🐔 How to Feed a Chicken as Your Pet: A Friendly Beginner's Guide

Thinking about keeping a chicken as a pet? Great choice! Chickens are surprisingly affectionate, quirky, and full of personality. But one of the first things you’ll need to get right is—what do they eat, and how do you feed them properly?

Here’s a simple, no-nonsense guide to feeding your feathery friend.

1. Start with a Balanced Chicken Feed 🥣

The most important thing your pet chicken needs is a complete poultry feed—not just kitchen scraps or grains.

For adult chickens:

• Look for “layer pellets” or “layer crumbles”

• These provide balanced nutrition with protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals

• Choose non-medicated feed for pet chickens (unless advised by a vet)

For baby chicks:

• Use starter feed (higher protein, finely ground)

• Switch to grower feed after 6–8 weeks, then to layer feed around 18–20 weeks

Always provide feed in a clean, dry feeder to avoid mold and pests.

2. Fresh Water Every Day 💧

Chickens need constant access to clean water.

• Use a spill-proof water container

• Refresh it daily—especially in hot weather

• In winter, prevent freezing (a heated water bowl may help)

Hydration is crucial to digestion, egg-laying, and overall health.

3. Let Them Snack… But Not Too Much 🐛🥬🍓

Pet chickens love a good treat, but balance is key.

Safe treats (in moderation):

• Fruits: grapes, apples (no seeds), berries, banana

• Veggies: leafy greens, carrots, cucumbers

• Protein: mealworms, boiled egg bits, tofu

• Grains: oats, rice, cooked pasta

Never give:

• Chocolate

• Onions or garlic

• Avocado

• Raw beans

• Salty or oily processed food

4. Do Chickens Need Grit? Yes! 🪨

Chickens don’t have teeth. To grind their food, they need grit (tiny rocks or crushed oyster shell).

• In free range: They find grit naturally

• In coops: Offer commercial grit or clean crushed stone

Also: Oyster shells provide extra calcium for strong eggshells.

5. Free-Ranging Chickens Feed Themselves (Kind Of) 🐞🌱

If you let your chicken roam a safe yard:

• They'll forage bugs, seeds, weeds = happy hens

• Still offer feed, as foraging won’t cover all nutrition

• Watch for poisonous plants or pesticide-treated areas!

6. Feeding Routines and Tips

• Feed adult chickens twice a day, or keep pellets available all day

• Use a no-spill feeder to avoid waste

• Clean feeders/waterers weekly

• Observe: is your chicken eating normally? Are they pecking feathers or eating dirt? That may signal a nutrition problem.

Summary:

Feeding a pet chicken is easy once you understand their needs: complete feed, fresh water, fun (but safe) treats, and a little grit. Give them love, and they’ll give you eggs—and endless entertainment—in return.