Best Chicken Feed for Your Flock

You want to keep your chickens healthy and thriving, and this all starts with giving them the right chicken feed from the time they hatch up through their adult lives. Chicken feed gives them the essential nutrients they need to grow and thrive, and it can help boost their systems to keep the entire flock healthy. Whether you have laying hens in nesting boxes or just free-range chickens that you let run around, there’s a chicken feed for them. But, how do you ensure that you’re getting something that will support your chickens both inside and out?

I’ve done the research for you and picked out 10 high-quality chicken feed products from Amazon that you can have shipped straight to your door. I’ll review them all for you below, and you can compare them side=by-side to narrow down your choices. Below the reviews, you’ll find a short buyer’s guide that points out all of the things you need to know about picking out a chicken feed for your flock. 

Feed is something you can sprinkle around your chicken’s run and yard to encourage natural feeding behaviors. There are several types and brands to choose from, and a good feed can promote a healthy chicken, both inside and out. 

1.  Kaytee Laying Hen Diet

First up for my chicken feed list is by Kaytee. It’s an excellent choice for anyone who has laying hens and wants to make sure they get all of the necessary nutrients they need to lay as many eggs as possible. It comes in a 10 or 25-pound bag, and you can spread it around your chicken coop to keep your hens coming back for more. It has a higher protein content at 16%, and this encourages healthy egg production in your hens, and it has a healthy blend of amino acids that help to support your chicken’s feathers and skin to ensure that they’re healthy, glossy, shiny, and not dry. 

The flax seed in this chicken feed is rich in Omega fatty acids, and this helps support your chicken’s skin and feathers while improving their joint health as they age. The probiotics ensure that your chicken’s digestive system is healthy and balanced, and it has a good amount of calcium in it to support strong egg shells that are harder to crack or break. The marigold extract in this food can help to give your chicken’s eggs that rich yellow yolk coloring that is so attractive. There are vitamins and minerals, and everything comes packed neatly in small pellets that are easy for your chickens to eat. 

Benefits:

• Protein content is 16%
• Marigold extract for a rich yolk 
• Available in two sizes 

Drawbacks:

• Expensive for the amount you get
• Pellets are slightly larger 
• May be too hard for some chickens 

2. Prairie’s Choice Backyard Chicken Feed

Prairie’s Choice chicken feed comes from companies in the United States, and it uses the best non-GMO ingredients to create this egg layer formula that will give you chickens all the nutrients they need to lay their eggs. It has 16% protein and 3% fat in the formula, and this helps to boost your chicken’s energy levels to make them more productive egg layers. The 3% fiber content can help to keep their digestive systems regular and prevent any problems, and your chickens will get a balanced, safe, and nutritious meal each time you feed your flock. 

Corn and soybean meal make up the two ingredients on the label, and this is nutritious filler that works with your chicken’s digestive systems. This is natural chicken feed that doesn’t contain any harmful GMOs or other nasty ingredients that can interfere with your chicken’s egg laying abilities. The calcium content contributes to healthier egg shells that are more difficult to break. Your chickens will get small crumbles each time they eat this food that is easy for them to pick up and eat. It gives your chicken complete nutrition from when they’re small to seniors. 

Benefits:

• Contains healthy non-GMO ingredients 
• Uses non-chemically processed soybean meal
• Good amount of calcium

Drawbacks;

• Only has one size 
• May have a smell when you open the bag
• Gets hard after a few days

3. Manna Pro Ultimate Chicken Scratch

Manna Pro’s chicken feed comes in a single 10-pound bag, or you can get packs for two, three, four, or five in a single order. This is up to 50 pounds of feed. It contains non-GMO purple corn. This corn turns the feed an attractive color to interest your chickens, and it makes it stand out against real or artificial turf. Your chickens will enjoy a healthy and nutritious blend of seven different grains each time you give it to them, including milo, wheat, corn, oats, barley, millet, and sunflower seeds. This is enough variety to keep your chickens from getting bored when you feed this to them day in and day out. 

