Chickens are a common first step for people looking to take control of their food supply and get into homesteading. They can be a great source of entertainment for children, as well as a worthwhile lesson in raising your own food. However, they are also an added responsibility, and between supply chain issues and severe inflation, you may be wondering how to feed them this upcoming year. How did people feed chickens before commercial chicken feed?

Personally, I try to keep at least a month's food on hand for all livestock. That gives me time in the event of a SHTF situation to answer two questions: Do I need to process animals? Or can I wait till things settle down?

However, it's good to be aware of chickens' nutritional needs in the event of longer-term SHTF events if you are unwilling to process. Or if you have too many birds and lack the storage space for processed birds.  

People got by without commercially mixed chicken feeds for a long time, but that doesn't mean you can feed chickens whatever and still expect them to grow and lay well. You can be flexible, but there must still be structure.