If you want the best eggs possible, you need to know what to feed chicken. A laying hen’s diet should be mostly feed. But it can also include things such as oyster shells, cottage cheese, and Scratch feed. Here are a few ideas on what to feed chicken.
Laying hens
It is essential that you feed your chickens the correct diet to ensure the best quality of eggs. Layer hens are omnivores, so their diet must include a mix of fresh and commercially prepared poultry feed. This mix should contain 15-18 percent protein. Your hens need this amount of protein when they begin laying eggs at around 20 weeks of age. They can also be given other treats, like table scraps or fresh greens.
A variety of fruits and vegetables is also essential to keep your hens healthy. You can feed them a variety of raw fruits and vegetables every day, or you can cook some of these for them. Try providing bananas, apple, carrot, bok choy, silver beet, and other fruits and vegetables in small amounts.
Protein
The food that chickens eat can influence the quality of their eggs. Knowing what to feed your chicken will help you produce fresher and more flavorful eggs. Chickens need both protein and fat, so you can provide them with both types of food. However, you must avoid giving them too much protein or fat. Cottage cheese is the best option for chickens, as it contains less fat than regular sliced cheese.
You can feed your chicken fresh fruits and vegetables. However, you should avoid feeding them foods that are high in sulfate content. This may affect the taste and the texture of the eggs. Also, a lot of these foods may result in a foul odor when your chickens are eating them. The best way to tell whether your chicken is getting the right nutrients is to look at the yolk of their eggs. An egg yolk that is orange indicates that the hen is getting enough beta-carotene-rich foods.
