Chickens require both fat- and water-soluble vitamins for their overall wellbeing and optimal health, with vitamin deficiencies often caused by inadequate feeding rations, exposure to wild birds or bird droppings or spoilt treats.
Feeding your flock a complete commercial layer feed is the ideal way to ensure they receive all of the essential vitamins and minerals they require for good egg shell strength. Chickens also require shell grit as part of their digestive aid to aid with digestion and increase calcium levels which will improve shell strength over time.
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Layer Feed
We understand what chickens require for optimal egg production, and high-quality layer feed should meet this need. At minimum it should contain 16 percent protein and 3 percent calcium with all necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients needed by hens to produce eggs of exceptional quality.
Pellets whole grain mix feed can reduce waste while offering more nutritionally dense benefits than traditional mash feeds. Chickens raised on starter/grower crumble feed may take some getting used to when switching over, but should adjust quickly enough.
Avoid feeding your flock table scraps, grass clippings and fibrous plants due to their difficulty digesting these foods. They provide plenty of calories but often lack essential nutrients needed for egg production. When treating with extra protein sources such as mealworms or other supplements like mealworms keep their use limited to 10% or less of their total diet.
Scratch Grains
Scratch grains provide your flock with an energy boost and tasty treat, making a nutritious alternative to kitchen scraps and table scraps. Scratch mixes are available at most feed stores and offer a nutritious combination of grains and seeds – including corn – which the chickens love pecking at. Alternatively, make your own scratch mix by purchasing organic non-GMO corn or bulk grains like wheat or barley in bulk and mixing it in with seeds and nuts from various sources.
Feeding your hens only scratch and treats will lead to nutritional deficiencies in their body, leading to serious deficiencies that could threaten their health and welfare. Scratch should only comprise no more than 10% of their diet – as an enjoyable supplement to their regular layer feed!
Forage Greens
Forage greens can provide your flock with nutritious and fiber-rich foods to add variety to their diets, encouraging natural foraging behavior by offering various green plants with high levels of protein such as spinach, turnips, or kale.
Avoid plants that may be toxic to chickens, such as avocado pits and skins (which contain a toxin that could kill your birds), green plants are rich with minerals that support bone health and egg shell strength, making for healthy soil environments for your birds to roam in.
Chickens need grit to ensure their digestive systems function effectively, storing it in their gizzards to help grind food for absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients. Because of this, it should be included as part of their feed.
Treats
Chickens enjoy treats like whole berries, sliced apples and pieces of watermelon as these foods encourage instinctive pecking and scratching behaviors while providing essential nutrition for their flock. Poultry blocks made of grain and seeds also offer treats that encourage pecking behavior or can be used as part of games such as “flock-flock”.
Chicken treats should constitute no more than 10% of your flock’s diet, to ensure they receive all of their nutrient from high quality feed, without over relying on other foods that could potentially adversely impact their health or egg production.
Dandelions are an excellent source of Vitamin A, calcium and iron and make an ideal addition to high protein feed or garden planting plans. Meat scraps may also be added in small amounts for flock feeding purposes; any leftover meat should not lead to food poisoning issues.
