What to Feed Chickens (and What Not To)
The 90/10 rule, age-by-age feeds, and a searchable A-Z of what's safe.
Chickens are omnivores with simple needs and bottomless enthusiasm. The rule that keeps a flock healthy and laying is 90/10: 90% of the diet a quality commercial feed matched to their age, at most 10% treats and scraps. Get that backwards and eggs are the first thing to stop.
The right feed by age
- Chick starter (hatch to 8 weeks): high-protein crumble, 18-20%.
- Grower (8 to 18 weeks): 15-16% protein. Not layer feed yet: its extra calcium harms growing kidneys.
- Layer (18 weeks on): 16-18% protein plus calcium for shells. Pellets waste less than mash. Shell grit free-choice on the side regardless.
- Moulting birds: feathers are protein; bump it with sunflower seeds, cooked eggs or mealworms while they regrow.
Can chickens eat...? Search it
✅ Bananas: Yes. Flesh and even the skin (chopped). Sugary, so a few times a week, not daily.
✅ Apple: Yes. Remove the seeds (cyanide compounds). Flesh and skin are fine.
❌ Avocado: No. Skin and stone contain persin, toxic to chickens. Skip the flesh too, not worth the risk.
⚠️ Tomato: In moderation. Ripe tomato is fine and loved. Green tomato, leaves and stems are nightshade, keep them out.
⚠️ Potato: In moderation. Cooked plain potato is fine. Raw, green or sprouting potato and green peelings are toxic (solanine).
❌ Onion: No. Damages red blood cells in quantity. Do not feed deliberately.
⚠️ Garlic: In moderation. Small amounts are fine. Large amounts taint eggs.
✅ Rice: Yes. Cooked rice is fine and popular.
⚠️ Bread: In moderation. Empty calories. Occasional scrap only, mouldy bread never.
⚠️ Pasta: In moderation. Cooked, plain, occasional. They will act like it is the best day of their lives.
✅ Eggshells: Yes. Baked and crushed finely, a great calcium recycler.
✅ Eggs: Yes. Cooked eggs are excellent protein for moulting hens. Never raw, it teaches egg-eating.
⚠️ Meat: In moderation. Small cooked plain scraps. Swill-feeding rules differ by state, check before making it a habit.
❌ Chicken: No. Restricted as feed in parts of Australia and ethically off the menu.
✅ Spiders: Yes. They catch spiders, grasshoppers and most garden insects with delight. One of the perks.
⚠️ Slugs and snails: In moderation. Chickens eat them but they can carry gapeworm. Never after snail-pellet baiting.
⚠️ Citrus: In moderation. Small amounts harmless; most chickens ignore it anyway.
✅ Watermelon: Yes. Summer favourite. Freeze chunks for heatwaves.
✅ Pumpkin: Yes. Flesh and seeds both fine.
✅ Corn: Yes. Loved. A treat, not a diet; heavy corn makes fat hens.
✅ Oats: Yes. Rolled oats are fine; warm porridge in cold snaps is a southern tradition.
✅ Lettuce: Yes. Fine. Darker greens beat iceberg.
⚠️ Spinach and silverbeet: In moderation. Fine a few times a week; very heavy daily amounts interfere with calcium (oxalates).
✅ Kale: Yes. Excellent. Hang a bunch for boredom-busting.
✅ Cabbage: Yes. Fine; a hung cabbage is classic enrichment.
✅ Broccoli: Yes. Florets, stems, leaves, raw or cooked.
✅ Carrot: Yes. Raw grated or cooked, tops too.
✅ Cucumber: Yes. Hydrating summer treat.
✅ Zucchini: Yes. Fine raw or cooked. Oversized garden zucchinis finally have a purpose.
⚠️ Capsicum: In moderation. Ripe fruit fine; leaves and stems are nightshade.
⚠️ Eggplant: In moderation. Cooked ripe flesh fine; leaves, stems and green fruit are nightshade.
❌ Rhubarb: No. Leaves seriously toxic (oxalic acid); skip stems too.
❌ Chocolate: No. Theobromine is toxic to birds. Never.
❌ Coffee grounds: No. Caffeine is toxic. Compost them instead.
❌ Salty foods: No. Chickens handle salt poorly. No chips, no salted leftovers.
❌ Mouldy food: No. Mould toxins kill chickens. If mould rules it out for you, it rules it out for them.
❌ Beans (raw or dried): No. Raw and dried beans are genuinely dangerous (phytohaemagglutinin). Well-cooked beans are fine.
⚠️ Mealworms: In moderation. Adored, great protein. Check current state rules on feeding insect meal to layers.
⚠️ Yoghurt: In moderation. A teaspoon each occasionally; birds are lactose-limited.
⚠️ Cheese: In moderation. Tiny rare treat, same lactose logic.
⚠️ Grapes: In moderation. Fine chopped in small numbers; whole grapes choke greedy birds.
✅ Strawberries: Yes. Loved. Good use for the slug-damaged ones.
❌ Grass clippings: No. Piled cut grass impacts crops. Let them graze growing grass instead.
✅ Sunflower seeds: Yes. Black oil sunflower seeds are brilliant during moult.
