Laying hens, receiving a balanced diet, are able to systematically lay eggs with high nutritional value. The right diet allows you to make chicken stock a stable source of income and a profitable business. We will find out how much food to give to chickens to ensure high rates of egg laying.
Daily Feed Consumption
Growing chickens that lay eggs will be successful if you follow two important rules:
- It is forbidden to overfeed the bird. Many poultry beginners think that the more a chicken eats, the more it will lay eggs. It's a delusion. If the chicken overeats, obesity occurs, leading to a decrease in egg production. Egg yield also decreases if the bird receives feed that is unbalanced in fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
- Under-feeding of birds is prohibited. Lack of nutrition immediately affects the quality of eggs. Underfed chickens carry small eggs with a thin shell, or even without it. Malnutrition affects productivity, and then on the well-being and health of the bird.
Nutrition Norms for Adult Chicken
Layers grown in households receive food that is significantly different from the menus on large poultry farms. Chickens growing on homesteads have access to natural products, so their eggs are more healthy and nutritious.
Every year, a layer consumes:
- compound feed - about 40 kg;
- greens - 15 kg.
The annual consumption rate is calculated on the basis of the daily. On a day, adult laying hens should receive:
- feed - 120-160 g;
- including greens - 40-50 g.
Calorie daily intake of adult chicken:
- free-range - 300-320 kcal;
- when kept in a cell - 260-280 kcal.
Food should have the following balance:
- protein - 15-20%;
- fats - 3-5%;
- carbohydrates - 70-75%;
- fiber - 5-6%.
In winter, they increase their nutritional standards by 15-20%, since it is necessary to replenish the energy that the bird spends on maintaining heat.
Why is so much carbohydrate required for chicken? She needs energy to:
- egg formation;
- movements - hens are active and move a lot around the farmyard and the chicken coop.
There are breeds that easily tolerate frosts without reducing egg production - they need more food. Others do not leave the chicken coop, preferring heat, then the norms of feeding, on the contrary, are reduced.
Egg formation occurs at night, so in the evening hens need to be fed more densely, especially in the winter season.
Chicken should receive a drink - about 300 ml of water per day.
How do nutritional norms depend on the age of the chicken?
How to feed chickens in the first months of life, we have already considered. Further, the nutrition will change as the chicken grows older:
- The period from the 2nd to the 4th month of life. In these months, bones are quickly formed, weight is growing, and future productive qualities are being laid. Calorie is reduced to 260 kcal per 100 g of feed. Protein is given - 15%, and the fiber norm increases to 5%, and remains so until the end of the chicken’s life. The bird should also receive enough micronutrients with food - the dosage is the same throughout the life of the chicken.
- The period from the 4th to the 5th month of life. The stage of egg production is nearing completion. The laying hens are fed with calories of 270 kcal / 100 g. Protein - 16%. At this stage, it is especially important to provide chicken with calcium - 2-2.2%. Phosphorus and sodium — 0.7% and 0.2%.
- From the 6th to 11th month, the formation of the body is completed. The bird continues to receive the same food as before, only the protein norm increases to 17%.
- From 12 months, calorie content is reduced to 260 kcal / 100 g. The norms of calcium and phosphorus are increased. It is important to prevent overeating, which causes chickens with digestive problems, obesity and a drop in egg production.
How to feed laying hens?
If the farmer plans to keep chickens for eggs, then you need to think about proper nutrition at the stage of growing up of chicks (i.e. future laying hens). The dosage and composition of the feed is selected depending on the breed of bird. The diet is formed individually for each chicken. Feeding is carried out in accordance with the above standards. The composition of the used feed usually includes - corn, oats, soy, wheat, sunflower meal, bone or meat flour, other additives and components.
Chicken Diet
The first feeding of chickens should occur during the first 8-16 hours of life.
The productivity of chickens fed in the first hours of life will be 30-35% higher in the future.
Small layers should be fed every 2-2.5 hours, including at night. It is also important to organize round-the-clock water supply to special drinking bowls. If the chickens get wet, they can get sick. Features of feeding chickens:
- Up to a month of age it is forbidden to give whole grains. Cereals are first chopped and steamed.
- The best food is a mixture of barley and corn grits with the addition of cottage cheese and yolk.
- Already in the first days of life, chickens should be given grass - alfalfa, nettle.
- From the 5-6th day of life, vegetables and mineral supplements - shells, chalk, eggshells - are introduced into the menu.
Until the 5th day, the feeding of laying hens is not noticeable - it is the same as when raising any chickens. But from the 5th day you can start complementary foods. They give dry food - oat or barley flour. Before giving it, grain films are sifted out - they are poorly digested in chicken stomachs. In the diet must be present:
- greenery;
- carrot;
- yeast;
- dairy products;
- grassy and coniferous flour.
