To feed chickens for free, utilize kitchen scraps, forage for weeds and insects, and grow grains like barley or corn in your backyard.
Raising chickens doesn’t have to break the bank. With creativity and resourcefulness, you can significantly reduce or eliminate feed costs while keeping your flock healthy. Here are 15 practical ways to feed your chickens without buying commercial feed.
1. Kitchen Scraps: The Ultimate Free Feed
Chickens will eat nearly all your kitchen leftovers. Unlike many animals, they instinctively avoid harmful foods when given variety.
Best scraps to feed:
- Vegetable peels and trimmings
- Fruit scraps (including apple seeds)
- Stale bread and grains
- Meat and fish scraps
- Eggshells (crushed for calcium)
Pro tip: Collect scraps from neighbors too. Many will gladly donate their food waste.
2. Free-Range Foraging
Chickens are natural foragers. A free-range system lets them find up to 30% of their diet.
What they’ll find:
- Insects and worms (excellent protein)
- Grasses and weeds
- Seeds and berries
- Small reptiles and amphibians
3. Compost System Feeding
Turn your compost pile into a chicken buffet. They’ll help aerate the compost while finding food.
How it works:
- Create three compost areas (building, composting, harvesting)
- Add food scraps and yard waste
- Let chickens scratch through it daily
- Rotate piles every 2-3 months
4. Brewery Grain Waste
Local breweries often give away spent grain. This high-protein supplement can replace 25-50% of commercial feed.
According to homesteading experts, one brewery pickup can provide 100-200 gallons of grain weekly.
5. Restaurant Food Scraps
Breakfast restaurants generate perfect chicken food:
- Egg shells and cooked eggs
- Pancake and waffle scraps
- Vegetable trimmings
- Meat scraps
6. Mulch Magic
Deep wood chip bedding creates a bug-rich environment. Tree companies often deliver chips for free.
Benefits:
- Harbors insects and worms
- Provides entertainment
- Creates compost over time
7. Seasonal Windfalls
Take advantage of seasonal abundance:
| Season | Free Food Source |
|---|---|
| Fall | Pumpkins and squash (50+ free from Halloween) |
| Summer | Excess garden produce |
| Spring | Lawn clippings and dandelions |
| Winter | Christmas trees (needles are edible) |
8. Chicken-Friendly Landscaping
Plant these around your coop for free feed:
- Mulberry trees (fruit and leaves)
- Siberian pea shrub (protein-rich seeds)
- Sunchokes/Jerusalem artichokes
- Comfrey (high in protein)
9. Fly Larvae Farming
Set up a simple black soldier fly system to produce high-protein feed.
How to make one:
- Use a 5-gallon bucket with holes
- Add food scraps
- Flies lay eggs which become larvae
- Chickens eat the larvae
10. Community Food Drives
Organize food scrap collections from:
- Local coffee shops (grounds and pastries)
- Grocery store produce departments
- Farmers market vendors
- School cafeterias
11. Worm Farming
A small vermicompost system provides protein-rich worms. Chickens love them and they improve soil.
12. Grain Screenings
Local mills often sell or give away grain screenings – the small bits left after cleaning.
13. Roadside Gleaning
After harvest, many fields have leftover grains or vegetables that farmers don’t collect.
14. Leaf Litter Buffet
Fall leaves attract insects as they decompose. Chickens will scratch through them all winter.
15. Hatch and Sell Chicks
By hatching your own chicks, you can sell extras to cover all feed costs. Day-old chicks sell for 5x the egg value.
Balancing the Free Diet
While these methods can eliminate feed costs, ensure your chickens get:
- Protein (insects, meat scraps, brewer’s grain)
- Calcium (crushed eggshells, oyster shells)
- Grit (small stones for digestion)
- Variety (different food sources)
Remember that free-fed chickens may lay fewer eggs than grain-fed ones, but their eggs will be more nutritious.