Food choices made by chickens have an immense effect on the flavor and richness of their eggs. A hen’s diet plays an integral part in producing such tasty and luscious eggs!
Nutritious foods such as grass, vegetables and leftovers should make up most of your flock’s diet. Protein is an essential nutrient but having a diverse diet will provide your chicken with essential vitamins and minerals.
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Free-Range
Chickens who can roam and forage will consume plenty of greens, insects and scraps that contain protein to produce gorgeous yellow yolks for their eggs. Free-range eggs also tend to be healthier for your flock, decreasing risk for diseases and health conditions.
However, foraging alone won’t provide your flock with everything they require to produce quality eggs and ensure their optimal laying and health. Instead, feed them a high-quality layer feed, supplemented by grass, hay and table scraps for maximum nutrition and shell strength and healthy egg production.
When selecting chicks to raise, make sure that only hens are included by avoiding straight-run orders (which often contain young cockerels). Hens need a large amount of protein in their diets in order to produce high quality eggs – provide your flock with high-protein chicken feed containing oyster shell, vitamin D and manganese to meet this need. Also ensure they always have access to fresh water as chickens become dehydrated quickly without enough liquid in their bodies; egg production could suffer if this becomes an issue!
Grass
Chickens depend on fresh, high-quality grass for protein, vitamins, and minerals throughout their lives – particularly during the colder winter months when green grass can be more difficult to find.
Though table scraps and leafy greens like kale may provide benefits in small doses, too much may decrease egg production and lead to other health problems in chickens. Furthermore, overgrazing on fast-growing grasses that lack essential vitamins may result in nutritional deficiency in birds.
Chickens require a diet with high-quality, non GMO grains that provide them with an appropriate mix of proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins, and minerals that meet the breed-specific requirements for health and productivity. Each breed may need more or less protein depending on its breed of chicken; some require additional or decreased proteins than others for optimal performance and productivity. Incorporating some grit in their feed may help breakdown cellulose that chickens consume – some good grasses for this include Orchardgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass Perennial Ryegrass and Fescue which all perform well across climates whilst remaining safe to ingest.
Greens
Greens are an invaluable source of nutrients for poultry, providing essential calcium, Vitamin A, K and K as well as folate, magnesium potassium phosphorus to keep shells strong. Furthermore, feeding your flock a diet rich in leafy greens may even enhance egg yolk color!
Some of the top greens for chickens include Pak Choi, which provides a rich source of Vitamin C; Silverbeet; and Kale, while broccoli, thyme and cilantro also provide essential nutrition – with thyme known for its antibiotic properties, while cilantro’s antioxidant properties believed to stimulate laying. Calendula flowers reseed annually and offer another source of Vitamin C while their petals have even been said to improve egg yolk color!
To provide your chickens with a variety of hydrating, green options, consider sprouting seeds such as wheatgrass, alfalfa or chickpeas – quick growing varieties which add tasty treats when mixed in with scratch grains (but no more than 10% of their diet).
Bugs
Chickens spend much of their day foraging through the dirt for insects to consume as protein supplements and mental stimulation. Finding insects helps strengthen their sense of well-being while simultaneously feeding their physical needs.
Insects may contain intestinal parasites, though the risk is minimal if your flock is free-range and managed appropriately. Avoid feeding chickens insects that have fed on rotting meat or oxygen-deficient environments like the bottom of a pond; raise mealworms or compost worms under controlled conditions in a safe environment and feed them as nutritional additions.
Make sure that your chickens always have access to clean water. While changing their water daily may seem cumbersome, doing so is vital to their health and will result in greater egg production – half of an egg’s composition includes water content; dehydration can stop them laying.
