What do they feed egg-laying hens?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

About what they feed chickens, we will tell you in our conversation today. We are talking about domestic laying hens. We will tell you how much and what kind of feed you need for each head daily.

Food selection

There are three types of feed for laying hens:

• dry;
• wet;
• combined.

If we talk about poultry farms, then they most often use dry food, and on mini-farms or in the household they usually use wet or combined food. But this does not mean that domestic chickens cannot be fed compound feed. It is possible and even necessary. Consider each type of feed separately.

Mixed feed

If you do not know what to feed your chickens, then the best and easiest choice is dry balanced food. Compound feed must be present daily in the diet of chickens, it forms its basis. It contains elements of animal origin or their artificial substitutes. In addition to dry combined food, you need to introduce supplements in the form of vitamins and minerals. These are the so-called premixes, which help digest feed, and also remove poisons and toxins from the body. This is not a standalone food, but only a supplement.to dry. Some farmers give whole grains to their chickens, but this is not the right decision, as the birds are not able to fully digest this food, therefore they do not receive all the nutrients. It is better to give grain in crushed form.

How much and when to feed

Let's talk about how and how much to feed chickens. Compound feed is given no more than twice a day. The amount and composition of the feed depends on the age of the laying hens. For a young bird at the very beginning of the laying period, more food is required. At this time, chickens are transferred to special compound feed, which contains a lot of proteins and metabolic substances. One bird needs up to 120 g of compound feed per day.

Wet food

So, what do chickens eat? Mixers are the foundation of wet food. Their composition may be different, but the main thing is that the following components are present:

• oats (20 g per day);
• barleycorn (50 g);
• corn (70 g);
• wheat (70 g);
• millet (40 g);
• wheat bran (25 g);
• beans (10g);
• cake (20 g);
• meal from bones or fish (10 g).

This is an approximate composition of wet food for the daily diet of chickens per head. All grains must be crushed. For moistening, use reverse, broth or just water. You need to feed at least 3 times a day. The feed should be pecked by chickens in half an hour. Do not put a lot of food, otherwise it will start to sour and rot, it is better to add fresh.

Juicy food

Now let's talk about what they feed chickens, except for grains and legumes. Of course, greens and root crops, that is, juicy food, should be present in the full diet of birds every day. Laying hens benefit from fresh clover, alfalfa, nettle, carrot and beet cuts. Basically, any herb will do. Everything needs to be crushed and fed immediately.

Combine food

The most complete food for laying hens will be combined feed. This is primarily compound feed and wet food. In the morning they usually give it dry, and during the day it is wet (mixed feed, root crops, greens, some kind of food waste, etc.). Don't forget vitamins and minerals. And what to feed domestic chickens in cold weather? The most suitable in winter is just a combined feed. And in the evening you need to feed the chickens more than usual. You can add whole grains to the diet, as it gets dark early in winter, which means your chickens will sit on perches until the morning. Therefore, it is important that their crops are filled with food.

Conclusion

We told you what they feed chickens at home. The main thing is that food should be served on time and in small portions. Remember, egg production of chickens directly depends on a balanced diet rich in minerals and vitamins. In addition, provide the birds with clean, fresh water. Add sand or gravel to the feed from time to time if the hens do not have free access to them. So the food will be better digested.