A balanced chicken feed offers your flock the essential nutrients in the right forms and amounts. Steer clear of treats like corn, mealworms or sunflower seeds which dilute the nutrition.
Commercial feeds are specifically tailored to meet the nutritional needs of chickens at each stage of development. They come in pellet, mash and crumble formats.
Contents
Protein
Protein is an essential element of chicken feed and plays a significant role in their growth and development. This nutrient provides energy for bone formation, flesh development, feathers, and eggs production.
Chickens can experience serious consequences when their nutritional needs aren’t met, which is why having a balanced diet is so critical for their wellbeing and productivity.
Different chicken feeds contain varying levels of protein. You can find them in pellet, crumble or mash form.
Fat
Chicken feed is composed of various components to give poultry all the essential nutrients they need for growth and health. The amount and composition of each ingredient varies based on the age and life stage of the birds.
Chickens typically feed on maize or corn as their primary energy source. Not only is this high-energy source nutritious, but it also contains balanced amino acids and vitamins in adequate amounts.
In small quantities (around 10%), various protein sources like meat meal and vegetable fats are added to enhance the nutritional content, taste, and texture of the feed.
Fat is an essential element of a bird’s diet, helping them absorb essential vitamins and providing energy. Common sources of fat include rendered pig or beef fat, linseed oil, soy oil, sunflower or palm oil oil.
Carbohydrates
What is in chicken feed?
A balanced diet for poultry includes water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins to meet their nutritional needs. These essential components support normal breathing, eating, digestion and body functions such as temperature regulation.
Carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, form the majority of a poultry’s diet. Most poultry diets consist of cereal grains such as corn, wheat or barley that can be digested by birds for energy production.
Poultry feeds also contain fats, which provide a significant source of energy. Not only do these provide calories, but fats also supply essential fatty acids needed for certain bodily processes. Common sources of supplemental fat in commercial poultry feeds include rendered pig or beef fat and linseed, soy, sunflower or palm oil oils.
Minerals
A chicken’s diet consists of cereal grains, protein meals, fats, vitamins and minerals. These nutrients give the bird the energy it needs for daily tasks like walking, eating, digesting and breathing.
Grain ingredients typically make up the bulk of a chicken’s food, such as corn, wheat and oats.
Grains not only provide energy for poultry, but they also aid in muscle building, skin, bone development, feathers and eggs. Furthermore, grains contain fiber which aids a healthy immune system.
Poultry require macrominerals like calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and chloride in order to develop bone and eggshell structures as well as promote blood clotting and healthy muscle contraction.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds necessary for normal growth, reproduction and body function. Chickens need fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K as well as water soluble B vitamins (biotin, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin and thiamin).
Poultry need to consume minerals for their health and to prevent mineral deficiency-driven diseases and disorders. Grains are not an adequate source of these essential nutrients, so producers supplement commercial feed with mineral-rich ingredients like limestone, oyster shell and bone meal.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies in chickens can result in poor performance, stunted growth, an increased risk of disease and death. A vitamin and mineral supplement is an easy way to ensure that your poultry receive the correct nutrition they require.
