The productivity of chickens depends on their feeding.
With a properly formulated ration, laying hens can be carried all year round, and meat breeds give a good percentage of weight gain.
Despite the fact that chickens are absolutely not picky about food, their diet should be well thought out and balanced in all especially important nutrients.
The feeds used must contain a sufficient amount of proteins, vitamins and mineral elements.
At home, chickens are usually fed 3-4 times a day. In the morning they get 1/3 of the daily value of grain. Then, after 2-3 hours, they are given a mash and, as they are consumed, feed is added. And before bedtime I give them grain again.
Chicken feed
Concentrated
Grain feed should be the main part of the diet of chickens.
Due to the high concentration of nutrients in the grain, it can be called an ideal option for the body of the chicken with its fast metabolism and short digestive tract.
However, this type of feed has its drawbacks. For example, an insufficient amount of protein and defective amino acid composition, which should be compensated by introducing protein concentrates into the diet.
Corn - one of the favorite delicacies of chickens. Before giving it should be crushed. Corn is easily absorbed by the body of a bird due to its high starch content and non-digestible fiber.
Corn protein is considered incomplete in some amino acids. It also has relatively few minerals. Its grains also contain quite a lot of fat (up to 6%), which is why this food can only be given to representatives of light breeds in small portions.
Chickens meat and egg breeds should not be often fed corn. This can lead to obesity and a decrease in egg production of laying hens.
Wheat, unlike other types of grain, contains a fairly large amount of protein (proteins) and vitamins B and E.
The optimal proportion of wheat in the diet of chickens should be about 60% of all grain feed. It can be given to the bird in whole or crushed form.
Triticale - It is a hybrid of rye and wheat. The protein content of this cereal is several times richer than ordinary wheat.
Chicken Shaver Brown has the same characteristics as its white counterparts.Following the link //selo.guru/ptitsa/kury/porody/myaso-yaichnye/lakenfelder.html, you will be taken to the page about Lakenfelder chickens.
Barley belongs to the high-carbohydrate feed. By the amount of proteins, minerals and vitamins contained in it, it strongly loses wheat and triticale.
However, fattening young stock on barley can result in tender white meat. As part of the diet of laying hens, barley can occupy about 40%. In winter, it is better to use germinated barley. So the bird will be able to get more vitamins and nutrients.
Oats. This type of grain has a high percentage of indigestible fiber and fat. Its use can stimulate the formation of feather cover in birds and reduce the manifestations of cannibalism. Layers are best given germinated or steamed oats.
Rye is close to wheat in its protein composition. However, the bird does not eat it willingly. It is best to add chopped and steamed rye in the mash.
Legumes
To bean feed can be attributed peas, beans, beans. This is an excellent source of protein.
They contain almost the entire spectrum of essential amino acids for the bird, including essential ones.
Chickens are best given boiled bean food. To this end, they are first soaked in water for 2 hours, and then cooked over low heat. The heat-treated legumes are better absorbed by the body of the bird.
Root and tuber crops
Root vegetables - a good source of carbohydrates. You can feed almost all birds - carrots, potatoes, beets, pumpkins, turnips, etc.
These foods are rich in carbohydrates, but low in calcium and phosphorus. Carrots are richest in vitamin A, especially in the autumn.
Over time, during storage, it may lose its beneficial properties. Therefore, like many other types of feed, it is better to silage it. Also, carrots can be salted or dried.
Sugar beet can serve as a partial replacement of concentrated feed, and pumpkin contains a sufficiently large amount of carotene.
Also, the bird can be given potatoes, which is rich in carbohydrates. However, before this, it must be boiled and crushed. On its basis, you can prepare a variety of mash for poultry.
In no case should the bird sprout potatoes. They contain poisonous substance - solanine.
Silage
As a juicy feed the bird can be given silage. However, it must be of strictly high quality. The most valuable protein-amino acid composition is considered to be silage from legumes (clover and alfalfa).
You can also use corn. potato silage and sugar beet silage. It can be given to a bird in the form of mash beans or mixed with bran and barley flour.
Green
Another important component of the diet of chickens is green fodder.
With them, the bird receives almost all the vitamins, provitamins, digestible substances and fiber, as well as iron salts, that it needs.