You can toss this chicken feed into their coop or your yard and let them search for it. There are no artificial flavors or colors in this feed, and this makes it a much healthier choice for your chickens to have. Also, it makes it easier for them to digest it without upsetting their digestive system. You can feed geese, ducks, chickens, turkeys, and gamebrids on this formula without an issue, and it’ll promote healthy growth and routine maintenance throughout their lives. 

Benefits:

• Combines seven grains 
• Uses purple corn to dye the feed
• No artificial colors or flavors 

Drawbacks:

• Too small for the price 
• Better as a treat than food 
• Round grain that is difficult to pick up

4. Kalmbach Feeds Henhouse Reserve 

This chicken feed by Kalmbach Feeds gives your chickens balanced and complete nutrition that they can use to grow and stay healthy with. This is a premium product that artfully combines the nutrition of feeding your chickens a complete layer feed with the appeal of a scratch grain. This makes it a good choice for picky chickens who tend to turn away from food after they eat it more than a few days in a row, and it’s appealing enough to keep them coming back for more. There are all-natural ingredients in this formula that promote vibrant yellow egg yolks with laying hens. 

This chicken feed contains LifeGuard. LifeGuard is a unique blend of probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and essential oils. This mix supports your chicken’s digestive and immune functions as well as their skin and feathers. It comes fully fortified with minerals, vitamins, and amino acids to help promote abundant and healthy egg production. It can also strengthen your chicken’s egg shells to stop them from cracking or breaking when they lay them. It contains real vegetables, grains, and seeds to keep your chickens eating without a lot of filler agents. 

Benefits:

• Completely balanced feed
• LifeGuard included in the formula 
• Contains essential oils and amino acids

Drawbacks:

• Not suited for large flocks due to price 
• Can get mushy 
• Can take a few weeks to see improvement in the egg laying capabilities 

5. Organic Layer Feed with Corn

This chicken feed comes in two formulas with 16% protein or 18% protein layered with corn. This feed is safe to use on your grass and grass seed because it comes USDA-certified as organic. It’s also a non-GMO project verified to make it healthier for both the chickens and the environment. This works to ensure you’re giving your flock the safest, healthiest, and highest-quality food possible. It’s free of any soy ingredients, and this is a typical filler agent that doesn’t give your chickens any additional nutrients. This feed is a great source of carbohydrates to help support your chickens during the colder winter months. 

This is an unpelletized, whole-grain chicken feed that retains a large amount of the nutrition your chickens need to grow and lay eggs. Corn makes up the bulk of this formula, and it is an excellent carbohydrate that works well with your chicken’s digestive system. This feed comes from farms in the pacific northwest portion of the United States, and it’s locally grown and milled using strict quality control standards to make it healthier overall for your flock to have. You can choose from three sizes and two formulas when you order. 

Benefits:

• Comes in two formulas 
• USDA-certified organic
• Uses non-GMO ingredients 

Drawbacks:

• Very small pieces 
• Powder can get everywhere
• Contains ground up grain that many chickens ignore 

6. FLYGRUBS Superior to Dried Mealworms

If you’re trying to encourage natural feeding behavior from your chickens, try this chicken feed from Flygrubs. All you have to do is scatter it around on the ground, and your chickens will naturally start feeding on them. You can add it to your typical feed if you’re having trouble getting your chickens to feed. These dried mealworms have 85% more calcium than mealworms, and calcium is what helps to build up the shell on your chicken’s eggs so it doesn’t crack or break when they lay them. Your chickens will get between 25% to 30% healthy fat and 36% to 42% protein with fiber, phosphorus, and lysine. 

The sturdy box this chicken feed comes in has a resealable bag to ensure that it stays closed and fresh for your chickens. These are full-sized grubs in the box that are much easier to pick up and handle as you spread them around your yard. They can help boost your chicken’s laying production and keep their energy levels up as they run around the yard. There is a money-back guarantee on each purchase, and the company is very easy to get in touch with if you have a problem. 

