One of the first decisions a backyard chicken keeper must make is what feed to give their flock. Many opt for organic feed as this provides their chickens with greater health benefits while producing better eggs.
Mile Four organic poultry feed comes in whole grain, pellet and mash forms to meet all your organic chicken feeding needs. Pellets may be preferable over crumbles to reduce waste.
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Starter-Grower Feed
Chicks require protein-rich chicken feed that’s easy to digest. Nutrena Country Feeds Chick Starter Grower 18% Crumbles Medicated can give your baby chicks just that – giving them all of the energy and strength necessary to grow into strong laying hens!
This starter feed for young poultry includes a medicated ingredient to protect chicks against coccidiosis, an intestinal condition transmitted through fecal matter. Furthermore, its formula also provides high-quality proteins and fats essential for muscle and feather development.
This ration is fortified with organic trace minerals that can easily be absorbed and utilized by the body, and includes Allstat, an antimicrobial combination of hydrolyzed yeast and natural flavors which provides early growth support and gut health benefits. Perfect for starting broiler chicks and growing turkey poults; available as pellets or crumbles for starter feed for chicks up to 18 weeks of age.
Layer Pellets
Layer feed typically contains 16-17% protein and essential vitamins and minerals for laying hens, typically consisting of grains, grain by-products, animal protein products (meat/plant based), minerals, salt and propionic acid as preservatives.
These ingredients are typically combined into a mash compete feed and pelleted into smaller particle-sized pellets for pelleting. Research has revealed that different feed varieties can have significant impacts on digestion, intestinal health and laying performance.
Look for chicken layer pellets featuring the Oyster Strong System to provide your flock with an optimum supply of calcium, which will allow them to produce strong eggs while building up natural immunity against disease. When feeding layer pellets, avoid treats and scratch as this could make the transition more challenging for your flock. Additionally, ensure you always have chick sized grit and fresh clean water available at all times; your flock will thank you!
Scratch Grains
Scratch mixes made with a mixture of grains and seeds provide more nutrition, making Producer’s Price Scratch Grains and Purina organic chicken feed scratch popular choices. Scratch should only comprise 10% of an animal’s diet; too much scratch may dilute regular feed intake, preventing chickens from receiving necessary vitamins, minerals, and trace elements they require for health.
Scratch is a tasty treat that will keep your chickens entertained and satisfied, and can also help them feel secure. Due to its high carb count and potential weight gain, however, scratch should only ever be fed as a special treat and never as an alternative source of nutrients for daily feed. Ideally, offer scratch late in the afternoon after they have had time to consume their full layer feed to reduce risk from raccoons or wild birds taking it from them!
Finisher Feed
Finisher feed is the final diet that your broilers will consume before being sold for sale, providing high energy rations that help them reach their target market weight more rapidly and improve overall health and strength to support an expanding body mass.
Broiler finisher pellets are an all-inclusive feed designed for broilers that comes in large 4mm pellets for easier digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as helping them achieve more appealing colors in their meat.
Finisher feed offers many benefits to chicken owners and breeders, including increased growth performance, decreased cost of protein, improved bulk and nutrient density, decreased ingredient segregation, reduced time and energy spent eating, destruction of disease-causing organisms, as well as elimination of disease-causing organisms. Finishers should be fed alongside grower feed to give your birds all of the essential vitamins and nutrients they require – helping them reach their full potential size! It should be fed up to day 35 of their final growing period prior to slaughtering.
