At what age are chickens considered adults and can be fed adult foods?
Between 16 and 24 weeks generally speaking, chickens are said to be adults when they reach the point of sexual maturity and begin laying eggs. This typically occurs when the chickens are between 16 and 24 weeks of age, depending on breed, but even some individuals within a breed will develop more quickly or slowly than others. That being said 18 weeks is a good age to start them on oyster crumbles for that extra calcium (off subject but wanted to throw that in).
List of foods you CAN feed to your chickens
| Apples | Raw, cooked and applesauce |
| Asparagus | Raw or cooked |
| Bananas | Without the peel |
| Beans and green beans | Well-cooked only, never dry |
| Beets | Greens and cooked root |
| Berries | All kinds |
| Breads | Only in small amounts, preferably soaked in ACV |
| Broccoli & Cauliflower | |
| Cabbage & Brussels Sprouts | Whole head |
| Carrots and tops | Raw and cooked |
| Catfood | Wet and dry- Feed in strict moderation, perhaps only during moulting |
| Cheese | Including cottage cheese |
| Cooked Chicken | |
| Corn | On cob and canned, raw and cooked |
| Crickets (live) | Can be bought at bait or pet-supply stores. |
| Cucumbers | Let mature for yummy seeds and flesh |
| Eggs | Hardcooked and scrambled are a good source of protein, and a favorite treat. |
| Eggplant | . |
| Fish/Seafood | Cooked only. |
| Flowers -Marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, etc | Make sure they haven’t been treated with pesticides, such as florist flowers might be. |
| Fruit | Pears, peaches, cherries, apples |
| Grains | Bulgar, flax, niger, wheatberries,etc. |
| Grapes | Seedless only. For chicks, cutting them in half makes it easier for them to swallow. |
| Grits | Cooked |
| “Leftovers” | Only feed your chickens food items which are still considered edible by humans, don’t feed anything spoiled, moldy, oily, salty or unidentifiable. |
| Lettuce / Kale | Any leafy greens, spinach collards, chickweed included. |
| Mealworms | Available at pet supply stores or on the internet |
| Meat scraps of any kind. | Not too fatty, A good source of protein in moderation. |
| Melon | Both the seeds and the flesh are good chicken treats. |
| Oatmeal | Raw, fermented or cooked |
| Pasta/Macaroni | Cooked spaghetti, etc. |
| Peas | Peas and pea tendrils and flowers |
| Peppers (bell) | . |
| Pomegranates | Raw |
| Popcorn | Popped, no butter, no salt. |
| Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes/Yams | Cooked only—avoid the green parts of peels! |
| Pumpkins/Winter Squash | Raw or cooked seeds and flesh |
| Raisins | . |
| Rice | Cooked only |
| Scratch grains | Scratch is cracked corn with grains (such as wheat, oats and rye) mixed in, not a complete feed. |
| Sprouts | Wheat and oat sprouts are great! |
| Summer Squash | Yellow squash and zucchini |
| Sunflower Seeds | Sunflower seeds in the shell are fine to feed, as well as shelled. |
| Table scraps | Avoid forbidden foods and fish bones, but otherwise safe. |
| Tomatoes | Raw and cooked. |
| Turnips | Cooked. |
| Watermelon | Served cold, it can keep chickens cool and hydrated during hot summers. |
| Yogurt | Plain or flavored |
Have a blessed day!
Tillettville Beauty Homesteading 