A Method For Mixing Your Own Layer Feed

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Look at those happy ladies, stalking me for treats. They free range occasionally and I get them greens every day in the winter, but most of what they eat is feed. So what do I give my chickies?

I must have read a few dozen recipes of homemade chicken feed by now, ranging from people who swear by crumble over pellets, fresh meat or live insects, dried herbs and hot peppers. Most are precise and all are certain in their amazingness.

I'm not that organized.

Here is what I've learned mature chickens should eat, and why:

Feed, either pellets or crumbles. Both have advantages, and this is the mainstay of their food. Some is organic, some boasts added omega-3.

Oyster shells - These should always be available once chickens are nearing maturity. I keep mine in a PVC pipe not unlike this.

Herbs - Like for humans, herbs are great for chickens. I always add some garlic powder into their feed, since they don't like it fresh or in water, despite my best efforts. Here is a helpful guide to which herbs are useful where in the coop. In the summer, the chickens have the herb garden to benefit from. I hung some oregano to dry this fall, and we've just run out.

Grains and seeds - Remember when chickens were wild? No? Neither do I. But given the chance, chickens will scratch and peck for grains and seeds all day long. Variation is what gives chickens tasty eggs. Oats, flax, wheat berries (or wheat grain), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and dried lentils or split peas are just a few of the grains our birds enjoy. I toss in whatever I have on hand, or bought at the grain store. If you don't have a grain store or gobs of money, buy these from a bulk supplier online. Buying flax and wheat berries at a grocery store will cost you, easily, four times as much. I do buy the oats and seeds at the grocery store, though.

Brewer's Yeast - My dog and cat go nuts for this stuff. I had a giant jar from when I was nursing J, and as much as I loved lactation cookies, I don't need to keep eating them now that she is weaned. I kept the yeast, though, because it is great for flea prevention in pets. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, and Brewer's Yeast is packed with B12. (So much so that too much can cause acne.) I put some in the chicken food for the nutrients and the repelling properties, not that we've had an issue with pests, yet.

Corn - I read so much about chickens loving corn and being careful how much is offered that I was a bit disappointed when my girls didn't lose their minds over it. They do like it, but they don't go to town like the do on a container of meal worms or wheat grass. In the winter, corn is more important, as it helps keep them warm as they digest it. I add it to their feed in the winter for this very reason. It also adds color to the yolks.

Kelp - This is supposedly the holy grail of chicken feed. Seaweed is chock full of great minerals and vitamins. It makes their feathers silky, their eyes bright, their waddles red, and helps boost their health overall. I toss some in there. They like it. It is expensive, but one small bag lasts quite a while when you are mixing it in. Just don't go to Whole Foods to buy your chickens kelp.

Scraps - Chickens are composters. I give them the kitchen scraps. It cuts down on waste, cuts down on what I spend on chicken food, and cuts my trip to the compost pile in half.

Greens - Everything outside is brown right now. Chickens like greens. Whenever I grocery shop, I ask the produce people if they have any "shrink" that they will give to me for my chickens. Some stores will tell you that they can't give you any past date food because they are worried you will consume it (which is ridiculous, because if they are going to toss it in the trash because it is bruised, they might as well give it to someone asking for help... or chickens) but plenty of stores will gladly haul out some wilted greens or heads of lettuce or boxes of sprouts that are at their date, and most are completely fine still. When that fails me, I buy whatever greens are on sale that week. If the weather is in the 20s or lower all day, I get some iceberg lettuce and cucumbers. Both hold a great deal of water, so if I can't be around and the water freezes, the ladies have a backup.


Protein - Italian farmers feed their chickens protein. It is the secret to rich, hearty yolks. The other day, I made chicken stock with a whole frame, some meaty bones, and plenty of vegetables. When I was done, I set the strained scraps out to cool before tossing them. Next thing I know, Dotty is racing through the yard with a bone in her mouth, and five other ladies are darting after her. They ate every last bit of meat in that bowl. Chicken meat. Cannibalism is disturbing to us, but they didn't care one bit, and it was from a really great, organic, roasted bird. Better to them than the garbage can, right? Usually their additional protein comes from tried meal worms, but sometimes I will give them fresh meal worms, and they just go crazy for those. They were also the lucky recipients of some salmon before a vacation, and it was more or less Christmas for them.


