How We Feed Our Chickens

A complete poultry feed is the foundation of our flock's diet — chick starter early on, then a layer feed once hens begin producing. It's balanced for a reason, and it makes up the vast majority of what they eat.

We skip anything moldy, spoiled, salty, or heavily processed.

A handful of scratch, some garden trimmings, the tomato that split on the vine — small amounts are fine, but the more you hand out, the more you dilute the nutrition they actually need.

Once in a while we mix up a snack for our flock: mealworms, red pepper flakes, dried parsley, and scratch mix. It's an occasional treat, not their feed and not something we'd call necessary — they get everything they need from their complete feed.

Grit helps them digest, and laying hens need a calcium source like crushed oyster shell offered free-choice. Both are easy to keep on hand and easy to forget about — we try not to.

Our flock's main water source is a 55-gallon drum connected to PVC with poultry watering cups along the run. It holds plenty of water and works well for us year-round.

Texas summer heat is a different story. During the hottest months, we also put out a large open water bowl and freeze big chunks of water to add to it throughout the day. It gives the chickens another place to drink and helps keep fresh, cooler water available when temperatures climb.

On especially hot days, we check their water more often, make sure they have plenty of shade, and keep an eye on the flock throughout the day.