Benefits:

• Bag is resealable 
• Loaded with healthy fat, protein, and calcium 
• Full-sized grubs in the box

Drawbacks:

• Slightly expensive 
• Can’t feed them just these worms
• Has a powdery residue 

7. Grubblies Original Natural Grubs 

This chicken feed is packed with protein to help promote healthy feather production. Additionally, it’ll help speed up the molting process to allow your hens to regain their normal energy levels and boost egg production after you introduce it for their feed. The bigger grubs are perfect to sprinkle around your container gardens and let your chickens wander through your yard. They come packed with 50 times more calcium than mealworms, and this can help prevent thin shells and deformed eggs. Also, it makes it less likely that your chickens will accidentally break their eggs before you get to them. 

The Black Soldier fly grubs come from the United States and Canada, and there are no preservatives or additives in the formula that would be hard on your chicken’s digestive system. It’s 100% natural, and you can use it if you have turkeys, ducks, and other fowl too. Your chickens will get a healthy dose of calcium, protein, fiber, phosphorus, dietary fat, and lysine in each serving. This chicken snack encourages your hens to develop natural feeding behavior, and you can feed it to them as a snack or mix it in with their normal food. 

Benefits:

• 100% natural formula 
• 50 times the calcium content 
• Encourages natural feeding behavior

Drawbacks:

• Lots of tiny pieces in the bag 
• Has a strong smell 
• Price fluctuation concerns 

8. Homestead Harvest Whole Grain Layer 

This high-quality chicken feed from Homestyle Harvest comes proudly produced on a 7th generation family farm in the United States. You’ll feed your chickens a nice blend of non-GMO grains with no byproducts, and this is easier for them to digest and break down into fuel. Along with the healthy carbohydrates, this food has a mix of diatomaceous earth, oyster shells, herbs, and essential oils to help round out the formula and give your chickens a balanced meal each time you feed it to them. There are elongated grains in this mix that are easy for chickens to pick up and eat. 

Each serving of this chicken feed gives your chickens a wholesome blend of probiotics, vitamins, minerals, omega 3’s, kelp, and other natural supplements to keep them growing. These minerals also work to support a healthy immune system while improving the skin and feather health. There is 16% protein in this food, followed by 8.5% healthy fat. Corn, roasted soybeans, and wheat make up the first ingredients on the package, swifty followed by oyster shells and alfalfa to round out the top five ingredients. 

Benefits:

• Non-GMO ingredients 
• Made in Maryland to strict quality control standards 
• Has herbs and essential oils 

Drawbacks:

• Expensive 
• Bag is flimsy 
• Strong essential oil smell 

9. Grubblies World Harvest

You can purchase this chicken feed in 8-ounce, 1-pound, or 5-pound quantities each time you order it, and it’s safe to use around your vegetable garden. Your chickens will get a host of oven-dried black soldier fly grubs that are an all-natural and healthy snack choice for quail, ducks, turkeys, hens, and wild birds. They come from farms around the world, and your chickens will get more calcium per worm than they would if you fed them mealworms. Calcium is essential for helping your chickens lay healthy and strong eggs. It helps to prevent egg binding each time your chicken lays. 

This chicken feed comes packed with a high level of protein that supports healthy molting and feather production. You should notice your chicken’s feathers looking glossy and healthy after a few weeks of feeding them this food. They have dietary fat, lysine, fiber, methionine, phosphorus, and protein in each serving. The grubs are sustainably harvested by recycling food waste, and they turn 10 pounds of food into compost for every pound of grubs harvested to make it an environmentally-friendly product. 

Benefits:

• Packed with protein and calcium 
• Organically harvested
• Several sizes available 

Drawbacks:

• Worms are thin and flat
• Takes time for picky chickens to eat them
• Bag doesn’t reseal well 

10. Scratch and Peck Feeds Organic Feed

This chicken feed comes in a 25 or 50-pound bag, and it works well as a supplemental treat for chickens and ducks that you can use to enrich their typical food and entice picky chickens to eat. This is a non-GMO project verified product, and it’s also certified by the USDA as being organic. This ensures you get the healthiest and safest food for your chickens that is easy for them to break down and digest. The formula on this feed doesn’t contain any corn or soy, and this removes a huge potential for allergens. Soy is a cheap filler product without a lot of nutrition value for your chickens. 