I used to keep the pellets separate and mix the other dry elements together as scratch, but I found that much of the small stuff was lost that way. Here is what I do now.

NOTE: This is layer feed, for chickens ready to or actively laying eggs.


I fill the bottom of my bin with whatever "scratch" items I'm going to add. This time it was cracked corn, hulled and unhulled sunflower seeds, some dried meal worms (a lady had some molt going on, and I want to be sure they all have a little boost for new feathers... this makes up maybe 2% of the final mix), oats, wheat berries, garlic powder, and brewer's yeast.

Then I top with pellets. If you don't have a feed store with cheap pellets, organic pellets can be found here for a reasonable price. 

Snap the lid on and do a few kettle lifts with the container. Voila! Variegated, healthy food for the ladies that costs less when you mix it yourself!

They hear the food shaking...

Group therapy costs less.

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Today I traumatized my preschooler, six chicks, my dog, and the guy painting the outside of our house. And I did it in under 5 minutes flat. That's a record! So proud!

It started out with good intentions, as all the best Crazy Mom induced traumas do. We had a glorious morning that involved a trip to the playground, the library, walking to the deli for sandwiches, and then walking back to the playground for a picnic lunch and more playing. We came home, the toddler practically put herself down to bed, Miss V sat down to do a puzzle and I, in an amazing rare moment of silence, cracked open one of the books about chickens we checked out today. There was a suggestion about acclimating new chicks without a broody hen to the outside in tiny little bursts on hot days. Great! I have a wire fence that will hold them and is easy to set up, a willing preschooler, and ten minutes! I can do this!

I set up the fence and put all the chicks in a plastic sand pail. They were transported to a chemical-free scratch-and-peck paradise in the glorious heat of the day. I let them out and thought how much fun this would be to watch them explore. 

I've never raised chickens before, but I have brought my kids to the beach as infants. I've watched as a magical, relaxing, healing place turns into the stuff nightmares are made of. An infant isn't calmed by rolling waves, they are terrified by the crashing, fast moving ice-cold liquid you are trying to get them to touch. They aren't enjoying the sand between their toes, they are wondering why you are sticking their delicate feet into hot, gritty earth. You would think I would know better. But there I was, gently tipping my bucket-o-chicks onto the springy earth with a ridiculous grin on my face and clap-happy preschooler. 

The first to cry was Mama Hen, formerly known as Sadie Dog. I might as well have tossed them into the fiery core of the Earth. Her reaction would have been the same. She ran in circles, crying because her chicks were out and she couldn't touch them, while all six chicks tried desperately to follow her. 

Once I managed to get her to lay down (she's very well trained, but this tested her listening) the chicks came to her. 

Of course there was a fence, so they couldn't get to her. Then the chicks began to cry. They were so loud, the painter came to see what was going on. I had promised to pay him, and so I offered to grab the check I had left inside if he would just watch the chicks. 

This is when they started to stick their little heads through the fence, not realizing the rest of them doesn't fit. Our painter will likely just wait another day to get paid if anyone tells him to just watch the chickens while they get their checkbook. 

Sadie resumed running, the chicks started to escape (how?!) and Miss V started to get crabby because in all their panic, the chicks had ignored her offers of leaves and sticks.  

I had to shut it down and bring everyone inside. The noise was deafening, the chicks looked like they were going to pass out from fear (except our one brave chicken, Little, who decided to peck around a bit) and Sadie was nearing a heart attack. 

I went inside and decided to offer them a special treat of ground oats, which they absolutely love. They have had oats three other times, and after the first time they would come running when they saw the jar and I called "chick chick chick!" But not this time. As you can see, two have forgiven me (or love oats that much), one was on the fence, and three are actively ignoring me.


All in a day's work, people.

The Crazy Stuff We Do: Baby Chicks, Week 1

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If you are considering getting a few chickens as bitty chicks, you should be warned.

