Chicken Feed by the Pallet

Feeding your chickens a well-balanced diet is key to their happiness, health and productivity. Both pelleted layer feed and crumbles contain essential grains, proteins, vitamins and minerals needed by chickens for optimal performance.

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Most chicken feed formulas start with cereal grains like wheat, barley or corn as the base ingredient. Legumes or oilseeds provide protein while fats provide energy and help the chicken absorb certain vitamins.

Contents

Pellets

Pelled chicken feed is the most commonly chosen variety, consisting of all necessary nutrients packed into small cylindrical packages for convenient feeding and storage purposes, and to enable chickens to easily pick up and consume it.

Pellet feed for poultry consists of grains, proteins, vitamins, minerals and other ingredients ground and mixed evenly before being heated, compressed and formed into pellets. This method allows for greater consistency as each pellet will contain equal nutritional value.

Some chicken owners choose to mix their flock’s diet between pellets and crumbles depending on individual preferences and nutritional needs of their birds. Young or senior chickens may prefer crumbles over pellets as they’re easier for them to consume; additionally, some birds may opt out altogether so it is essential that a complementary whole grain mix be provided so they get all of their necessary vitamins.

Crumbles

Many chicken keepers opt for crumble feed, a coarser texture between mash and pellets that’s easier for younger and smaller chickens to digest and often results in less waste.

Crumbles are soft-textured feed ingredients combined and then crushed using a crumbler to produce soft texture, usually more cost-effective than pellets. Crumbles may contain all of the same essential vitamins and minerals found in pellets but often provide greater value.

As with any choice for poultry health and egg production, ensure the pellet or crumble has the necessary nutritional analysis for optimal performance and egg production. Look for added lysine and methionine to promote laying health; consider marigold extract blends that produce bright yellow eggs; additionally opt for crumble formulas with high levels of Vitamin D3 to bolster immune systems and increase production as well as eggshell strength – essential components to creating happy, thriving flocks!

Whole Grain Mix

Chicken feed sold by the pallet typically consists of an assortment of whole grains such as corn (maize), barley, wheat and rye complemented with dried fruits, seeds and nuts – this form of feed tends to be more cost effective than pellets or crumbles and should be offered occasionally rather than as staple food for your flock.

This form of feed promotes chickens’ natural pecking instinct and utilizes ingredients in a more natural state to reduce waste. However, it requires using a feeder that can hold large grains at once; additionally, multiple feeding sessions per day must occur to prevent their chickens from cherry-picking specific components of the mix.

Mash feed is considered an “complete” feed because it includes proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements to meet all their nutrient needs – although its digestive action tends to require greater effort compared with pelletised options and it may become spoilage-prone more quickly.

Supplements

Supplementing chicken feed helps provide them with extra vitamins and minerals not provided in a complete, balanced feed diet. Shell grit is packed full of calcium to prevent bone disease in chickens while serving as a treat or additional menu item. Insoluble grit, made from ground oyster shell and similar to coarse gravel in appearance, provides insoluble calcium which is an invaluable supplement in any chicken’s diet.

Protein is an integral component of poultry feed and it can come from legumes, oilseeds, or animal meals. Most feed producers combine both legumes and oilseeds as they are inexpensive yet rich sources of protein; however, poultry also require animal sources because their fatty acids can more readily be absorbed than plant sources. Some individuals opt out of corn and soy in their feed as these tend to cause allergic reactions in poultry – for those looking for non-GMO feed with organic certification as an option, these individuals should look for something labeled non-GMO organic certification when purchasing something such as this.