From day 5, chickens in cages should be given fish oil - 0.1-0.2 g each. It is better to mix it with chopped grain. The diet of chickens is shown in table 1.
Table 1
Feed | Age of chickens, days | ||||||
1-5 | 6-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 30-41 | 41-50 | 51-60 | |
ground and crushed grain | 4 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 28 | 38 | 45 |
cake | — | 0,2 | 0,5 | 0,6 | 1,2 | 1,5 | 2 |
boiled potatoes | — | — | 4 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 20 |
cottage cheese | 1 | 1,5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
hard boiled eggs | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
dairy products | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 30 |
boiled carrots and fresh herbs | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 20 |
chalk and shell | — | 0,2 | 0,4 | 0,5 | 0,8 | 0,9 | 0,9 |
crushed shell | — | 0,2 | 0,4 | 0,5 | 0,8 | 0,9 | 0,9 |
ground salt | — | — | 0,05 | 0,05 | 0,08 | 0,1 | 0,1 |
Chicken / Rooster Weight Standards:
- age 1 month - 220-270 / 290 g;
- three months - 970-1000 / 1150 g;
- 5 months - 1600-1700 / 1900
Tracking the weight, the largest individuals are selected.
Chicken diet
By the end of the 45th week, the bird's body is formed. She needs a good and balanced diet. An approximate diet of chicken is shown in table 2.
table 2
Feed | Chicken Age | |
22-47 | older than 47 | |
corn | 40 | — |
wheat | 20 | 40 |
barley | — | 30 |
boiled potatoes | 50 | 50 |
sunflower meal | 11 | 14 |
baker's yeast | 1 | 14 |
fish meal | 4 | — |
fish / meat waste | 5 | 10 |
carrot | 10 | — |
pumpkin | — | 20 |
greenery | 30 | 30 |
bone flour | 1 | 1 |
a piece of chalk | 3 | 3 |
shell | 5 | 5 |
An experienced poultryman tells how to cook nutritious and economical food for laying hens. You will see how to make a grain mixture of seven ingredients:
Varieties of feed
The task of the poultry breeder is to properly organize the feeding of laying hens. The basis of their nutrition is a mixture that includes all the substances necessary for chicken. For feeding, you can use purchased compound feed or a mash - a “dish”, which poultry farmers prepare on their own.
Dry feed
This is a carefully ground feed that prevents overeating. For a day, a layer eats no more than 130 g of animal feed. The composition of the finished diet usually includes:
- crushed cereals;
- legumes;
- soybeans;
- sunflower meal;
- vegetable fats;
- calcium carbonate;
- salt;
- vitamin complex.
The advantage of finished feed is balance. Poultry farmers can purchase feeds designed for specific age groups. Manufacturers also offer feed options:
- fortified;
- high in protein.
Compound feed should be taken in specialized stores, and not in markets. It is important to study the composition of the feed. There are several options that have proven to be excellent in feeding hens. For example, PK-1 is a balanced feed suitable for all types of birds. It contains ingredients that increase the laying ability of laying hens:
- sunflower meal;
- yeast;
- meat and bone meal and limestone;
- vitamin and mineral complexes;
- soda, salt, chalk, sunflower oil.
Wet food
Wet food is called a home-made mash. It includes:
- cake;
- boiled potatoes;
- vegetables;
- meal;
- bran;
- herbal flour;
- cake;
- groats.
A stirrer is prepared with your own hands. The prepared mixture is steamed and mixed. Vitamins and premixes added to it are evenly distributed. Advantages of the stirrer:
- the possibility of changing the composition;
- cheaper feeding;
- variety of diet.
Hens are omnivorous and you can add anything to the mishmash. Wet food is ideal for feeding young animals - their body is not yet able to digest roughage.
The stirrer should not lie in the feeder for a long time - the feed should be eaten at most 3-4 hours after cooking. This is especially important in the summer - in the heat, the mash quickly deteriorates. Stale food can cause illness and poisoning.
A stirrer can be made on meat or fish broth. Greens are necessarily added to it - in the summer, and in the winter - sprouted grain. The mixture should be of a certain consistency. Too thin a feed can clog the nasal openings of chickens. The desired consistency - on one part of the liquid - three parts of dry food.
Cereal crops
Grain is a source of carbohydrates, vitamins, fiber. Feeding one compound feed is an unprofitable and inappropriate business. At home, chickens are often fed a mixture of grains from:
- Oats. Easily digestible protein source of poultry. The composition of the mixture is introduced no more than 10% of oats, since it contains a lot of fiber, which will take a lot of energy to digest.
- Wheat Its 70% in the mixture. In winter, 30% of its amount can be replaced with corn.
- Barley Ideal grain for feeding chickens. In its pure form it is not given due to sharp ends.
