Shopping for chicken feed may leave you bewildered. There are two primary forms: pellets and crumble.
Pellets are the most widely consumed form of chicken feed, offering minimal waste while flowing easily through feeders. Begin providing this high-energy layer food at 18-20 weeks and continue throughout the laying period, always offering chick sized grit alongside fresh, clean water at all times.
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Pellets
Pellets are composed of chicken feed ingredients mashed and compressed into long cylindrical forms for easier feeding, decreasing waste by eliminating wasteful feeding practices such as mashing. Furthermore, pellets also offer improved consistency of feedings which allows better nutritional control for your flock.
Pellets are an ideal way to feed chicks (in the form of starter/grower feed) and older laying hens a complete, balanced diet and help ensure longer, healthier lives for their flocks.
Crumbles are softer forms of pellets that are designed for feeding younger and smaller breed chickens. They can be tailored as chick starter/grower feed or layer feed and contain all the same essential nutrients compared to larger pellets; plus they’re less dusty compared to mash feed, helping prevent respiratory issues in birds with difficulty eating large pellets.
Mash
Mash is an exquisite variety of chicken feed designed to help young chicks grow into playful pullets. Packed full of protein, it should typically be fed until 6 weeks old before moving onto grower feed.
Used for laying hens when added to their feed ration, henna provides excellent palatability that allows hens to consume without needing to leave the nest and hunt for more food, thus reducing waste.
Mash should be thoroughly mixed so that all lumps have been broken up, enabling your chickens to digest it easily and consume it efficiently. A leaf belt horizontal spiral mixer can make this task easy. Once mixed with some water to form a thick paste consistency, buckets, troughs or feeders should be used to feed this food to your laying hens – keep in mind mash is high energy feed so only give when necessary or the birds may become dehydrated and become underweight.
Crumble
cobblers, crisps or crumbles topped with buttery crumbs have taken the baking world by storm. A versatile dish suitable for summer brunches or backyard BBQs alike!
Layer feed features a unique combination of protein and calcium to promote top egg laying in your flock, and is also an excellent option for older chickens due to being more nutrient dense than starter/grower feed.
Crumble can be enjoyed many ways, from smoking it out of a pipe or bong to adding it into food and drink. Proper storage helps preserve its aroma, flavor and potency by slowing its natural degradation process due to high temperatures, oxygen, moisture and light exposure.
Starter/Grower Feed
Your flock’s feeding requirements depend on its age. Newly hatched chicks should receive starter feed with high levels of protein and other essential nutrients to promote proper development and strengthen immunity.
Grower feed is the perfect diet solution for chicks aged six to 20 weeks old, providing their bodies with all of the protein it requires for growth without exceedingly high calcium levels that could harm adult birds’ kidneys.
Chicken feed comes in various forms such as pellets, crumbles or mash. Certain brands also provide fermented or sprouted grain mixes that are easier to digest for young chickens and help them absorb their nutrition more efficiently. These food mixes may include oyster shell grit for calcium boost, cultured yeast for digestion support and kelp for immune regulation support as well as additional additives like phosphorous and trace minerals for completeness.
