Chickens require a balanced diet of protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. The exact proportions depend on your flock’s age and what type of feed you use.
Commercial poultry feeds contain all essential nutrients in precisely the right amounts for your chickens, and come in various textures such as mash, crumble or pellet.
Contents
Protein
Protein is essential for chickens as it provides the building blocks of tissue and organs. Furthermore, protein enhances immunity in chickens and helps them adapt to their environment.
When it comes to protein requirements for birds, the amount required varies based on age and species. For instance, younger chicks and pullets require more protein than an older laying hen.
Furthermore, the amount of protein fed will depend on factors like breeding, egg production rate, moulting and seasonality. For instance, a hen may consume up to 340 calories of metabolizable energy during winter in order to stay warm.
Molting can also cause a need for more protein in order to replace lost feathers and build new ones. A higher source of this essential nutrient can be provided by mixing chick feed or broiler feed (containing 18-20% protein) with layer feed.
Fat
Chickens require a balanced diet to stay healthy and content. A combination of proteins, carbs, and fats is ideal for energy levels.
Vitamins are necessary in small doses for growth, reproduction and other bodily processes.
Some vitamins are fat-soluble and cannot be absorbed without the correct fats in the feed, such as vitamins A, D, E and K.
Saturated fats, such as lard and tallow, remain solid at room temperature and can be added to poultry diets. Unsaturated oils like corn oil or soybean oil, however, remain liquid at room temperature and can be used in addition to the feed formulation.
Feed formulations require good sources of fat, as fat provides more than 9 kcal per gram of energy. Furthermore, adding fat reduces grain dust and enhances flavor.
Vitamins
Chickens cannot synthesize most vitamins on their own, so they must be obtained through food sources. Vitamins play an integral role in normal body processes like growth and reproduction.
Vitamins can be purchased in either powdered or liquid form. They can easily be mixed into your flock’s water or coated onto their food for added benefit.
You can also supplement your hens’ food with multivitamins to increase egg production and ensure they produce large eggs with hard shells.
If you have a small flock of chickens, sprouted grains or seeds can be an excellent natural source of vitamins for them. These foods are high in protein, fiber and essential nutrients that your birds require to grow and flourish.
Vitamin deficiencies in your hens can lead to health issues such as poor growth and feathering. Vitamin A, D, E and K deficiencies are the most common culprits behind vitamin deficiencies in this regard.
Minerals
Chickens require a comprehensive set of vitamins and minerals to reach peak performance. Metabolic processes, growth of muscle or feathers, egg production, as well as a strong immune system all depend on adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.
Most poultry feeds are designed to be nutritionally complete, including all essential vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, even commercially prepared rations may lack some essential vitamins and minerals.
If you don’t make your own chicken feed, vitamin and mineral supplements are necessary to safeguard your flock against deficiency-driven diseases and disorders. These may include water soluble B Vitamins such as niacin, folic acid and biotin; fat-soluble Vitamins like A, D, E and K; plus essential minerals.
A quality vitamin and mineral supplement will also contain amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics. Some formulas, like Mega Mineral, are designed with bioavailability in mind for chickens so these added ingredients can help boost their energy levels while improving absorption. Supplementing your birds’ diets with these supplemental ingredients is an easy way to ensure optimal health at any age!
