Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Chickens can safely eat carrots, whether raw, cooked, or shredded. Carrots are packed with vitamin A, fiber, and antioxidants, making them a nutritious treat. Chickens can also eat carrot tops! To make raw carrots easier to eat, try shredding or cooking them. Just remember to feed them in moderation alongside a balanced diet. Your flock will love this crunchy snack!

Yes! Chickens can safely eat apples, but be sure to remove the seeds, as they contain cyanide. Apples are a great source of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, making them a nutritious treat in moderation. Chickens can also eat the peels, but washing them first is best. Slice or chop apples into small pieces for easy eating, and watch your flock enjoy this crunchy snack!

Yes! Chickens can safely enjoy strawberries as a sweet, nutritious treat. Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and hydration, strawberries are a healthy snack in moderation. Both the fruit and leaves are safe to eat, but due to their sugar content, they should be fed occasionally. Offer them whole, sliced, or mashed for a fun and tasty treat your flock will love!

Yes! Chickens can safely eat ripe, red tomatoes, which are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. However, avoid feeding green tomatoes, leaves, or stems, as they contain solanine, a toxin harmful to chickens. Offer tomatoes in moderation as a refreshing treat, but don’t overdo it due to their acidity. Always remove any green parts, and your flock will love this juicy snack!

Yes! Chickens can safely eat bananas as a tasty, nutrient-rich treat. Bananas provide potassium, vitamin B6, and fiber, but due to their high sugar content, they should be fed in moderation. While banana peels are safe, chickens may not always like them unless chopped or mashed. Avoid overfeeding to prevent digestive issues. Treat your flock to small banana portions a few times a week for a fun and healthy snack!

We recommend feeding "free choice"; that is, letting them eat as much layer feed as they want and leaving their feeder out at all times (although you may take it up at night if you like). Even if your chickens have access to pasture, free ranging simply supplements their diet. Chickens will eat as much food as they need to keep themselves healthy. Some breeds may be able to barely subsist in good weather by free ranging (although this is unlikely, as chickens are domesticated animals, not wild animals), but most will simply starve if you don't provide them enough...

A basic estimate is that chickens will eat 1/4 pound per day per chicken. However, that estimate is based on the conditions commercial layers face in factory farm conditions and are not necessarily accurate estimates for backyard chicken keeping. They're estimates for high-production, economical producers of eggs in controlled conditions year-round, who may be highly stressed and who certainly have no access to pasture. Such estimates are probably not accurate for bantam or heritage breeds of chickens kept in backyard conditions. Chickens kept in hobby farm conditions have varying egg production based on breed and season, have varying sizes from...

Medicated feed is formulated for chicks to help them combat coccidiosis, a disease that is found just about everywhere in the environment. Most medicated starter feeds contain the medication amprollium. Amprollium does not *treat* coccidiosis, but it helps the babies fight off cocci oocysts while they develop their own immunity. It is a preventative. If your birds have been vaccinated against coccidiosis, feeding them medicated feed will nullify the coccidiosis vaccination, although it will not hurt them. (We do not offer the coccidiosis vaccine, as it is too stressful on the birds--we offer the Marek's vaccine, which is not affected...