Why A Balanced Ration Matters

A hen that lays an egg nearly every day is doing something remarkable. She is exporting calcium, protein, fat and a whole suite of vitamins out of her body and into a shell, and she has to replace all of it from whatever you put in her feeder. Get the balance right and you will see it in glossy feathers, bright eyes, hard shells and a steady supply of eggs through the season. Get it wrong and you will notice the warning signs long before anything serious develops: thin or chalky shells, feather pecking, pale combs, and hens that seem to be permanently moulting.

Feeding layers is not complicated, but it does reward a little thought. The aim is a ration that is roughly 16 to 18 per cent protein, around 3.5 to 4.5 per cent calcium, and with enough energy from grain to keep them warm, busy and laying without turning them into butterballs.

Start With A Good Layers Pellet

The backbone of any sensible mix is a quality layers pellet or mash. These are formulated to a known standard and contain the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are genuinely difficult to supply from scratch. Think of it as the bread and butter of the diet: everything else is a supplement to it, not a replacement.

A practical rule of thumb is that pellets should make up around 80 to 90 per cent of what your hens eat by weight. A typical hen eats roughly 120 to 150 grams of feed a day, depending on her size, the weather and whether she is laying. That means about 100 to 130 grams of pellets, with the rest made up of grain and extras.

• Layers pellets: the nutritional foundation, always available.
• Layers mash: equally good, though more likely to be flicked about.
• Chick or grower feed: not suitable for laying hens, as the calcium levels are too low.

Using Grain Wisely

Grain is the part of the mix that most people enjoy feeding, and hens certainly enjoy eating it. It provides energy, gives them something to scratch for, and helps keep them warm on cold nights. The trick is not to let grain crowd out the pellets.

A useful approach is the traditional "scratch feed" method: scatter a measured amount of mixed grain in the litter in the late afternoon, roughly a handful per hen, or about 25 to 30 grams each. This gives them a bit of a job to do before roosting and tops up their energy reserves overnight.

A good general-purpose grain mix might look like this:

• Wheat: about half the grain portion, high in energy.
• Barley or oats: a quarter to a third, good for slow-release energy and digestion.
• Maize: a small amount in winter, as it is warming and high in energy but low in protein.
• Sunflower seeds: a scattering in moulting season for extra oil and protein.

Keep the total grain portion to no more than 10 to 20 per cent of the daily ration. If you notice soft shells or hens filling up on grain and leaving pellets, cut back.

Calcium, Grit And Shell Quality

Shells are almost entirely calcium carbonate, and a hen needs a steady supply to build one every day. Layers pellets contain calcium, but some hens benefit from a top-up, particularly in their second laying year or during hot spells when they eat less.

Offer oyster shell or limestone flour in a separate hopper so hens can help themselves. They are surprisingly good at regulating their own intake. A hen that needs calcium will take it; one that does not will ignore it. Never mix large amounts of extra calcium into the main feed, as this can put off hens and upset the balance of the pellets.

Insoluble grit is a different matter altogether and is not optional. Hens have no teeth, so they rely on small stones in the gizzard to grind their food. Keep a small pot of mixed poultry grit available at all times, and refresh it regularly.

Treats, Greens And Kitchen Scraps

Hens are excellent recyclers, and a few kitchen scraps and garden greens are a pleasant addition to the day. The watchword is moderation, because every treat displaces a pellet.

• Leafy greens: cabbage, kale, spinach and dandelion leaves, hung up to peck.
• Vegetable peelings: cooked or finely chopped, never mouldy.
• Fruit: windfall apples and berries in small amounts.
• Protein treats: a few mealworms during moulting or in very cold weather.

Avoid bread as a filler, and never feed avocado, raw potato, rhubarb leaves, citrus peel, onions or anything salty. These are either toxic or simply poor use of feeder space.

Water, Weather And Seasonal Tweaks

The finest mix in the world is useless if the water trough is frozen or filthy. Clean water should be available at all times, and a laying hen will drink around 250 to 300 millilitres a day in mild weather, far more in summer. Add a little apple cider vinegar to the drinker occasionally if you like, but do not rely on tonics to fix a feeding problem.

Adjust the mix with the seasons. In winter, a slightly larger grain portion helps hens hold condition, and a little extra maize is welcome on frosty mornings. In summer, when appetites drop, keep pellets fresh and available early and late in the day. During the moult, boost protein with sunflower seeds, a handful of mealworms or a dedicated moulting supplement.

Weigh out a week's feed, watch your hens, and adjust. Their feathers, shells and appetite will tell you whether your mix is balanced better than any chart can.