Many of those who start poultry in their backyard know how to feed chickens, and they know the direct dependence of bird productivity on high-quality and balanced nutrition. If the chicken feed is nutritious enough, and the diet is made correctly, then the bird will rush all year round. Fortunately, it is much easier to ensure proper feeding of chickens at home than in a large-scale poultry farm. All necessary products are freely available.
Essential feed ingredients
In no case should we forget that the chicken is not an omnivore. That is why it is strictly forbidden to use them as home processing machines. The chicken should not be fed with various waste, only high-quality feed. If spoiled grain is used, this can negatively affect the health of the flock and reduce overall egg production.
Among the most important components of feed for chickens, grain will always be in the first place. Thanks to him, the necessary vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber are supplied to the bird's body. If you are thinking about what to feed your chickens, then oats, wheat, as well as barley, millet or corn supplements are ideal. Corn should not be underestimated, because if you properly introduce it into the diet, then the chicken will receive the necessary amount of carbohydrates. It is best absorbed when ground. The only condition for its use is small rare portions due to the high fat content.
Wheat is the best food for chickens, thanks to which the bird not only gets enough energy, but also starts to lay better. Oats are necessary to stimulate the growth of feathers, it is better to add them to the feed in a steamed or germinated form. Grains have many advantages, but they cannot be fed alone, as they lack minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. That is why it is better to collect compound feed for chickens, diluting the grain with various additives.
Compound feed for chickens, familiar to any breeder, can consist of green and vegetable mixtures, as well as separately purchased mixers. For those who breed poultry in their own backyard with a garden, the question of how to feed the chickens certainly does not arise. From the garden and kitchen, you can take part of the waste, which perfectly complements the chicken feed.
The concept of such an additive as greens is quite extensive, since it can include fresh grass that the chicken uses while walking, or preparations made in advance. The second category includes leafy vegetables, various herbs, and legume greens. Such food must be finely chopped. They can only be fed raw. Greens improve the quality of the digestive processes in the body of the chicken and guarantee the correct shape of the eggs without defects.
An excellent compound feed for chickens is boiled potatoes, cabbage and beets mixed with bone meal. This is an ideal feeding for chickens in winter, as the resulting porridge not only satisfies the hunger of the birds, but also saturates their bodies with the required minerals and fiber.
How to make a balanced diet
The main rule for every breeder is that chickens should be fed twice a day. This rule applies to both winter and summer. Moreover, each portion of the feed includes all the necessary components. Let's go back to the fact that the simplest solution in this situation would be to use compound feed for chickens in the form of a mixture. With its use, the breeder can only accompany the feeding with supplements from vegetables, herbs and some types of grain. In some cases, high-quality waste can be used, since domestic chicken is completely unpretentious.
In many villages, it is customary to feed chickens with a wet mash. But it is very important to remember that such chicken feed spoils rather quickly, so it is always cooked at once.
.Remember that during feeding, the feeders are only two-thirds full. Such a precaution will significantly save on the purchase of chicken feed, as the birds will no longer scatter and trample the grains. Grass and tops from vegetables are suitable as vitamin supplements. The amount of them in chicken feed depends on the way the bird is kept, that is, on whether the bird has the opportunity to walk on green lawns. Greenery is very important in winter, when a lack of vitamins can cause serious diseases due to a general decrease in the level of immunity.
Another point for those who are considering what to feed hens at the age of forty-eight weeks, when they become young laying hens, is that the diet of such a special one is practically no different. Only the mode of feeding is different - three to four times a day.
Continuing the theme of laying hens, it must be said that good feeding of chickens is also necessary for high-quality egg laying. We have already figured out that the daily diet of a chicken should include greens, grains, vitamin baits and mixed feed. It is best when the daily rate of chicken feed is steamed or germinated. So feeding the bird is much better and easier, since everything is digested without problems. Very often the question is raised about how to feed chickens if it is necessary to save on grain. In the daily rate of feed for chickens, you can replace the rate of grain with twenty-five grams of wheat bran or millet, as well as twenty grams of sunflower meal.
Always remember that the main influence on the health of birds and their productivity is how they are fed - there should not be an oversupply or a shortage. Even in the mandatory requirements, it is always listed to feed the chickens in a certain mode.
The first feeding of chickens should be carried out immediately after the birds wake up or the light is turned on, that is, early in the morning. A moist mash is ideal for this meal, including potatoes, ground grains, salt, bone meal, and food scraps. In the evening, chicken feed is given out an hour before the lights go out. For this meal, compound feed for chickens is ideal, since the bird should receive all those useful substances from it that it did not receive in the morning.
The content of whole grains is also mandatory, but without mixing, since the chicken will only peck out what she liked more, and trample the rest. It is better to alternate, and feed on one day with oats, on the other with wheat, and on the third with millet. This conformity to the regime is an excellent addition to the overall care of poultry. The breeder must remember that care is a whole range of activities, including cleaning, feeding, examining individuals, and much more.
Dosage and storage of feed
In the process of compiling the diet, it is necessary to pay attention to the breed of birds, since some of them have characteristics and require various mineral supplements to maintain their health and their genetic inclinations. But some breeds should have an automatic fasting day included in the diet. Such a precaution will save the bird from obesity. True, a fasting day does not mean at all that it is not necessary to feed the chickens at all, only the grain rate is replaced with greens and vegetables.
The standard chicken diet per day should consist of one hundred and twenty grams of grain, thirty grams of mash, one hundred grams of vegetables, seven grams of cake, two grams of bone meal, one gram of yeast and half a gram of salt. Yeast is necessary in order to ensure the yeast process as one of the stages of bird digestion.
Another way to calculate the diet is based on the indicator of the average weight of the bird. Each breed has its own average weight, respectively, each needs its own feed rate. For example, for a standard individual with a weight of 1.8 kilograms, giving a hundred eggs a year, one hundred and twenty-five grams of food will be needed per day, but individuals with the same productivity indicator, but already weighing two kilograms, will need a portion of one hundred thirty grams.
Chicken feed should be stored in a dark and dry place, as this substance may become moldy or rot due to high humidity. Harvested herbs are stored according to the same principle, without which the question of how to feed chickens in winter would have long remained unanswered. It is best to use grass cut before flowering for such blanks, and give it to the bird in ground form, mixing with other ingredients.
Continuing the topic of how to feed chickens in winter, it must be said that pine and spruce needles will be an important component. It is stored dried in a warm, dry and dark room, and before serving it is ground with a meat grinder and added to grain-and-flour mixtures. The silage method is actively used for storing greens, it is especially relevant for home gardens. For silage, only fresh legumes, vegetable tops and greens are used. After grinding, all ingredients are packaged in barrels or tubs, which are then sealed.
Video "Compiling a diet for adult chickens"
This video shows and tells. how to make a diet for adult chickens: what ingredients are included in it, what are the proportions of the feed, when to set the feed.
