Chicken feed: layers pellets, mixed corn and treats explained
Chicken feed for a backyard flock mainly comes in three forms: a complete layers pellet or mash meant to make up the bulk of the diet, mixed corn or grain used as a treat or winter warmer rather than a main feed, and scratch or treat mixes for scattering and enrichment. The labels can look interchangeable at a glance, but each does a different job in the pen.
Layers pellets and mash
A complete layers feed, whether pellet or mash, is formulated to be the main part of a laying hen's diet and is designed to be available for most of the day rather than rationed out like a treat. Pellets are less wasteful than mash because birds cannot pick out the bits they prefer and leave the rest.
This is the feed that should make up the majority of what a flock eats, with everything else — corn, scraps, treats — kept as a smaller addition on top rather than a replacement for it. Growers or starter feeds exist for younger birds not yet laying, and it is worth checking a bag is the right stage for your flock rather than assuming one feed suits every age.
Mixed corn and grain
Mixed corn is a blend of whole grains, often including maize, and it is closer to a treat or a winter energy boost than a balanced feed on its own. Scattered in the run, it also gives birds something to forage for, which suits how chickens naturally spend their day.
Because it is lower in the protein and minerals a layers pellet provides, corn fed too heavily can crowd out the complete feed a flock actually needs, particularly through a laying season. Most keepers treat it as an extra rather than the main event.
Treats and scratch mixes
Treat and scratch blends are for scattering rather than filling a feeder, and their main value is behavioural — giving a flock something to search for and peck at through the day, which helps prevent the boredom that can lead to feather pecking.
As with corn, treats work best as a small addition rather than a substitute for a proper layers feed, and it is worth keeping an eye on how much is going down if you are also trying to keep a flock at a healthy weight.
Choosing what to buy
For most backyard keepers, a bag of layers pellets as the everyday feed, with a smaller bag of mixed corn or a treat mix kept for scattering and colder weeks, covers what a flock actually needs. There is no single 'best' feed beyond matching the product to the stage and purpose it is meant for.
If a flock's egg production, weight or feather condition changes noticeably, that is worth investigating rather than assuming it is a feed issue on its own — a vet with poultry experience or an experienced local keeper is a better first call than guessing.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Supa Poultry Mixed Grit
A mixed flint and oystershell grit for chickens, combining grinding grit with a calcium source
From£4.75
Johnson's Poultry Corn 'N' Grit Treat
A 270g corn and grit treat for poultry keepers, sold to help digestion
£3.85
Johnson's Poultry Housing Spray
An HSE-approved 250ml aerosol to kill mites, lice and fleas in poultry housing
£6.25
Johnson's Poultry Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioner
Apple cider vinegar water conditioner for chickens, ducks, geese and other poultry
£6.99
Johnson's Poultry Tonic
A 500ml multi-vitamin conditioning tonic for chickens and other poultry
£11.99
Johnson's Poultry Mite & Lice Powder
A 250g diatomaceous earth powder to keep bird housing dry and discourage red mite
£6.79
Supa Anti Perch Chick Trough Feeder
A 30cm trough feeder for young birds with an anti-perch bar to stop fouling
£7.99
Supa Poultry & Bird Feeder
Gravity-fed 6kg feeder for poultry and game birds, stands on the ground or hangs
£14.99
Supa Poultry & Bird Drinker
A 6 litre gravity drinker for poultry, with a dome top birds cannot perch on
£9.99
Supa Poultry Aviary Bird Feeder
Supa gravity-fed poultry and aviary bird feeders in two capacity options
From£5.99
Supa Poultry & Avian Bird Drinker
Supa red and white 3-litre gravity bird drinker for ground or hanging use, made in the UK
£6.99
Mr Johnson's Poultry Grit
A 1kg bag of insoluble grit to help hens grind food down for better digestion
£2.06
Common questions
- What is the difference between layers pellets and mixed corn?
- Layers pellets are a complete feed formulated to cover most of what a laying hen needs and are meant to be available through the day. Mixed corn is a blend of whole grains that acts more like a treat or energy top-up, and it should not replace a complete layers feed as the main diet.
- How much mixed corn should I give my chickens?
- It works best as a smaller addition alongside a complete layers feed rather than the main part of the diet, particularly during a laying season when hens need the protein and minerals a layers pellet provides. Scattering a modest amount for foraging is more useful than filling a feeder with it.
- Can chickens eat kitchen scraps as well as feed?
- Many keepers do offer some scraps, but they should stay a small addition to a proper layers feed rather than a substitute for it, and some foods are best avoided altogether. If you are unsure what is suitable, treat feed as the reliable option and scraps as an occasional extra.
- Do chicks need a different feed to laying hens?
- Yes, younger birds typically need a starter or grower feed formulated for their stage rather than an adult layers feed, which is balanced for hens that are already laying. Check the bag matches the age of your birds rather than assuming one feed suits the whole flock.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.