Our chickens live to eat. Our chickens love to eat. The question is what should they eat?
The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
Proverbs 12:10a
Ask a breeder what they feed their chickens and you'll get a lot of different answers! We all want shiny feathers, fertile hatching eggs, and healthy chickens. Now how do we get there?
Sometimes supplements or vitamins are the answer and if you want to find out what would help, check out our supplements page.
We ask a lot of questions and try to glean from every source we can. Our current ration is the culmination of our "research" so far. Here is our mix:
- Blue Seal Breeder Pellets - our main feed, always available or Nutrena Feather Fixer - especially during molting season for quick and healthy feather regrowth
- Black oil sunflower seeds - helps make feathers shiny
- Whole Oats - helps feather quality
- Bird Seed Mix - fed as a treat
- Fresh, clean water - sometimes with vitamins or probiotics
- Oyster shell - for strong egg shells
- Cat food - just a few pieces, especially during and after a molt
- Greens - when available
We only offer the breeder pellets and water all the time and use the rest to throw for a treat.
The week before a show, we mix it up a bit. We switch over to more scratch since it tends to make the chicken's poop more solid, especially toward the end of the week. We've also been told white rice does a nice job but be we have learned that it is a better option for before bath day since it can be quite a sticky mess (especially for birds with muffs.)
The day of the show, we feed our birds very little. A full crop can distort the bird's chest and mess up their type. At the same time, we don't want them so hungry that the poor things are frantically scratching through the litter for food instead of strutting their stuff for the judge.
We want our birds to be bright-eyed and alert for the judges.We don't want them to feel the way you do after a big Thanksgiving dinner when all you want to do is rest on the couch.We try to be attentive to our birds, watching them closely and following their cues.
I know we have a lot to learn but we've been happy with how this combination has maintained the condition of our birds and we've had a good hatch rate with our fertile eggs. Check out our experience with incubator hatching here.
We want our birds to be bright-eyed and alert for the judges.We don't want them to feel the way you do after a big Thanksgiving dinner when all you want to do is rest on the couch.We try to be attentive to our birds, watching them closely and following their cues.
I know we have a lot to learn but we've been happy with how this combination has maintained the condition of our birds and we've had a good hatch rate with our fertile eggs. Check out our experience with incubator hatching here.
What did I miss?
What do feed your birds to keep them in peak condition?
Learn what others in the fancy feed their showbirds...
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Chicken Feed Mash 
My chickens eat the pellets and scratch mix but they don't really eat a lot of it and they end up with empty crops. So we make a mash, they love it, we …
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I am a 4h'r and I have been in 4h four 2 years in Pima County and shown and auctioned in the 2016 fair! This year I am hoping to win! Anyways I have …
Legs not Yellow enough
This is actually a question, but my very expensive silver laced wyandottes have pale legs only the females and they are all fed the same. I read that …
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After not being happy with what I could find locally, I decided to do some research (well lots of research actually) and start mixing my own food. I certainly …
Foodies Not rated yet
I use an all flock mixed with Purina game bird layer feed for the older birds and game Bird starter grower or the younger ones. As well as scratch grains, …
Feeding Showbirds Not rated yet
There is a lot of people who will mix their own feeds, me personally I use commercial feeds. For instance Purina’s Game Bird Flight Conditioner is a good …
Omnivorous Diet Not rated yet
My birds get Flock Raiser pellets (Purina) in their feeder, and about 2 cups of scratch in the morning only. Every once in a while I pick up a flock block …
Feed Extras Not rated yet
Whole wheat, mixed in scratch feed - and Walmart Soft & Moist dog food as a treat every few days. In cold weather - a wet mash of grain, cat food, bread …
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