To produce the best-tasting eggs, it’s essential that your chickens receive proper nourishment. Doing this will allow them to produce delicious eggs while remaining healthy and producing optimally-flavored ones.
Feed your flock high-quality layer feed that contains an optimal blend of essential vitamins and minerals, then complement this meal with additional treats such as scraps.
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Grass
Grass is one of the primary sources of protein and fat for chickens, providing essential vitamins, minerals, and trace elements essential for producing nutritious eggs.
Un grass-only diet cannot meet all of a chicken’s nutritional requirements, so by supplementing their feed with high-grade supplements they will better meet these needs.
Selecting the ideal grass for your flock can have a dramatic impact on egg production. Ryegrass, oat grass and clover are all effective choices.
Insects
Chickens are omnivores, and eating an appropriate diet will ensure they produce delicious eggs that are both healthy and delicious. An ideal chicken diet includes both insects and vegetable matter for optimal egg production.
Feeder insects such as black soldier fly (BSF) larvae and mealworms can be grown in your backyard to provide healthier and cheaper feed alternatives to store-bought options, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing sustainable sources of dietary protein for chickens.
Fruits
Fruits offer your chickens essential nutrition, helping them stay healthier and lay more eggs. Include fruits in their diet to improve health and increase egg production.
Apples, strawberries, and blueberries are just a few of the many fruits that can make delicious treats for your flock. But be wary when feeding apples with seeds or pits as these contain small amounts of cyanide that could prove deadly to chickens.
Vegetables
To ensure your chickens produce eggs with vibrant orange yolks and intense flavors, feed them the appropriate food.
Provide your hens with an assortment of fresh vegetables for optimal egg production. Greens such as kale, spinach, collards, chard and turnip greens contain many vital vitamins that contribute to brighter yolks and more delicious eggs.
Vegetables provide your flock with essential vitamins and minerals for overall good health, such as sunflowers, dent corn, alfalfa, clover, sorghum, amaranth etc. Forage crops like these make great additions to their diet – adding vitality.
Seeds
Chickens can eat various seeds, including sunflower, flax, safflower and sesame seeds as well as pumpkin and buckwheat seeds.
Seeds are an integral component of a balanced diet for chickens. Not only are they rich in essential nutrients, they’re easy to digest too – although some varieties should be avoided due to being toxic.
Mealworms
Mealworms are an increasingly popular treat among chickens. Packed full of protein, they help hens remain strong.
Attractively flavored food also helps hens obtain sufficient calcium for healthy egg production; however, be sure to feed these sparingly.
Mealworms may be illegal in certain places, so always purchase from a reliable supplier. While they contain high levels of protein that are beneficial to laying hens, too much could potentially become unhealthy.
Fish Meal
Fish is an excellent source of protein and essential vitamins and minerals for chickens, helping reduce stress while increasing egg production.
Omega-3 fats found in this food source are beneficial to both humans and animals.
On occasion, treat your chickens to some fish as a special treat. Mackerel is an ideal option, since it contains low amounts of saturated fats while offering abundant proteins. Sardines or tuna could also make great options.
Oyster Shells
Oyster shells can help increase egg production with their rich source of calcium – the foundation for strong eggshells!
Hens produce eggs with 94-97% calcium carbonate content, so it’s crucial that they consume adequate amounts through their diets. Aiming for around 4-5 grams per day would ensure this mineral intake.
