Raising chickens is not so difficult. However, you should learn how to take good care of them. That’s where you should understand what chickens eat naturally, but what do chickens eat naturally? Your birds will eat grasses and weeds, lizards, mice, beetles, worms and toads, berries and seeds, and all types of vegetation if they are permitted to travel freely.
When there is plenty of food to eat in the wild, your hens will pick the items that provide them with the nourishment they require and ignore the dangerous ones. They’re actually rather clever in this regard. However, if they are confined and only get what they are fed, they may suffer from nutritional inadequacies, develop the belief that they must consume everything in their area, or just develop the belief that whatever you are feeding them is safe to eat. As a result, you’ll need to be a little more cautious about what you give your chooks.
What do chickens eat naturally? Foraging
Domestic chickens are said to have descended from Southern Asia’s wild red wildfowl (Gallus gallus). A forager, the red wildfowl is. It scratched the forest floor ferociously in quest of food amid the ground particles and dirt. The red wildfowl is an omnivore that eats a wide variety of foods on the ground, from insects and worms to seeds, berries, and even small mammals or reptiles.
Feral chickens, or domestic chickens that have gone wild, employ comparable omnivorous foraging techniques and will consume a similar diet if it is available. Feral hens have also been reported living amid human communities and feeding on abandoned human food. Make sure to give your chickens a good diet as a basic.
Insects
The wild fowl’s diet consists primarily of insects. Termites and flying ants are its favorite insects, which it may hunt on at dawn and twilight. Termites are high in fat and protein, so they’re a great source of food for wildfowl and other birds. Other insects and invertebrates found by scratching the ground, such as earthworms, will be consumed by wildfowl and wild chickens.
While the notion of your hens eating anything they find is unsettling, chickens are often intelligent enough to avoid poisoning themselves. Insects and grubs are safe for chicks, hens, and roosters to eat and give protein for laying hens.
Plants
Wildfowl and wild chickens will consume a broad variety of foraged plant stuff. Seeds, fruits and berries, young leaves, and other edible plant materials present in the wildfowl or chicken’s current habitat are examples of these foods. Bamboo seed is one of the red wild fowl’s favorite plant meals. Wildfowl will scrape and scratch until they find the small seeds.
Human foods
Since Hurricane Katrina, feral hens derived from domesticated chickens have proliferated in some densely populated regions, such as New Orleans. Though many people consider wild chickens to be a nuisance, they do acquire part of their food from humans, which is why places like Bermuda are seeking to eradicate them. Bread, popcorn, and other human goods have found their way into the diet of wild hens.
Oats
What do chickens eat naturally, oats? You could just feed your hens standard feed and let them pick up whatever they like from the ground. However, you should supplement their diet with more distinctive stuff, both for health reasons and to show the hens that you care about them.
Even if all you offer them is regular food, they’ll love you. Still, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Oats are high in nutrients that are good for chickens. They will keep your feathered companions healthy and happy.
Oyster shells
Calcium is an essential component of eggs since it is used to make eggshells. Most (if not all) chicken feeds are calcium-fortified, but this isn’t always enough. And to be honest, the more calcium your chickens consume, the better. This is when crushed oyster shells come in handy. To offer your hens a more calcium-rich meal, you may buy the shells, pound them into a coarse powder, and then mix it into their feed.
Berries
What do chickens eat naturally, berries? Chickens will most likely locate a few berries on their own when foraging for food (be sure there are no dangerous berry bushes near your brood), but you may also give them berries more ‘officially.’ Give your hens a few berries every now and again, since most safe-for-chicken-consumption berries are high in vitamins and other minerals. They’ll eat them fresh or frozen, whatever is most convenient for you.
Pumpkin seeds
Different meals may provide your flock of hens with additional diversity and nutrients in their diet, as well as other health benefits. Pumpkin seeds, in particular, are a powerful de-wormer. Chickens, like dogs and cats, may catch worms, and it’s critical to get rid of them as soon as possible. Allow your hens to consume some pumpkin seeds to get rid of those awful worms.
Garden leftovers
If you have a garden and raise hens, they can help you get rid of weeds — simply toss those leafy greens into the chicken enclosure so they don’t clutter up your yard or garden. Also, most fresh veggies are absolutely okay for your birds to eat if you’re thinning out your vegetable garden. Broccoli, tomatoes, kale, spinach, and cucumbers are all examples of appropriate vegetables.
Cracked corn
Are the yolks of your chicken eggs disappointingly pale when you crack them open? This might indicate that your hens aren’t getting enough proteins, vitamins, or minerals, or it could just indicate that your chickens lay pale eggs. Feed them cracked corn if you want a stronger yellow-orange hue. It’s a tasty treat that will improve the color tone of their eggs.
Final words
What do chickens eat naturally? Now you know what chickens eat in the wild. If you keep these foods in mind, you will figure out that raising chickens is not something difficult to do. That’s because you will be able to provide numerous types of foods to your chicken. While keeping these in mind, you can pick the foods that you can give to chicken. Make sure to give them good chicken feed.