Feeding Chickens in an Emergency

There may be many times when you do not have any of your regular chicken food on hand, whether it is pellets, crumbles or scratch grains. You may not be able to obtain a new supply right away due to flooding, storm damage, or finances. Chickens can be fed other foods you may already have around the house for a few days until you are able to secure a new supply.

Note that, for laying hens, feeding alternate foods may have a distinct impact on the number and frequency of eggs they lay. Once they return to their regular food, their egg production will pick up again. If the gap in food is more than a few days, crush up eggshells and allow the hens to peck at them at will to ensure that they get enough calcium to replace that present in their regular food.

Chickens should return to a balanced feed as soon as possible to make sure that they get all of the nutrients they require to stay healthy. Here is a list of alternate emergency chicken foods for when you need to "make do":

Wild Bird Food

Choose a premium blend of wild bird food that includes black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and crushed peanuts. Avoid foods with millet or other filler grains included in the mix. They will simply go to waste. Note that the corn must be cracked for the chickens to digest it properly and get nutrition from it. Wild bird food is similar to scratch grains purchased specifically for chickens and they will consider it an excellent treat.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is easily digestible by chickens and you can feed them dry oatmeal straight from the can. Make sure that there are no other additives like sugar or flavorings. You can choose any type of oats from steel cut to instant, but the less processing the oats have gone through, the better it is for your chickens.

Bread

Bread should not be fed exclusively to chickens but can be added to other emergency foods for some bulk. Allow the bread to dry out somewhat to give it some consistency and break it into large pieces. Too much white processed bread over a long period of time can affect a chicken's digestive system. Make sure that the chickens have access to grit or are allowed outside in the dirt every day so that they can keep their stomachs functioning properly.

Cooked Rice

Rice can also be fed to chickens uncooked but the cooking process unlocks more nutrition. Avoid instant rices and choose those closest to the whole rice grain. Steam the rice to a not-quite-done consistency so that it still a little firm. The caution above about access to grit applies here as well.

Cereals

In a pinch, chickens can eat cereals such as Raisin Bran or Corn Flakes. Avoid highly processed and sugared cereals or those with added food dyes. Chickens can also eat any raisins, nuts or fruits that are in cereals.

Vegetable peelings

You likely feed your chickens some of your kitchen scraps now as it is a great way to turn your kitchen waste into protein (eggs). You can feed your chickens more vegetable and fruit scraps in an emergency. If the chickens eat solely greens, expect watery, runny poops for several days. Try to balance the greens with grains and seeds above. Chickens are also fond of many weeds you may have growing in your yard as long as you don't spray herbicides in your yard. Some favorites include clover, comfrey, chicory and dandelions. Throw weed plants in whole and let the chickens forage through them.