How to Feed Chickens Naturally

Food is the fuel source for your flock. What they eat will determine their health and productivity. When it comes to feeding your homestead flock, learning how to feed chickens naturally is essential for ensuring they get the nutrition they need on a daily basis. Surprisingly, there are several different ways that you can feed chickens. From old-fashion methods to newer, more adaptable methods, figuring out the best feeding method for your flock will help you raise them naturally. Learning about the different feeding methods for homestead chickens will help you choose the right method for your flock!

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Why it Matters

Different feeding methods vary in several ways. Each method has its pros and cons which need to be weighed and considered for the health of your flock. In my opinion, there are two feeding methods that are superior for the health and longevity of your flock. We’ll get to those in a minute! The four feeding methods that will be discussed are as follows:

• Free-Choice Feeding: Food is provided in a feeder all day and is always kept full. The chickens can eat from the feeder whenever they want.
• Restricted Feeding: Food is measured out according to the size of your flock and left in a feeder for the flock to eat as they wish. If the feed runs out by the end of the day the feeder is not refilled until the following day.
• Feeding Schedule: Feed is rationed out and sprinkled in the chicken enclosure at a specific time each day. No feed is left in a feeder.
• Free-ranging & Pasturing: Flock forages for all or most of their own food.

When feeding chickens naturally, you want to choose the feeding method that will most closely mimic what chickens would do in the wild. Free-choice feeding and free-ranging or pasturing are the most natural way to feed homestead chickens. However, as a modern homesteader, you must also consider these factors:

Feeding Factors:

• convenience– how much time it takes to feed your flock and how self-sufficient their feeding system is
• feed wastage– preventing food wastage is a feeding problem that every homesteader wishes to solve!
• attracting pests & predators– other animals are attracted to chicken feed too; choose a feeding method that will prevent this issue
• ensure proper nutrition– the most imporant thing to consider when feeding your flock is ensuring they get the nutrition they need on a daily basis
• prevent bullying– chickens can be food hogs, you can prevent bullying by choosing the appropiate feeding method

Free-Choice Feeding

Free-choice feeding is when food is made available to the flock all day long. Usually a feeder is filled with the appropiate chicken feed and left in the chicken coop or enclosure for your flock to munch from as they please. In my opinion, free-choice feeding is the best option for feeding chickens naturally.

Free-choice feeding allows chickens to eat what food they need throughout the day. This feeding methods matches their natural metabolism perfectly. A chicken’s metabolism is designed to digest small amounts of food throughout the day to give them energy. That kind of metabolism was perfect for wild chickens as they foraged for food throughout the day.

Free-choice feeding is best done with a mash or whole grain feed type. Each chicken can customize its diet based on energy needs influenced by activity levels, environmental factors, and other supplemented foods.

Pros of Free-Choice Feeding:

• Prevents Bullying: Each chicken can visit the feeder whenever they wish which prevents bullies from hogging all the food.
• Customizable: Allows chickens to cater to their own needs based on activity levels, environmental factors, and other foods consumed.
• Convenient: You don’t have to feed the chickens their daily ration every day. All you have to do is make sure their feeder contains food.
• Adaptable: Free-choice feedings works well for confined flocks as well as for free-range flocks. Confined flocks can eat at their leisure. Free-range flocks can supplement their foraging with whatever amount of food they need.

Cons of Free-Choice Feeding:

• Feed Wastage: Chickens may be more likely to beak-out the food in the feeder as they sort for favorite morsels or feed particles.
• Attracts Pests: Having open feed available all the time may attract varmin and wild birds. So will any spilled feed that gets beaked-out of the feeder onto the ground.

Solving Problems

To prevent feed wastage when using the free-choice feeding method, try using different types of feed or feeding systems. Sometimes the flock will forage for the spilt feed over the course of the day, cleaning up any particles on the ground. Other times switching to a different feed will make the food more appetizing and encouraging more eating and less beaking-out.

Choose a feeder system that prevents too much food wastage. Hanging feeders that are hung at back level to the shortest bird helps reduce beaking-out. Different styles of automatic feeders have also been designed to prevent food wastage.

To prevent attracting unwanted pests, keep the feeder in an enclosed and covered outdoor enclosure. Keeping the food outside in a covered location prevents pests from entering the coop and causing problems. You should move the feeder inside to an enclosed container during the night. This prevents night-visitors from chowing down on the chicken feed.

