Chickens thrive on a surprisingly diverse natural diet that mirrors what they’d find foraging on their own: insects, seeds, greens, and grit. A healthy laying hen needs roughly 16 to 18 percent protein in her overall diet, along with a steady supply of calcium, fiber, and enough calories to support egg production and body maintenance. You can meet most of these needs with natural food sources, though understanding what to offer, what to avoid, and how to balance it all makes the difference between a productive flock and a struggling one.
What Chickens Need From Their Diet
Protein is the nutrient that matters most for laying hens. During peak production, hens perform best at around 17 to 18 percent crude protein. As they age or production slows, they can do well at 15.5 to 16 percent. Fat and carbohydrates supply energy: each gram of protein or carbohydrate provides four calories, while each gram of fat delivers nine. Fiber keeps digestion moving but only needs to make up about 2.5 percent of the diet. Beyond these basics, laying hens have a heavy calcium demand for eggshell formation, and they need small stones (grit) in their gizzard to physically grind food since they have no teeth.
Insects: The Best Natural Protein Source
If you want to boost your flock’s protein naturally, insects are unmatched. They contain all essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source that rivals soybean meal or fish meal. The protein content of common insects is remarkably high on a dry-matter basis:
- Black soldier fly larvae: 33 to 61 percent protein
- Mealworms: 27 to 53 percent protein
- Crickets and grasshoppers: 48 to 65 percent protein
- Earthworms: 41 to 66 percent protein
- Houseflies: 40 to 64 percent protein
You can cultivate black soldier fly larvae and mealworms at home with kitchen scraps and grain. Earthworms are easy to raise in a simple compost bin. Chickens that free-range will catch their own crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles during warm months, but offering supplemental insects during winter helps compensate for the drop in natural foraging.
Greens, Vegetables, and Kitchen Scraps
Leafy greens like kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, and dandelion leaves are excellent natural additions. Chickens also eat squash, cucumbers, watermelon rinds, cooked sweet potatoes, and most leftover vegetables. These foods provide vitamins, fiber, and hydration, though they’re low in protein and calories, so they work best as supplements to a more nutrient-dense base.
A few cautions apply. Raw potatoes and their green skins contain compounds that can be harmful. Avocado skin and pits are toxic. Dried or raw beans contain a protein that’s dangerous to chickens until fully cooked. Onions in large quantities can cause anemia. And while small amounts of brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, turnips) are fine, very large amounts contain compounds called glucosinolates that can interfere with thyroid function. Moderation is the key with that family of vegetables.
Seeds, Grains, and Legumes
Whole grains form the caloric backbone of a natural chicken diet. Wheat, oats, barley, and corn all work well. Sunflower seeds (especially black oil sunflower seeds) are a favorite that adds both fat and protein. Flaxseed provides omega-3 fatty acids that can improve egg quality. Cooked lentils, split peas, and other legumes offer a plant-based protein boost, though they should always be cooked first to neutralize compounds that interfere with digestion.
Scratch grains and cracked corn are popular treats, but they’re heavy on carbohydrates and light on everything else. Limit them to no more than 10 percent of total feed intake. Save them for the coldest winter days when a little extra energy helps your flock generate body heat.
How Much Foraging Actually Contributes
Free-range chickens on diverse pasture can find a meaningful portion of their nutrition on their own. Research on chickens grazing mixed-grass pastures found that birds receiving 15 percent less supplemental feed than confined birds grew at the same rate. The foraging birds made up the difference with insects, seeds, and vegetation they found themselves. That said, pasture alone rarely meets a laying hen’s full protein and calcium needs, especially during peak production. Think of foraging as a valuable supplement, not a complete diet.
The nutritional contribution of pasture also swings with the seasons. In spring and summer, when insects are abundant and greens are lush, foraging provides the most. In winter, when the ground is frozen or snow-covered, chickens depend almost entirely on what you offer them.
