What is the best food for laying hens?

A complete layers pellet or mash, available for hens to eat freely through the day, is the best everyday food, since it is formulated to cover their nutritional needs including the calcium regular egg laying requires.

Can chickens eat mixed corn?

Yes, as a treat rather than a replacement for layers feed. Mixed corn is popular scattered for hens to forage, but it is not nutritionally complete on its own, so it should stay an addition to the diet rather than the main food.

Do chickens need grit?

Yes, grit should be available separately from feed. Chickens have no teeth and use grit in their gizzard to grind up food, so without it they cannot digest their feed properly.

What kitchen scraps are safe for chickens?

Vegetable peelings in moderation are generally fine, but avoid anything mouldy, very salty or heavily seasoned, and never offer avocado, chocolate, or raw or dried beans, all of which are unsafe for chickens.

Why has my chicken stopped laying?

A sudden drop in laying can have several causes, including diet, age, moulting or illness, so it is worth having a hen checked by a vet with poultry experience if the change is sudden or comes with other signs like reduced appetite.

What do chickens eat?

A complete layers feed, sold as pellets or mash, should be the main food for laying hens, formulated to cover their nutritional needs including the extra calcium egg production demands. Mixed corn, grit and the occasional kitchen scrap round out the diet, but none of these should replace layers feed as the everyday staple.

Layers feed: the everyday staple

A complete layers pellet or mash is designed to give hens the protein, vitamins and calcium they need, particularly for keeping up with regular egg laying. It should be available for hens to eat freely through the day, since chickens naturally graze little and often rather than eating one or two large meals.

Growers or starter feed is used instead for younger birds not yet laying, since their nutritional needs differ from adult hens, and switching to layers feed too early or too late can affect growth or egg production. If you keep a mixed-age flock, it is worth checking what is appropriate for the youngest birds.

Mixed corn, grit and treats

Mixed corn makes a popular treat, especially scattered for hens to forage for, but it is not nutritionally complete on its own and should be an addition rather than a replacement for layers feed. Grit — small stones a chicken swallows to help grind food in its gizzard — should be available separately, since chickens have no teeth and rely on it to digest food properly.

Kitchen scraps such as vegetable peelings can be offered in moderation, but avoid anything mouldy, very salty, or heavily seasoned, and steer clear of avocado, chocolate and raw or dried beans, all of which are unsafe for chickens. An oyster shell supplement, offered separately from feed, gives laying hens an extra source of calcium if their shells seem thin.

Water and watching for problems

Fresh, clean water should be available at all times and checked daily, since chickens drink a good deal, especially in warm weather, and a fouled or frozen drinker can affect both health and laying. Water and feed containers benefit from regular cleaning to avoid attracting pests or spreading disease.

A hen that stops eating, stops laying suddenly, or seems lethargic is worth having checked by a vet with poultry experience, since chickens can hide illness well and a change in appetite is often one of the first visible signs something is wrong.

What these need

Things we stock that owners commonly reach for here. Nothing on this page depends on you buying one.

Feathers & Beaky Chicken Treat

A chicken treat for the flock, fed after layers pellets rather than instead

£14.05

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Common questions

What is the best food for laying hens?: A complete layers pellet or mash, available for hens to eat freely through the day, is the best everyday food, since it is formulated to cover their nutritional needs including the calcium regular egg laying requires.
Can chickens eat mixed corn?: Yes, as a treat rather than a replacement for layers feed. Mixed corn is popular scattered for hens to forage, but it is not nutritionally complete on its own, so it should stay an addition to the diet rather than the main food.
Do chickens need grit?: Yes, grit should be available separately from feed. Chickens have no teeth and use grit in their gizzard to grind up food, so without it they cannot digest their feed properly.
What kitchen scraps are safe for chickens?: Vegetable peelings in moderation are generally fine, but avoid anything mouldy, very salty or heavily seasoned, and never offer avocado, chocolate, or raw or dried beans, all of which are unsafe for chickens.
Why has my chicken stopped laying?: A sudden drop in laying can have several causes, including diet, age, moulting or illness, so it is worth having a hen checked by a vet with poultry experience if the change is sudden or comes with other signs like reduced appetite.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

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.