What do chickens eat in the wild?

Now that our introduction to chicken tractors series has wound down, I'm going to turn my attention to chicken feed.  Most backyard chicken keepers probably go the easy route just like we do and buy commerical chicken feed at the store.  This grain-based feed certainly isn't the cheapest option, and I wonder if it's the healthiest.

Before delving into traditional homemade chicken feed formulas and modern alternatives, I wanted to take a look at what chickens would eat in nature.  It turns out that Jungle Fowl (the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken) feed primarily on insects.  Scientists who cut open the crops of wild Jungle Fowl found that half or more of the mashed up food in there was typically insects and other invertebrates (especially termites.)  Various plant matter was also represented, especially fruits, berries, bamboo seeds, nuts, and young leaves.

The upshot is clear --- if we want to wean ourselves off a dependence on store-bought chicken feed, we shouldn't be planting rows of wheat and barley.  Instead, we need to find ways to provide our chickens with copious insects, or at least some sort of feed high in protein.  Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I highlight the options.

Meanwhile, check out our automatic chicken waterer, the other key to healthy chickens!