Posts Tagged ‘Commercial Chicken Feed’

Raising chickens for eggs is one of the main reasons people raise chickens in the first place. Those who are new to raising chickens for eggs may not be aware of the special dietary needs of the hens. This lack of knowledge can have a profound effect on the quality and number of eggs that your hens lay. In this article, we are going to look at one of the most important issues when it comes to feeding your laying hens: calcium.

Unless you are experienced in preparing your own chicken feed, you should purchase commercial chicken feed. When you visit the feed store you will see that there are many different types of chicken feed. Selecting the right one for your laying hens is important

Among the types you will see are chick starter feed, adult feed, and feed specifically prepared for laying hens. Feed that is prepared for laying hens will have added calcium, and this is the feed you want to give to your hens.

By purchasing a good quality laying feed, you avoid all the confusion and headaches of trying to prepare your own feed. This is the best option for virtually all owners, and especially good for those new to raising laying hens.

As you shop for your laying hen feed, you will also notice that many brands are labeled as “Complete”. This labeling ensures that the remainder of the feed is developed with all of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your hens will need.

You may not know it, but the shell of an average egg is nearly ninety-five percent calcium carbonate. This is the main reason your laying hens need that extra calcium in their daily diet. Hens that do not receive this calcium boost will often lay eggs with weak shells and weak chicks inside those shells.

But other problems can arise as well. For instance, a hen that did not get enough calcium may discharge the embryo without any shell at all.

Another issue to consider when raising chickens for eggs is the age of the hen. As your hen ages, she will produce fewer eggs. This is simply nature taking its course. Also, your hen may lay fewer eggs during the hot summer days and during the very cold winter days. Again, this is natural and should not cause alarm.

Some experienced growers who are raising chickens for eggs set up feeding stations that contain ground up oyster shell or special limestone preparations to help get the calcium into the hens. If you buy a good quality chicken feed, you do not have to do this as the feed will have everything you need already in it.

Many of those new to raising chickens may be confused about what to feed chickens. To be clear, the audience for this article is those who are raising their own backyard chickens, in their own chicken coops and hen houses. Commercial hatcheries are a different story altogether and not addressed in this article.

If you have done any research at all about the feeding of chickens you already know that there are many products available and just as many arguments about which product is best. The good news is, for those new to raising chickens, feeding your chickens a well-balanced diet is easier than you may have been led to believe.

The two things you need to keep in mind when selecting the right feed for your chickens are: age and purpose.

Most feed stores and farmer’s co-op’s will carry a variety of feeds. The specific feed you buy should be based on where the chicken is in terms of its development, as well as what you want the chicken to be or do. For example:

You can find chicken feed that is specifically designed as a starter feed for young chicks (age) that you plan to raise as brooders (purpose). Chicks need a diet high in protein to help boost their growth. You can also find feed that is specifically designed for hens you wish to use as egg laying hens. Laying hens often need more calcium, and this type of chicken feed provides that added nutrient to them.

The bottom line is until you have gained enough experience and confidence to mix your own feed (should you choose to do so), commercial chicken feed is just fine, as long as you buy according to age and purpose.

One note that may surprise you is that it is not recommended that you add nutritional supplements to the commercial chicken feed you buy. High-quality chicken feed will often have the word “complete” attached to its brand name. This means that a specific set of criteria have been applied to this particular type of chicken feed. If you add to the formula, even with the best of intentions, you may actually impact the digestion of the feed and cause harm to the bird.

In addition to feeding your chickens the proper food, your chicken coop or hen house should always provide some means of delivering clean, fresh water for your birds. Many people do not realize it but the chicken anatomy is much like the human anatomy in that the body is made up mostly of water. Access to clean, fresh water, whether it is provided inside or outside of the chicken coop or hen house, is an essential element to raising healthy fowl. Lack of water, especially in hot weather can be lethal to your chickens.

Should you notice that your birds are not drinking as much as they should, check the temperature of the water. Chickens are notorious for not drinking if the water is either too cold or too hot. Fresh water must be provided daily, and the trough must be kept clean of droppings and other debris.

Many people consider adding a free-range run to the chicken coop to allow their birds to eat from grassy areas. This is fine as long as you understand that your chickens will also need access to at least some high-quality chicken feed. Most grassy areas and pastures will not contain all of the nutrients that your birds need, and thus those nutrients must be added through chicken feed.

When you are planning your chicken coop or hen house, remember to think about both feeding and watering your birds. Many chicken coop plans will have already taken these into consideration and you can use those as a baseline guide for your new chicken coop.