Restricted Feeding

Restricted feeding is when you feed your flock a rationed amount of feed. First you must figure out how much your flock will eat in one day. Start by averaging about 1/4 lb. of food per chicken. Add little more for large chicken breeds and a little less for small chicken breeds and bantams. Once you know how much your flock might eat in one day, you can measure out the appropiate amount of feed.

Place the rationed feed in a feeder and give your flock access to the feed during the day. You will know you have rationed out the right amount of feed by seeing how fast your flock finishes the feed or if there is any feed leftover by the end of the day.

It is best to start your flock on the restricted feeding method from a young age. That way the chickens get used to having a rationed amount of food and don’t gobble it all up in one setting. Only allowing your flock to eat a certain amount of food each day can be helpful for encouraging them to forage for their own food. It does not usually help prevent obesity.

Obesity is usually not caused by a chicken overeating. An imbalanced diet or too many treats can lead to obesity. Restricted feeding can be helpful under certain circumstances. However, in general I don’t recommend restricted feeding because I feel the cons outweigh the pros.

Pros of Restricted Feeding:

• Reduces Food Wastage: The chickens are motivated to eat all their feed and clean up any spilled feed since they only recieve a certian amount of feed each day.
• Prevents Attracting Pests: Less spilled feed means pests are less likely to be attracted to feed left unattended.
• Encourages Foraging: Chickens will be more motivated to forage for their own food when on the restricted feeding method.
• Good for Confined Flocks: Keeps confined chickens from boredom eating and encourages them to forage for spilt feed.

Cons of Restricted Feeding:

• Not Always Convenient: You will have to make sure the correct amount of food gets put in the feeder each morning.
• Deficiencies: The restricted feeding method can result in nutritional deficiencies or malnutrition if your flock is not getting enough of the nutrients they need on a daily basis.
• Bullying: Bullies can hog access to the feeder and eat more than their share of the food, which leaves other flock members with less food and less nutrition.
• Hard to Customize: Changing dietary and energy needs should be considered when rationing out feed. More feed may need to be supplied during the winter and less feed during the summer.

Solving Problems

You can rig up an automatic feeding system that fills the feeder with a certain amount of food each day to make the feeding system more self-sufficient. However, the amount may need to be changed periodically to make up for different energy needs during different seasons.

To prevent deficiencies and malnutrition you can combine restricted feeding with a little bit of free-choice feeding. Overestimate how much your flock will eat on a daily basis so that there is always just a little bit of feed leftover at the end of the day. Putting a little extra feed in the feeder can also help prevent bullying. Even if a hen hogs the feeder, she won’t be able to eat all the feed.

Feeding Schedule

Creating a feeding schedule for your flock involves rationing out how much your flock will eat and giving them their food once, twice, or three times a day at set feeding times. There is two ways you can figure out how much to feed your flock at set feeding times.

You can use the same rationing method used for the restricted feeding method. Simply weigh out how much food your flock should get (estimating about 1/4 lb. of feed per bird). Remember, feed intake and dietary needs may change depending on the weather, overall health, supplementary foods, and other environmental conditions.

Alternatively, you can feed your flock based on how much food they will eat during a given amount of time. This works well when you have several scheduled feeding times throughout the day. You can sprinkle the feed over a patch of clean ground and keep giving your flock food for as long as they will eat or for a set amount of time.

The feeding schedule method gives you more control over how much, when, and how often your flock eats. However, this method is not the most natural eating schedule for chickens. It works best for flocks that get to free-range or forage for most of the day.

During scheduled feeding times, the feed can be placed in a feeder or sprinkled on the ground. Just make sure all your chickens can eat at the same time. Also, make sure you keep the feeding schedule as uniform and timely as possible.

Pros of a Feeding Schedule:

• Reduces Food Wastage: The chickens will eat all of the food provided during the set feeding period, eliminating almost all feed waste.
• Prevents Attracting Pests: No food wastage means there is no attaction for pests. Also, since the feed is not setting out all day there is no oppurtunity for unwanted feasting.
• Entertainment: By sprinkling the food over the ground you can stimulate foraging and encourage your flock to be active. This can help prevent boredom.
• Encourages Foraging: Your chickens will have to forage for their food during the feeding times. They will also be motivated to free-range for most of their own food if given the opurtunity to free-range.

