The best type of chicken feed varies depending on the specific needs of your flock, their development stage and your particular situation. No two chicken owners are exactly the same, so what works for one may not work for another. A micro pellet and grain mix is a great choice if you want your chickens to eat variety and grow to different sizes. You can easily adjust the pellets and grains to meet the needs of different sized chickens.
Contents
Scratch
If you’re looking for a chicken feed, scratch may be the way to go. It’s a mixture of cracked grains and cracked corn, which provides your birds with 8-9 percent protein and few other nutrients. Commercial feeds aren’t as nutritious as scratch, and your birds will become lean, have poor egg production, and shed feathers frequently. Scratch also tends to be more affordable than commercial feeds.
Scratch can be mixed from a variety of grains and dried seeds, including oats, barley, corn, milo, millet, sunflower seeds, and even a little bit of shelled peanuts. It can be purchased pre-mixed or you can mix it yourself. Feed scratch to your chickens once a day. This way, they won’t get sick or become ill from a lack of nutrients.
Pellet
You have probably already heard of crumble and pellet chicken feed. They are two different types of food for chickens, and each one has its own benefits. Crumble is a looser feed than pellets, and is ideal for baby chicks. Adult birds can easily break down crumble, but they do not like crumble as much. Scratch is a mixture of crumble, pellets, grains, seeds, and other ingredients. Scratch chicken feed is generally organic, and may be fermented to add additional probiotics.
The benefits of crumbled feed are many. Its crumbled consistency makes it easier to feed your chickens, and its high protein content helps produce more eggs with a brighter yolk. It is also rich in calcium and prebiotics, which help prevent the development of unhealthy bacteria in the chicken’s digestive system. It is also available in a large bag and costs more than other types of feed, but it’s worth it for its superior nutritional value.
Non-GMO
You might be wondering how to tell if your chicken feed is GMO. If you feed your chickens grain-based feed, it is best to avoid it. Those ingredients may be harmful for humans, so you should always buy Non-GMO feed. Starter chicks should eat crumbled or mashed feed while older birds should be given pellet feed. Pellets are easy to pick up and minimize wastage.
One type of organic chicken feed is Scratch and Peck Organic Layer Feed. It contains non-GMO corn and soy free soybeans. These ingredients are rich in protein and fiber and are great for a laying flock. This non-GMO feed is good for backyard hens, but it is dusty for some hens. If you’re not concerned with the price, this non-GMO option is worth considering.
Grower
Using a grower chicken feed is essential to growing healthy chicks. While the basic formula of adult chicken feed is the same, a grower chook feed contains different ingredients. It is also different from a baby chick’s diet. When your chicks are just hatching out, they need a feed that contains 16-18% protein. It should be in crumble form, as this will make it safer for them to eat.
The best grower chook feed will contain a mix of grains and other ingredients for optimum nutrition. It will also contain added fiber, phosphorus, salts, fats, vitamins A and B-12, as well as folic acid. It will also contain a minimum of 0.8% additional calcium. Because of its crumbled form, this feed is easier for young hens to eat. Moreover, grower formula is available in a 25-pound bag and has a minimum of 18% protein, making it a good choice for chickens.