✅ Sweet potato: Yes. Cooked flesh and skin fine (not a nightshade).
✅ Mango: Yes. Flesh fine and loved in the tropics.
⚠️ Pineapple: In moderation. Small amounts; acidic, most keepers skip it.
⚠️ Mushrooms: In moderation. Store-bought cooked fine. Wild mushrooms never.
⚠️ Tuna: In moderation. Plain, occasionally, good moulting protein. Watch salt.
❌ Milk: No. Chickens can't digest lactose well, so milk causes runny droppings. A rare splash on mash is the most they should get. See cheese and yoghurt for the small dairy exceptions.
❌ Butter: No. Too fatty and dairy. Skip it.
❌ Ice cream: No. Sugar, dairy and fat all at once. Not for chickens.
⚠️ Peanut butter: In moderation. A thin smear of plain, unsalted, xylitol-free as a rare protein treat. Sticky, so spread it thin.
⚠️ Peanuts: In moderation. Plain, unsalted, shelled. Never mouldy peanuts (aflatoxin risk).
⚠️ Almonds and walnuts: In moderation. Plain, unsalted, chopped. Fatty, so an occasional treat only.
⚠️ Popcorn: In moderation. Plain air-popped, no salt or butter. A fun rare treat.
❌ Crackers and chips: No. Salty and processed. Chickens handle salt poorly.
⚠️ Breakfast cereal: In moderation. Plain, low-sugar, dry. Skip the frosted sugary ones.
✅ Cooked beans: Yes. Thoroughly cooked beans are great protein. Raw or dried beans are toxic, so cook them well.
✅ Lentils and chickpeas: Yes. Cooked and plain. Good protein, especially during the moult.
✅ Quinoa: Yes. Cooked and plain. Rinse well first to remove the bitter coating.
✅ Peas: Yes. Fresh, thawed or cooked. A flock favourite and good protein.
✅ Beetroot: Yes. Raw grated or cooked, tops too. May tint droppings pink, which is harmless.
⚠️ Celery: In moderation. Fine chopped small. The long stringy fibres are hard to manage whole.
✅ Cauliflower: Yes. Raw or cooked, leaves and all.
✅ Brussels sprouts: Yes. Halved, raw or cooked. A good winter green.
⚠️ Asparagus: In moderation. Safe in small amounts. It can taint egg flavour and many birds ignore it.
✅ Parsnip, turnip and swede: Yes. Cooked, or raw and grated. All fine.
✅ Radish: Yes. Leaves and root both fine. Most chickens prefer the tops.
⚠️ Ginger: In moderation. A little grated is fine and sometimes used as a tonic. They rarely love it.
✅ Herbs (parsley, basil, mint, coriander, oregano): Yes. All fine and often beneficial. Oregano is a keeper favourite for gut health.
⚠️ Orange and lemon: In moderation. Small amounts are harmless, though most chickens ignore citrus. The old story that it stops laying is not supported, they just seldom bother.
✅ Berries (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry): Yes. All loved and full of antioxidants. Great for treats and taming.
⚠️ Stone fruit (peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, cherry): In moderation. Flesh is fine and loved. Remove the stone or pit, which contains cyanide compounds.
✅ Pear: Yes. Flesh and skin fine. Remove the core seeds.
✅ Rockmelon and honeydew: Yes. Flesh and seeds fine. A hydrating summer treat like watermelon.
✅ Kiwifruit: Yes. Flesh fine in small amounts.
✅ Fig: Yes. Ripe figs are fine and loved, if you can spare them.
⚠️ Raisins and sultanas: In moderation. A few as a high-value treat. Sugary, so not a daily habit.
✅ Coconut: Yes. Fresh or dried unsweetened flesh is a fine occasional treat.
⚠️ Honey: In moderation. A tiny smear is fine. It is just sugar, so only rarely.
⚠️ Fish and prawns: In moderation. Cooked and plain, occasionally. Good moult protein, but watch the salt and skip anything battered.
❌ Sausage, bacon and processed meat: No. Too salty and fatty, often with nitrates. Keep processed meats out.
⚠️ Dog and cat food: In moderation. A little wet or soaked dry food gives a moult protein boost. Not a regular feed.
❌ Olives and pickles: No. Far too salty and acidic. Keep them out.
✅ Lawn weeds (dandelion, clover, chickweed): Yes. Common lawn weeds are excellent free greens. Never from sprayed areas.
✅ Nasturtium and marigold: Yes. Edible flowers and leaves, often used as a natural wormer and for richer yolk colour.
✅ Comfrey: Yes. A homestead staple green, high in protein. Wilt it first, then feed a few leaves.
The never-feed list
Avocado, chocolate, coffee, raw or dried beans, rhubarb, anything mouldy, anything salty, green potato, onion in quantity, and piled grass clippings. Most of the rest of your kitchen is fair game inside the 10%.
Laying boosters that actually work
Consistent layer feed, clean water in summer shade, calcium grit on the side, 14+ hours of daylight (why laying dips in southern winters), and low stress. No supplement fixes a flock getting half its diet as bread.
How much feed will your flock need? The Planting Season app has a feed calculator (birds, season, scraps offset, dollars per month) plus egg tracking that shows whether the girls are paying their way.
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