First, close your eyes and picture Ned Stark, leaning on Ice and overlooking Winterfell's fields. It doesn't matter if you have never read or watched Game of Thrones. You know the exact image. 

Brace yourself. Crazy is coming. 

Maybe some people approach this more methodically and in a circle-of-life way or buy one hundred chickens at once, so maybe you won't have this experience. But if you are like me, with a small home, a small coop, a big desire to have some fresh, healthy eggs, and ZERO idea as to what you are really doing, then brace yourself.

Here is a bunch of crazy stuff you should anticipate in the first week with bitty chicks. 

1) They will be cuter and fluffier and louder than you imagined. 

It will take minutes to name them.

2) Your Google-Fu will reach an expert level. Pro tip: Be sure to type "baby chicks" or "baby chickens" because straight up "chicks" likely won't get you the answers you are looking for. 

3) Something will happen and you'll find yourself trying to explain that you were using a heater on a chicken because of pasty butt and the color red and vents. 

Heating up Dinner.
She made a full recovery.

4) Your coop will be too small. Instantly. Whether the company shipped you extra chicks (surprise!) or you realized they are more addictive than potato chips, you will need a bigger coop. Prepare to sacrifice an afternoon to coop design and middle-school math. You will turn into MacGyver. But your chicks will be so happy. 

Chickie Corral

5) You will take crazy pictures.

6) You will start to tell people about your chick's personalities after a day or two with them, and marvel at how different each one becomes. That is what we, your chicken people, are here for. Don't tell your chickenless neighbor or the barista trying to make you delicious coffee at a red-doored box store of your frequenting. They won't embrace your crazy quite like another chicken person.

Chickens: The first 48 Hours

Pin It It took 48 hours to turn me into a Crazy Chicken Lady. No, it took 30 seconds to turn me, and another 47 hours, 59 minutes and 30 seconds for me to come to terms with that.

It took her seconds to accept her obsession.

In my late night binge reading about all things chicken (because when else am I supposed to read?! 2am is awesome.) I found Kathy, the Chicken Chick. Not only does she know everything about chickens, but she seems to be really good at keeping them alive and happy.

SPOILER ALERT: Researching keeping chickens is like researching how to raise children. Just try looking up chickens and garlic. Some people think any garlic outright kills chickens. Some tell you it will make eggs taste funky. Some tell you it is an amazing and you should feed them garlic every moment of every day, forever. Sanctichickemommies in full force, people. I gave them garlic. Let the hate mail commence.

So I found Kathy as a pretty solid resource and person aligning with my lifestyle (she grows a ton of herbs. I never thought I'd find someone who loves lavender as much as I do.), and decided to read as much as her blog pertaining to the one and under crowd as I could. We bought a plastic tub and the girls helped me set it up in preparation for our chicks, of which we thought we'd have three.

The post office, which I called with the regularity of calling my doctor the day before my induction with Raptor (baby 2), said the truck comes in at 6am, and I should expect a call shortly thereafter. I was up earlier than my children. At 11:30am, when they called, I chased my girls into the car and we claimed our (five) chicks.

Chickens were supposed to be part of our living garden. We take care of them, they take care of us, they turn to The Most Amazing matzoh ball broth ever after their laying days are done. I thought Kathy was a bit crazy when she said chickens were like Pringles, and how she features each of her 398472 chickens on her site, each with a catchy name and individuality. I opened that box and out popped six chicks. One jumped right up on me and into my V-neck. (Beware. Your boobs are warm and chicks dig that.) A few minutes later, I had managed to save one chick for my husband to name, and was googling how to expand coops. Kathy knows her stuff.

Guess which one my husband named.

I have done some crazy things in that time (post to come) all in the name of chickens.

 Here's what I have learned:

1) If you get less than a farm of chickens (and maybe even then) then maybe you won't instantly name and love them all. If this were some post apocalyptic dystopian teen novel I'd be able to not anthropomorphize my chickens as soon as I see their little chicky fluff and be able to eat them. But we live in New England, where people in suburban settings keep livestock as pets and see how smart animals really are, and then can't imagine eating them. But we will eat other people's responsibly farmed livestock and make amazing bone broth because TRADITION!

