As with any purchase, when selecting poultry feed it’s essential to find something appropriate for their age and breed of hens. For instance, this grower/layer feed contains roasted milo for optimal nutrient absorption as well as pulverized oyster shells for calcium absorption and eggshell thickness.
Organic, soy free and non-GMO chick food in pellet or crumble form for easy ingestion; perfect for chicks up to 16 weeks old.
Contents
Organic
Organic chicken feed boasts high nutritional values that guarantee delicious eggs while being safe for the environment since it does not contain chemical additives – which makes organic feed worth paying extra for.
Organic chicken feeds typically include prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes to aid the hen in digesting her food more easily while strengthening eggshells and reducing odor. They offer an alternative to commercial poultry feed which often relies on corn as a filler ingredient that provides energy but no real nutritional benefit to birds.
Organic poultry feed features a blend of grains that provide essential vitamins and minerals to meat birds, such as folic acid, calcium, protein, amino acids and trace elements. This can be especially helpful when considering their rapid growth rates for quicker butchering.
Non-GMO
Recently, people have become more conscious of what they eat and purchase; this includes chicken feed. People are concerned about antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs in animal feed.
There are various non-GMO feed options for chickens that are less costly than organic varieties; these feeds must still meet strict criteria, including no pesticides and chemical additives.
Non-GMO feed for chickens must usually be ground into a mash or pelleted to reduce waste, while also making the feed easier for their consumption. After mixing with vitamins, minerals, salts and amino acids such as methionine for better absorption by chickens, the final product must also be free of medications, antibiotics and hormones while protein sources must be organic.
Oyster shell calcium is an integral part of non-GMO feed for poultry hens to produce healthy eggs that meet all regulations. This slow release calcium source ensures they produce high quality eggs.
Fermented
Fermenting chicken feed is one of the easiest, cost-effective ways to increase its nutritive value for your flock. By soaking grain and seeds for several days before fermenting them together, phytic acid (which inhibits nutrient absorption) is removed as well as giving your flock good gut-healthy bacteria to help improve digestive processes.
Start with a large glass or ceramic jar, bowl, or bucket (BPA-free plastic is acceptable), filling it up within one inch of its top edge with dechlorinated water to avoid rancidity or mold growth in your feed.
Calculate how much food your flock eats daily and divide by two; that will give you the amount of feed needed for fermentation each day. Next, mix sea kelp, grit, cultured dry yeast and calcium into this mix to keep your flock full for longer, leading to bigger eggs with dark yolks while cutting costs by decreasing additional supplemental feed needs.
Variety
Raising chickens is an exciting but daunting experience, yet can be somewhat of a minefield at first. There is an assortment of feed for different stages in a chicken’s life cycle which must be understood. Terms like “mash”, “pellets”, and “medicated and unmedicated” may make the experience harder to follow at times.
Homestead Harvest Non-GMO Layer Blend is a family made feed designed to foster strong hens and produce beautiful eggs. This formulation includes corn, various grains, diatomaceous earth and Omega 3 fatty acids for healthy chickens; along with Lysine to boost egg production. Marigold petals add color while shell grit assists their digestion of food properly.
This feed can be fed to chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys alike. With 18% protein content and no GMOs – and specifically designed to promote natural foraging behaviors among your flock while supporting sustainable farming practices – this feed can meet all their nutritional needs!