Cons of a Feeding Schedule:

• Not Always Convenient: Having a set feeding schedule means you need to be present to give your flock their daily portions of food.
• Deficiencies: Some chickens may suffer from dietary deficiencies or malnutrition if they do not receive all the nutrition they need during the set feeding times.
• Bullying: Bullying can become a problem as some hens hog access to the feeding spot or consume the feed at a faster rate.
• Less Customizable: During the free-for-all feeding times, the chickens can not eat at their leisure and consume the specific nutrition they need at the time.

Solving Problems

You can rig up feeding systems that will distribute the feed at set times. Sometimes these systems are used for feeding wildlife. To help prevent deficiencies, ensure there is plenty of feed available at each feeding time. Even if there is a little left on the ground after each time, your flock will probably go back later and finish it off.

Supplying a little more feed than what is needed can help prevent bullying too. Having several different feeding areas can also help spread out the flock and prevent bullying. Remeber to always consider environmental and conditional factors which may change the dietary needs of your flock on a monthly or seasonal basis.

Free-Ranging & Pasturing

Free-ranging and pasturing is the ultimate way to feed your flock naturally! With this feeding method, you need plenty of space to let your flock forage or dedicated pastures for your flock to roam in. Given the chance, most chickens will learn to forage for a majority of their own food. Keep in mind that some breeds will be better foragers than others.

Feeding your flock through free-ranging or pasturing means letting your flock have access to their pasture or foraging area for a majority of the day. In addition to foraging, you can also provide free-choice feed to allow your flock to supplement with feed as needed.

Foraging is usually seasonally dependant. For areas that get incliment weather during the winter months, free-ranging and pasturing all year round may not be an option. In which case, you should switch to a different feeding method. Free-choice feeding and foraging go hand-in-hand with each other and make a great feeding method pair for feeding your flock naturally year-round.

Pros of Foraging:

• Reduces Feed Costs: Since your flock is foraging for most of their food, they do not need much, if any, supplemental chicken feed.
• Mimics a Natural Diet: Before chickens were domesticated wild flocks had to forage for their own feed. Keep in mind that our modern-day chicken breeds will be somewhat removed from their wild ancestors and may lack some of the strong foraging instincts.
• Usually Healthier: Foraging allows your flock to build up their immune system naturally, customize their own diet, and consume natural foods.
• Customizable: Each individual chicken can forage for the nutrients they need and customize their own diet based on their individual needs.
• Simpler Supplementation: Your flock can enjoy supplements and treats without significantly altering their diet when they can forage for additional nutrients to compliment the supplements and treats. Table scraps become a part of the natural diet too, much like forage and foods they would eat while free-ranging.

Cons of Foraging:

• Requires Space: In order for your flock to get the nutrition they need and to keep their foraging area from becoming trampled you will need plenty of free-ranging space or rotational pastures.
• Predator Prone: Free-ranging and pasturing does pose more of a predator risk from aerial predators and ground predators. Installing predator prevention measures may help.
• Weather Variables: Precipitation may inhibit free-ranging and pasturing which will in turn affect how much nutrition your flock receives. Winter free-ranging and foraging may be impossible in some areas of the country.

Solving Problems

Having at least 4 different free-ranging or pasturing areas can be helpful for rotating your flock off of old ground and onto new ground. This rotational system can help you save space and pasture maintenance. Fencing, netting, and guardian animals can help prevent predators from becoming too big of a threat.

During inclement weather or the winter months, you may need to provide the free-choice feeding system to ensure your flock is recieving adequate nutrition.

Figuring out the best feeding system for your homestead flock will ensure they stay healthy and productive. Allowing your flock to customize their own diet based on their individual needs is the best way to feed chickens naturally. The free-choice feeding method and the free-ranging or pasturing method are the most natural and instinctual feeding method for chickens. Those two methods also work best on the homestead when other dietary elements are present such as table scraps, garden scraps, and natural supplements. However, it is also good to be familiar with the other feeding methods that are sometimes used when raising poultry.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions! You can also join our modern pioneer newsletter for weekly tips on raising a homestead flock naturally!

by Alexa