Natural Foods for Egg-Laying Hens
Foraging chickens eat a variety of things from insects, slugs, snails, worms, seeds and grains, fruit, vegetables, and even animal waste that could affect the taste of the flesh and eggs. For this reason, encourage egg-laying hens to eat as natural a diet as possible while consuming a balanced diet rich in protein, fats and carbohydrates; this stimulates egg production. To prevent them from eating undesirable substances, it is necessary to monitor their daily feeding habits. A regular supply of fresh, clean drinking water must always be supplied.
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Natural Sources of Protein
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Egg-laying hens need a daily supply of protein. This can be provided by allowing them to forage in the garden for insects, grubs, snails, slugs and worms, all of which are excellent, natural sources of protein. A chicken run can be built or purchased and allows hens to forage in safety and it can be moved around the yard once the chickens have scratched around an area for a few days. Alternatively, if the garden or yard is enclosed by a fence, the chickens can be allowed to roam around and forage, but it is necessary to fence off any flower or vegetable borders as they will scratch around and up-root and eat plants. If foraging outdoors is not an option, earthworms and mealworms can be purchased from a feed supply store or pet store and added to their diet daily.
Vegetable and Other Plant Foods
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In the wild, fowl eat all kinds of plants and fruits (such as berries) and whatever else they can reach. Chickens are domesticated fowl and are naturally omnivorous. In captivity, they have access to a range of cultivated vegetables such as cabbage (which can be hung in their run or on a fence for them to pick at), endives, lettuce, carrots, celery and almost all other vegetables with the exception of some, such as potatoes, and fruits such as peppers and lemons. Vegetable and fruit kitchen scraps or those straight from the garden can be fed to them daily, removing any decaying matter left after a couple of days. Blackberries, blueberries and raspberries can be added for extra nutrients and minerals, and rose hips will also be eaten by most. Foraging chickens should also be allowed to eat grass and plants such as chickweed and other weeds they like.
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Grains and Seeds
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Corn is a favorite grain and worth adding to the diet, however, it must be combined with a balanced variety of natural foods such as vegetables, fruits and insects in order to prevent birds from becoming too fat, which will affect egg production. Oatmeal or dry oats can also be provided along with other grains for much-needed carbohydrates. Sunflower seeds and bird seed can be included for variety. Food dishes can be filled and the chickens will decide how much they want to eat.
Stones and Oyster Shell
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Oyster shells can be crushed, and added to grains and seeds for important calcium supplementation needed for egg-shell production in laying hens. Since birds don't have teeth, stones or grit are important for digestion and can be placed in the enclosure; or if foraging, hens will pick these up from the yard.
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References
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