What And How To Feed Chickens
Feeding chickens is more than just throwing grain, you must take into account the age of the chickens and your goal for them. You will need to use different feed for chickens which will be egg producers than you will for those meant for meat production.
How to Feed Chicks
Baby chicks should always start out on a chick starter that is 20-22% protein for egg producers, and up to 24% protein for meat hens. Starter should be used until the age of 6-9 weeks, depending on the hen’s breed and its maturity level. After maturity, the feed should be switched to “broiler finish” grains until they are ready for slaughter (if meat chickens) – otherwise, continue with the egg feed.
Often, antibiotics are added to the feed of meat hens to prevent Coccidiosis. Even egg layers are often given these antibiotics unless they are being raised as free range or organic.
Commercially grown meat chickens are often loaded with hormones, so raising meat hens at home is a popular way to avoid ingesting those.
Chickens as Adults
Once hens reach adulthood, they are often moved to a 14% protein feed. Another important nutrient for egg layers is calcium, especially for large breeds such as Jersey Giants.
Adult hen feed comes in mash and scratch, pellets, and crumbles. The best way to get the most balanced diet for your hens is to mix some scratch in with pellets or crumbles and then supplement with vegetables and calcium.
You can supplement your chicken’s calcium intake by adding clean, crushed egg shells in their feed. They will eat what they need if it is available.
Vegetables and Peelings
Leftover veggies like spinach, Romain, apple peelings, and whole grains like oatmeal, barley, and small amounts of fruit make your hens healthier and happier. Keep in mind that these are supplements, not replacements for the hen feed. Chicken feed has all the protein and nutrients the chickens need.
So long as it’s fresh and not a meat product, it can be thrown to the chickens instead of the garbage.
Chicken Mobiles
Chicken tractors give you the ability to move your flock from place to place in your yard. This allows the available bugs, vegetation, and grit fresh and the chickens exercised. This is a good way to do it if you don’t have the room for free range, or need to protect your chickens from daytime predators.
This will also help keep your yard from getting brown spots where the hens scratch to find morsels.
Hazards
Do not use fertilizers or pesticides where chickens might feed. Chickens will eat anything and everything they eat ends up in them and their eggs.
Weed killers and sprays can poison hens who eat the plants they have been sprayed on. Whatever your hens eat ends up in them and their eggs. Chickens can be passing poisons into their eggs without showing any illness at all.
When raised properly, hens can be great family fun and a source of excellent nutrition. Well fed hens provide excellent eggs and meat.
Visit Chicken Coop Plans for information about how to build your own chicken coop.
Read Chicken Coop Kits for an even easier project.
