She’ll learn that keeping it simple is the secret to fresh eggs, a happy flock and a little more joy.
There’s something about a summer morning in your own backyard. The quiet hum, the soft cluck from the coop, the first sip of coffee. On mornings like this, backyard chicken keeper Shelby Diebold (@vineygrovegoats) and her husband pull up a couple of chairs and simply watch their flock. “We’re like an old couple,” she says. “We just sit, and he’ll drink his coffee, and enjoy watching them run around.”
What began as a practical decision for fresh eggs, a little more self-sufficiency quickly became something more. “They’re addictive. Someone should have warned me,” she says. “It’s like that book growing up…if you give a girl a chicken, she’s going to want more.”
Shelby started small, learning as she went. That first year brought summer heat, winter freezes and plenty of Googled questions. “You make mistakes to learn from them.”
But it also brought confidence — the kind that grows right alongside a flock. What helped her build that confidence early on was a straightforward approach to feeding her birds.
“I started them off with the Protein Purina® Start & Grow® feed and with electrolytes and probiotics in their water,” Shelby says. “I like keeping things simple.”
After a few weeks, as Shelby’s chicks entered their teen phase, she kept it simple again by transitioning from chick starter feed to Protein Purina® Layena® 16% Layer Hen Feed, slowly adding the grower feed and reducing the starter feed. The seamless transition made it easier to help maintain feed intake and to support the birds’ digestive systems to adapt.
“I usually mix the feeds together until the starter feed runs out,” she says. “It’s a really easy process.” Layer feeds are formulated differently than starter feeds, particularly in calcium levels, which help support strong eggshell formation.
Continuing to keep things simple has remained the key to managing her flock successfully.
And fun is exactly the point. Backyard chickens, she’s found, aren’t just about eggs. They’re about joy and nurturing.
Rhythm and routine. A reason to step outside and stay awhile, to chat and swap stories with neighbors and to relish in the satisfaction of meals that taste better with eggs gathered just steps from the kitchen.
For new chicken keepers experiencing their first transitions as the laying stage begins, her advice is simple: “Less is more. Keep it simple. Don’t overthink it and take the fun out of it.”
A feed like Protein Purina® Layena® 16% Layer Hen Feed can make the layer feed transitions easier. Keep it simple with complete nutrition and 16% protein to help support healthy hens, strong eggshells and nutritious eggs.
Available in pellets, crumbles and pearls. Go to purinamills.com to find out which feed is right for your flock and try it out for yourself.