2) You will read all the blogs. I often wonder if the internet is a good idea. What would we do if we couldn't Google something and have a million opinions on the matter? Well, maybe I wouldn't have flown down the stairs after waking up the first night after the chicks came. How many blogs did I read where one just DIES? They sent a spare, just incase! My kids named them. Miss V told Husband that she was making a new country - New America - where she would take the chickens when they are grown to hide from him, just because he mentioned what some people do with chickens when they stop laying. (He also named his chicken Dinner, so...) But then maybe the one chick (Dinner) with pasty butt would have died by now. Regardless, here we are, people who don't sleep and Google all things. You will read all the blogs.

3) You will do crazy things. If you respect life and accept that you now are in charge of making these tiny things survive an existence much better than Purdue, you will start to do The Crazy Things. I've already promised to tell you my crazy things later (and it is hereditary, apparently) but just know that the sooner you accept you've become a crazy chicken person, you will find your chicken people and a community that embraces that insanity. And your normal village will love you for your uniqueness, because how else are they going to get fresh eggs?

4) They grow fast. You have kids and hashtag everything "The years are short." Then you get a puppy and ponder how quickly they change compared to your kids (which makes you feel a little better about how fast your kids do/don't grow). Then you get chicks and realize that 48 hours later they look like a different bird. And you CARE about that. (Embrace the crazy, K.)

They are really freakin' cute. 

Chickenmania, the prequil.

Pin It We got chickens.

This has been years in the making. Like most couples I've talked to on the chicken fence, one person really wants chickens, one really does not. With the addition of children, my husband was officially outnumbered. Three out of Four family members voted YES on the Chicken Proposition.

I did what any educated, modern person wandering into unknown territory would do: I went to Pinterest and started clicking links like it was my job. I read everything there was to read. Blogs, comment boards, infographics, opinionated articles, actual paper books like back in the day. If it was about chicks and out there, I read it.

Then I panicked and realized that we already missed the ideal spring window, and if we wanted our chickens out of our garage before our summer vacation and to lay eggs this year, we needed chicks within a few weeks.

I ordered chicks. In all my reading and researching, I didn't realize there were chicks widely available at feed stores, but there are. If you want to pay a bit less and aren't particular, go this route. But I also wanted one of two breeds, and ultimately chose Easter Eggers. They are "prolific" egg producers, they aren't gigantic, and they are said to be extremely friendly which is great if you know your kids are going to be all up in the hen house from the second they arrive. We also ordered a coop. Our coop holds three to four big chickens. I ordered five, figuring we'd either give two away or have some just incase. Because, life.

In the ordering clause it stated that it could be weeks depending on what hatches when. I ordered the chicks Sunday night at 8pm. A woman called me to tell me she was shipping them on Monday at 10am.

We ordered our chicks from Cackle Hatchery. Not only were they speedy and cost-effective, considering we ordered such a small number of chicks, but they sent a spare. We opened the box and - surprise! - there were six! (Really, if you are ordering chicks, look into them. They are wonderful.)

Mommas, do not make this mistake. I thought we would give two away. I thought we were doing some life exercise on understanding where food comes from and the circle of life and all this other stuff that I had all figured out in my head. Chickens are not pets, right? They lay eggs for a few years, you can send them off to a butcher after they don't lay, and you have the most wonderful base for your matzoh ball soup broth. WRONG. Every chick looks different. And within five minutes, five had names. My gracious children left one for my husband to name. And they all have different personalities. Maybe if we had ordered 50 chicks, that wouldn't have been a problem, but what is done is done. (My town also prohibits the amount of chickens you can keep. I'm pretty sure 50 is not acceptable unless you have a farm.)

Apparently I'm not the only person with this problem. Google how to expand a coop and you will come up with many ideas. So as soon as our coop arrives, expect to see how I turned the standard four-bird coop into the Lexus of bird homes for my flock of six.