Fermenting Grains for Better Nutrition
Fermenting your grain mix before feeding is one of the simplest ways to increase its nutritional value. The fermentation process boosts levels of beneficial bacteria, B vitamins, organic acids, amino acids, and digestive enzymes. It also breaks down compounds in grains that normally block nutrient absorption, so your chickens get more out of every bite.
To ferment feed at home, combine whole or cracked grains in a bucket and add enough water to cover the grain by an inch or two. You’re aiming for roughly 60 percent moisture content, which in practical terms means the grains should be fully submerged with a thin layer of water on top. Stir once or twice daily and let it sit at room temperature for three to four days. You’ll notice a mildly sour, yogurt-like smell when it’s ready. Drain off excess liquid and serve. Start a new batch every day or two to keep a rotation going.
Sprouting Grains as Fodder
Sprouting grains is another way to transform basic feed into something more nutritious, and it’s especially useful in winter when fresh greens are scarce. When a grain sprouts, it converts some of its starch into more accessible nutrients, concentrating protein, vitamins, and minerals relative to the remaining dry matter. The trade-off is a slight loss of total energy per kernel since some starch is burned off as heat and carbon dioxide during germination.
Wheat, barley, and oats sprout easily. Spread a thin layer of grain on a tray, rinse twice a day, and within five to seven days you’ll have a dense mat of green fodder. Chickens eat the sprouts, roots, and remaining seed. It’s not a calorie replacement for dry grain, but it adds fresh enzymes, greens, and variety to the diet when pasture isn’t available.
Calcium, Grit, and Minerals
Laying hens pull enormous amounts of calcium from their bodies to form eggshells. Without supplemental calcium, shell quality deteriorates quickly. The simplest natural source is crushed oyster shell, offered free-choice in a separate dish so each hen can eat as much as she needs. You can also save, dry, and crush your own eggshells for the same purpose. Start offering calcium supplements once hens reach about 16 weeks of age.
Grit is a separate need. Chickens that forage outdoors usually pick up small stones naturally, but if your birds are in a coop or run without access to bare soil, provide crushed granite in a dish. Without grit in their gizzard, chickens can’t properly grind whole grains, seeds, or fibrous greens. Keep both grit and oyster shell available at all times. They’re inexpensive and the birds self-regulate their intake.
Herbs Worth Adding
A handful of herbs can support flock health when mixed into feed or offered fresh. Oregano is the most studied: it has natural antimicrobial properties and supports digestive and respiratory health. You can grow it in your garden and toss fresh clippings into the coop, or sprinkle dried oregano into feed. Garlic, crushed and added in small amounts to feed or water, supports immune function and may help deter internal parasites. Other herbs chickens enjoy include thyme, basil, mint, and parsley. None of these replace veterinary care for a sick bird, but as part of a regular natural diet, they contribute beneficial compounds.
Plants and Foods to Avoid
A few common plants are genuinely dangerous to chickens. Black locust trees contain toxins in their bark, leaves, and seeds. Vetch, sometimes found growing wild in pastures, contains a compound toxic to poultry. Corn cockle, a weed that occasionally appears in grain fields, is poisonous to chickens. Rhubarb leaves, foxglove, and nightshade are also harmful.
On the kitchen side, avoid feeding chickens chocolate, coffee grounds, raw dried beans, and anything moldy. Salty and heavily processed foods cause problems too. If you’re unsure about a specific plant in your yard, err on the side of fencing it off. Chickens will sample almost anything, and they don’t always avoid what’s bad for them.
Seasonal Adjustments
During winter, chickens eat more because the act of digesting food generates body heat. Let them eat as much as they want from their base diet rather than restricting portions. Since fat provides 125 percent more energy per gram than carbohydrates, foods with healthy fats (sunflower seeds, flaxseed) are more efficient winter fuel than starchy scratch grains. Keep water from freezing, because hydration is essential for proper metabolism and temperature regulation even in cold weather.
In summer, when birds are actively foraging, you can scale back supplemental feeding slightly, but always keep their base diet and calcium available. Egg production typically peaks in the longer daylight months, which means protein and calcium demands are at their highest even as the birds supplement their own diet through foraging.