Chicks eat a granular feed called crumble. It's a complete diet, but you can feed them treats like pinhead crickets, yogurt or oatmeal after a month. Provide a supply of bird grit for their digestion; it can be found at any pet store and on most supermarket pet-food shelves.
Hens eat readymade chicken scratch, as well as fresh kitchen scraps. Again, provide grit for their digestion, and experiment with different fruits and veggies, raw and cooked, and live insects like crickets, mealworms and earthworms. Hard-boiled eggs are a popular protein source. Well-cooked meat is fine, though perhaps a bit creepy. Many love warm oatmeal, but avoid extra sugar or salt.
Chickens love grass, so give them supervised access to any pesticide-free lawn that needs trimming!
Store crumbles and scratch in airtight, rodent-proof cannisters or tubs.
Maintenance
Expect to clean or top up food and water bowls once or twice a day, and to "muck out" the straw from their enclosure once a week. The enclosure floor will also need to be vacuumed (with a wet/dry vacuum, not your indoor model) or swept. Wear a dust mask for safety.
If soiled, the floor will need to be scrubbed and disinfected with a pet-safe product.
The outdoor run will need to be raked, with solid waste removed, once a week.
The hens, on the other hand, keep themselves very clean and pretty!
Safety tips for you
Your chances of contracting avian flu through backyard chickens are very low. Your "flock" will be tiny, and the density of chickens in an urban setting is also low.
A more serious threat to your family's health comes from salmonella bacteria, which can be spread from pet reptiles or birds via infected feces, and which causes gastroenteritis. Keep your family safe by not feeding your chickens undercooked meat or eggs, washing your hands thoroughly after handling chickens, and making sure your kids don't kiss or (shudder) mouth-feed the chickens.
Avoid letting chickens get too close to your face, as some tend to confuse eyes and freckles for peck-worthy morsels.
Chickens and chicks have sharp little talons that can scratch you if they "dig in" to prevent themselves from falling off your bare arm or lap. Promptly clean and apply disinfectant to any chicken-induced scratches.
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