Chicken ownership in the United States has seen an unprecedented rise, transforming what was once a niche agricultural facet into a mainstream pet-keeping shift. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing interest in self-sustainability, the so-called backyard chicken movement now encompasses over 12 million households keeping chickens as both egg producers and companion animals – a far cry from long-standing perceptions of chickens as mere livestock meat commodities. 

This evolving relationship has changed how chicken owners approach their flock’s nutritional well-being. In this sense, the focus has shifted to providing high-quality, nutrient-rich feed that ensures both superior egg quality and the overall health and longevity of chickens as beloved pets. 

Companies like Grubbly Farms have recognized this demand, developing feeds, snacks, and other wholesome, nutrition-rich products to help diversify options for companion chicken owners. 

“The pet chicken market has seen explosive growth over the last few years,” Grubbly Farms CEO Sean Warner said. “Around 10 million of those households have chickens that are classified as pets, and the other 2 million are more on the homesteading side, which still involves finding value in raising their chickens through cheap but still holistic feeding options. So, what we’ve seen on the industry side is, within the last 10 years, in the same way we saw dogs and cats move from pets to children, we’ve seen chickens move from livestock to pets.”

Grubbly Farms’ products leverage the natural benefits of insect protein – namely, that of the black soldier fly, a noninvasive species that has become increasingly noted for its organic waste recycling capabilities. This protein source not only provides essential nutrients that enhance egg quality – but also supports the holistic health of pet chickens. Black soldier fly larvae are especially suitable as they carry no risk of disease transmission, unlike other insects, and are hypoallergenic, making them an optimal feed ingredient for chickens and other companion animals. What’s more, such processes hold considerable promise for environmental sustainability at large. 

“Insect protein use has a wide range of benefits,” Warner said. “Black soldier fly larvae can eat twice their body weight a day, and they are generally raised off food waste diverted from landfills, which would typically decompose into methane, which is about 20 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.”

Insect protein’s rise in the chicken feed market reflects a broader trend toward chickens thriving on a diet closer to what they might consume in a natural environment – a driving principle of the modern sustainable, holistic pet food industry. At the same time, proponents of these changes have spearheaded a growing acceptance of insect-based pet foods in Western markets, which remain prone to crucial stigmas potentially hindering wider-scale adoption of resources like black soldier fly protein.

According to Warner, these misconceptions represent a larger need for ongoing education and awareness surrounding sustainable pet nutrition – particularly insect protein-based options – with companion chicken owners standing as potential trendsetters for the broader companion animal market. 

“Education is key,” Warner said. “There’s still a stigma toward edible insects in Western society, and ultimately, I think the pet industry is going to be an early adopter of it. Within that, it’s the pet chicken and wild bird space that is leading the way.”