Green feed should be at least 20% of the daily volume of feed concentrates. A good herbal blend should include a fair amount of legume plants (vetch, alfalfa, clover), as they are rich in protein, calcium and phosphorus.
Young nettle leaves rich in proteins, vitamins A, C, K and vitamins of group B. You can also feed the tops of cultivated plants. In the summer, the grass is usually given in its entirety, and in the winter - dried and crushed. Also, dried grass can be added to the mash.
The bird's body does not digest fiber. Therefore, it is necessary for her to give only young grass that has not had time to coarsen.
Cabbage can also act as a succulent feed. She willingly eaten by a bird. Chickens are best given in crushed form.
Conifer
Needle flour can be fed to chickens, both in pure form and as part of a variety of mash.
It is best to use it in the winter, when the bird is severely deficient in vitamins, as it is rich in vitamin C and carotene. Thus, it is possible to improve the physiological condition of chickens, improve their immunity and increase egg production.
Hay
Most of the birds like hay from clover and alfalfa. It can be given as a whole, or in a crushed form. Clover and alfalfa hay is especially rich in protein, provitamins and mineral components (especially phosphorus and calcium).
Cake and meal
This type of feed additives is considered very important for the body of a bird due to its high content of protein (about 41-43%).
Acorns
Residents of areas rich in oak groves and forests can afford to add milled acorns to bird feed. They contain a relatively small amount of protein.
However, they are rich in carbohydrates and fats. It is worth remembering that feeding acorns to laying hens can lead to the fact that the yolk will get a brownish tint.
It is best to use acorns as a feed for poultry that are fattening.
Animal origin
As an optional feed additives in the diet of poultry can be included and feed of animal origin.
As a rule, cottage cheese, milk, meat and bone and fish meal are used. These supplements contain all the amino acids necessary for the chicken’s body, which results in an increase in bird productivity.
Some poultry farmers feed the chickens with earthworms, which they themselves grow for their homestead plots. This allows the birds to provide animals with bait, even in winter.
Gardening waste
Hens can also be given gardening waste. For example, tainted apples or pears will be perceived by birds as real delicacies. On the basis of rotted berries and fruits, you can prepare a variety of mash for poultry.
Mineral Supplements
Mineral feed plays an important role in the diet of poultry, especially among the egg-bearing breeds.
So, in order to form one egg, the bird's body must spend about 2 grams of calcium. Therefore, chickens should have constant unlimited access to mineral supplements.
It does not hurt to add mineral bait in the mash or give them in combination with feed.
Mineral additive can be considered salt, chalk, limestone, ash, bone meal or gravel. Before giving the bird they must be thoroughly ground.
Table salt for birds provides a source of such elements as sodium and chlorine. However, when adding it to the diet should be careful. Its concentration should not exceed 0.5 g per day per 1 bird's head.
Feed
Another important part of the daily diet of chickens - feed.
This is an optimally balanced for all nutrients dry poultry food, which can be produced both in loose form and in the form of cylindrical pellets.
It must be present at the bird feeder throughout the day. Compound feed, which is produced in the form of pellets, is much more convenient for feeding birds, which is contained in the walking type of housing.
Loose, on the contrary, is better suited for those who are detained on the type of free-flowing.
As a rule, wheat grain and fodder, calcium carbonate are included in the compound feed. soybean, sunflower cake, vegetable fats, salt and vitamin supplements. Do not buy feed, which include dyes, drugs, hormonal supplements and flavor enhancers.
Water
Under normal conditions (ambient temperature 12-18 degrees Celsius), a chicken in a knock consumes 250-300 g of water.
If the temperature in the room or the amount of feed consumed increases, the need of the bird for water, respectively, increases. As a rule, the chicken prefers to drink water after feeding. Despite this, chickens should have constant free access to drinking water.
If necessary, in winter, water can be partly replaced by snow. Here you can read about watering chickens in more detail.
Proper processing of feed before feeding them contributes to their better absorption by the body of the bird. It also allows you to improve the taste of food and helps prevent the occurrence of some acute diseases. The way in which the feed is processed may differ depending on the age group of the hens for which they are intended.
