The Ultimate Guide On What to Feed Chickens for Better Eggs!

If you want to improve egg production in your backyard flock, it all starts with the right nutrition. What you feed your chickens directly affects how consistently and how many eggs they lay, especially after their first year. In this video, I’m going to show you exactly how I mix up my homemade chicken feed to keep my birds healthy, happy, and laying eggs regularly—even into their fifth year and beyond. From oats and corn to sunflower seeds and oyster shells, I’ll walk you step by step through the ingredients and techniques that really work.

In this video, I take you behind the scenes of my homestead to show exactly how I mix homemade chicken feed that helps improve egg production in my flock. You’ll learn why proper nutrition is crucial—especially after the first year when hens can start laying fewer eggs—and how feeding them whole, high-quality ingredients can keep them healthy and productive for years.

I walk you through every ingredient I use and why it matters: black oil sunflower seeds for essential fats, whole corn for energy, premium oats as a nutritious base, animal protein for extra nutrition during winter months, diatomaceous earth to keep worms and parasites at bay, and crushed oyster shells to provide the calcium chickens need for strong eggshells. I also share bonus tips, like using leftover alfalfa from my horses to boost calcium naturally, and explain how chickens digest food with grit in their gizzards to absorb nutrients efficiently.

You’ll get a step-by-step demonstration of how I layer and mix everything in a tub, portion it correctly for my 13 birds, and feed them twice daily. Along the way, I give practical tips for introducing new foods to chickens, keeping them healthy, and ensuring they continue laying eggs consistently—even into their fifth year and beyond.

By the end of this video, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to create your own nutrient-rich feed mix, keep your flock happy and healthy, and maximize egg production naturally without relying on overly processed feed. This guide is perfect for both beginners and experienced chicken keepers who want to give their birds the best care possible.