Feeding Chickens Correctly Can Keep Them Producing Eggs in Great Quantities

     Feeding chickens is more than just throwing out a few grains to your pullets. If you want to keep hens that furnish you with top quality eggs on a steady basis you should recognize some fundamentals about chicken feeding. When chickens first start producing eggs, through the initial laying phase, they are still maturing. Throughout this period they must be given an increased quantity of protein. As egg production begins to dwindle their protein requirements also decline.

Commercial chicken growers recognize that protein is high-priced so they keep an eye on protein amounts meticulously when feeding chickens. They start by offering 18% protein for the earliest 4 months of their egg laying cycle and then reduce it to 16% at about 4 months. Protein is reduced to 15% when the birds fall to approximately 60% or 65% egg laying production from their peak.

Most small backyard chicken raisers like to keep things as easy as possible when feeding chickens and thus offer their hens the identical feed during the total laying cycle. This is ordinarily accomplished with an all-mash diet that contains about 16% or 17% protein levels.

Mash is prepared from finely crushed grains and can be provided in two principal ways. It is either combined to provide all of the chicken's day by day nutrient requirements or fed as a supplement to other grains. Giving chickens a large percentage of grains just previous to roost time can keep them warmer and more comfortable through the nighttime.

Grit generally comes in the manner of small-sized stones or granite material and must be fed to chickens eating whole grains. Grit helps grind the whole grains and improving digestion. Hens will chomp on all sorts of things, including feathers, and grit must at all times be to hand to help pullets digest these assorted substances, even when being fed 100% of their diet by way of an all-mash feed.

Whole grains can cause hens to gain additional fat which can cause egg production to decline, so it is important not to give too many grains. Additionally, whole grains, also given the name scratch feeds, are generally lower in protein, having around 10%, so the mash will include as much as 20% to 40% protein, but this depends on how many grains are provided. A diet of grains and mash will provide total protein of around 16%.

To decrease the feed bill table scraps and garden excess can be added to a hen's diet. These sorts of food can be used as a replacement for a portion of the grains, but should be given in small-sized amounts as they can decrease the protein levels in the overall total diet. Depending on the type of kitchen table scraps given, they can be the cause of bad tasting eggs. Supplying vegetable peelings and green tops is good, but providing onions, fruit peelings, and other strong-flavored foods are not.

Calcium is one of the most important requirements in a hen's diet because it is necessary to make sturdy egg shells. Giving pullets all-mash meals is most often sufficient because all-mash diets generally include around 3% or more calcium. If egg shell quality ever appears to diminish further calcium must be added to their feed. Calcium is usually given in the form of oyster shells.

Clean water is another indispensable item that must be available always. Egg production will fall if hens are not provided water for even short periods of time. Keeping the water sanitary by changing it daily is also crucial because contaminated water can deter birds from drinking as much as they need. Soiled water can also cause the spread of disease. To maintain high egg production chickens must be provided a high quality diet and ample amounts of clean water.