This chicken feed is raw and unprocessed, and this helps it to retain the most nutrients possible out of other processed feeds. It has a whole grain formula that works wonderfully for fermenting. This food comes from the pacific northwest in the United States, and this is how you know it uses both high-quality ingredients and strict quality control standards in each batch. The company supports local agriculture and businesses, and they dedicate themselves to sustainable farming practices. 

Benefits:

• No corn or soy 
• Raw and unprocessed formula 
• Sustainable farming practices used 

Drawbacks:

• Slightly powdery
• May not be suitable for picky birds
• Oily feel 

Chicken Feed Buying Guide 

If you don’t feed your chickens a healthy diet, you can end up with an unenergetic flock that is prone to illnesses and gives you subpar egg laying abilities. This is why it’s so important to be very careful when you pick out a chicken feed, especially since there are so many good and not-so-good choices available. The goal is to give your chickens a healthy diet that gives them all of the nutrients they need to thrive throughout their lives, and we’ll highlight the important considerations to watch for below. 

It’s important that you match your feed to your chicken’s age and type. Egg laying hens need a special kind of feed, and juvenile chickens do as well. The goal is to make sure your chickens have all of the nutrients they need to stay healthy as they age. 

Types of Chicken Feed

The first thing you have to understand is that there are several different kinds of chicken feed available. The goal is to pick out the one that matches your chicken’s current growth phase and any special needs they have. The biggest types of feed include: 

• Starter – Starter feed is for baby chickens because they have different dietary requirements than adults. They have to have a very protein-dense diet with 20% to 24% protein content. This should be the biggest thing you look for when you shop for your baby chick feed. 
• Grower – Grower feed is excellent for teenage chooks. At this stage, their diets will change from the baby chicken diets, and they won’t need as much protein to be healthy. Look for a food that is between 16% and 18% protein. The feed also shouldn’t have a very high amount of vitamins and minerals to bombard your chook’s bodies. 
• Layer – Full grown chickens will require layer feed. This is an ideal balance of nutrients needed to keep them healthy like proteins, calcium, minerals, and vitamins. Many people spread this outside of their chicken’s nesting boxes in the yard, and it has a higher calcium content. 
• Medicated/Non-Medicated – There is a chemical compound in this type of feed that helps keep your flock healthy. It contains amprolium, and it can help stop coccidiosis from taking over your flock. 
• Fermented – If your chickens need enzymes and vitamins, fermented feed is the way to go. It helps neutralize toxins while improving your chicken’s digestion, and it can help your chickens feel like they’re full longer. This cuts down on your feeding amount and the amount of droppings your chickens leave in the yard. 

Nutrients 

Your chickens will need high amounts of the correct nutrients to be productive and healthy. Any feed you get them should have fats, carbs, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Some feeds are coarsely broken with oyster shells that give your chickens a calcium boost. The correct nutrients will depend on your chicken’s age and whether or not you have egg layers in your flock. 

Ensuring that your chickens have the correct nutrients in their feed can help them stay healthy, ward off illnesses, and be productive. You can add supplements to their feed if they don’t seem enthused about eating it every day. 

Budget 

Your budget will play a role in the feed you get for your chicken. This can get very expensive, especially if you have a larger flock to feed. The goal is to strike a balance between the food quality and how much you can reasonably spend. Before you start shopping, set a budget. Try and stick to these guidelines. 

Bottom Line 

Although chickens like vegetables and fruits mixed into their food, you have to find a quality chicken feed to help fill in any missing nutrients and ensure they get a balanced diet. I’ve picked out 10 feeds and supplements you can introduce to your flock and see how they like them. The buyer’s guide will help you narrow down your choices until you get the best one for your flock.