

Letting Feed Get Wet

Damp or spoiled feed should not sit in the feeder.

Store feed somewhere cool, dry, and protected from rodents.

Overfilling Feeders

Feed scattered onto bedding becomes waste.

Adjust the feeder and filling level rather than accepting a daily pile of feed under it.

Beginner Reminder:
A simple feeding routine done consistently usually works better than constantly adding supplements, treats, and homemade fixes.

Simple Daily Chicken Feeding Routine

You do not need a complicated feeding schedule.

A boring routine is often the best routine.

Morning

Check water first.

Make sure the feeder contains the correct complete ration.

Watch the birds as they approach.

A hen that normally pushes to the front but suddenly stays in a corner deserves a closer look.

Midday

During hot weather, check the water again.

Look for wet feed, excessive spilling, or timid birds being pushed away from feeders.

Evening

Look at how much feed was eaten.

Remove badly contaminated or wet feed.

Make sure the flock will have access to water.

Once a Week

Take a wider look at:

• Feed consumption
• Body condition
• Growth
• Egg numbers
• Eggshell quality
• Droppings
• Feed waste
• Feeder cleanliness
• Waterer cleanliness

That five-minute review often tells you more than repeatedly changing feeds.

Quick Chicken Feeding Troubleshooting Table

Do not treat the table as a veterinary diagnosis.

A sudden loss of appetite, weakness, persistent diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, breathing problems, severe production changes, or multiple sick birds deserves advice from a poultry veterinarian or qualified Extension professional.

Using Feed Calculators Without Making Feeding Complicated

Feed calculators are useful when you use them for the right job.

They can help answer questions such as:

• How much feed should I purchase?
• How many bags might my flock use this month?
• What could the feed cost be?
• How much feed might a broiler batch require?
• How efficiently did a broiler flock convert feed into weight gain?

BlogAgri has several free tools for those jobs:

• Poultry Feed Calculator
• Broiler Feed Calculator
• Feed Conversion Ratio Calculator

The Poultry Feed Calculator estimates flock feed, bags, and cost. The broiler calculator focuses on broiler-cycle planning, while the FCR calculator compares feed consumed with live-weight gain.

Important:
A calculator helps with planning. It does not formulate a balanced poultry diet. Use life-stage-appropriate feed and follow the manufacturer’s feeding instructions.

A Simple Feeding Plan for Beginners

If all the information above feels like a lot, come back to this simple plan.

Baby chicks: Feed chick starter and provide fresh water.

Growing pullets: Move onto the appropriate grower or developer ration according to your feeding program.

Laying hens: Transition to layer feed at point of lay and provide appropriate calcium support.

Broilers: Follow a broiler starter and grower/finisher program.

Free-range chickens: Keep complete feed available even when birds forage.

Mixed flocks: Be careful with high-calcium layer ration when immature or non-laying birds share the feeder.

Treats: Keep them secondary.

Water: Never treat it as an afterthought.

That is the foundation of a sensible backyard chicken feeding program.

FAQs About What to Feed Chickens

Final Thoughts

Chicken feeding does not need to be complicated.

Match the ration to the bird: starter for chicks, grower or developer for pullets, layer feed for laying hens, and broiler feed for meat birds.

Keep clean water available, use grit and oyster shell for the right purposes, and keep treats secondary to complete feed.

Get those basics right, and most of the feeding routine becomes pleasantly simple.

Continue Reading on BlogAgri

• Poultry Care for Beginners: Simple Tips That Actually Work
• Poultry Feed Calculator
• Broiler Feed Calculator
• Feed Conversion Ratio Calculator
• Cinnamon Queen Chick & Columbian Wyandotte: Breed Facts