One of the problems with some chicken feed is low protein. Laying hens need a lot of protein. I don't know the numbers, but you can look it up.

In the old days, chickens didn't get feed from a store. They ranged over the whole property, eating plants and bugs. They got protein from the bugs and worms. My mother said that, as part of government commodities they got during WWII, they got yellow grits. They'd never had them before, so they fed them to the chickens. Chickens can do a good job keeping the bugs down in your garden. You still need a safe place for them to retreat to when predators come in.