- Corn. Valuable source of carbohydrates. Give in crushed form. Corn should not be abused - it leads to obesity.
- Rye It has a lot of protein and vitamins. Rarely introduced into the mixture because of the high cost.
Experienced poultry farmers are advised to give chickens only crushed grain - then it is better absorbed. Whole grain can be given to laying hens at night - then the bird will not remain hungry until the morning.
Laying hens are given 100 g of grain mixture per day. Exceeding the norm will lead to obesity and a drop in egg production.
Top dressing
No matter how balanced the food received by the layers is balanced, you can’t do without feeding. They are especially important:
- in spring - when daylight increases and egg production increases;
- in the fall - when weather conditions worsen.
Every day you need to add premixes to the feed - top dressing that meets the needs of the bird in useful substances. The composition of top dressing includes amino acids and trace elements.
Twice a year, laying hens should be given a complex of vitamins - they are diluted in water.
The first thing a hen needs is calcium. Without it, a strong shell is not formed. This element is in the feed, but it may not be enough to meet the needs of laying hens. Calcium Source:
- shell rock;
- ground bones;
- ground chalk;
- eggshell.
Calcium top dressing is given both separately and as part of the feed. The chicken will determine the amount of calcium needed by herself - you just need to put top dressing in a separate feeder.
Premixes contain - calcium, sodium, phosphorus, as well as amino acids not synthesized by the body of chickens - cystine, lysine and methionine. Also, premixes contain valine, arginine, histidine, threonine, tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine - these substances increase egg production and enhance bird health. Dosage - according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Feeding chickens at different times of the year
The diet of laying hens is adjusted depending on the time of year. Thanks to seasonal feeding, poultry farmers achieve increased bird productivity. Depending on the time of year, poultry farmers change their feeding standards - An approximate diet and norms are given in table 3.
Table 3
Feed, g | Winter | Spring | Summer | Fall |
Greenery | 0 | 20 | 30 | 20 |
Herbal flour | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Gravel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Yeast | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Cake / meal | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Crushed grain | 50 | 55 | 60 | 55 |
Whole grain | 50 | 45 | 40 | 45 |
Bone flour | 1 | 1,5 | 1,5 | 1 |
Carrot | 40 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
Meat and bone meal | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
Reverse | 20 | 30 | 30 | 20 |
Salt | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 0,5 |
Wheat bran | 10 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
Shell, chalk | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Winter
In winter, chickens are fed 3-4 times a day. Preferred feed. Boiled vegetables and oilcakes are always present in the diet. Give the stirrer warm - so as not to cool. Add fish oil. Greens are given in dried form - they are stored in the summer. At a height of 30 cm hay is suspended.
In the morning and evening, feeding is carried out with the light on.
In winter, feed is 15-20% more than usual - 160-180 g. An approximate "winter" menu:
- for breakfast - soaked compound feed with herbs;
- for lunch - a wet mash;
- for dinner - whole dry grain with the addition of premix.
Observe the ratio:
- carbohydrates - 50%;
- plant food - 20%;
- proteins - 30%.
You can increase the norms of boiled potatoes, often give yogurt and cottage cheese, and it is recommended to replace the water in the porridge with fish broth. In winter it is also recommended - sprouted grain, gravel and wood ash. In drinking bowls - pure warm water.
Summer
In summer, laying hens are not fed as plentifully as in winter. The number of feedings is 3. The composition and dietary standards are changing. In the diet should be:
- protein - 50%;
- carbohydrates - 30%;
- the rest of the feed is 20%.
The bird leans on fresh grass, getting vitamins. She gets extra protein - with bugs and worms. Feeding - 120-150 g each:
- morning - wet mash;
- in the afternoon - dry food or feeding on a walk;
- dinner is a grain mixture.
Spring
Spring feeding is like summer feeding. In the spring-summer period, egg production reaches a maximum. It is in the spring that productivity increases begin, which means that the diet should be diversified as much as possible. The number of feedings is 3. Moreover, one meal can replace the paddock on the farm - here the bird will find grass, beetles, worms, midges. The norm of nutrition is 120-150 g.
Fall
In autumn, hens molt - plumage changes. Their body weakens, and the metabolism worsens. During this period, chickens are fed 3-4 times a day. Shedding lasts about two months. It is important to provide the bird with food. Recommended nutrition norm 130-150 g:
- increase the content of protein feed;
- give more animal feed - meat waste and earthworms;
- add vitamins to the feed mixture;
- give more juicy food - herbs, vegetables, tops, root crops.
The autumn diet should include:
- reverse and cottage cheese;
- eggshell;
- shell rock and chalk;
- beet tops;
- legumes;
- carrots, boiled potatoes.
The bird is fed:
- morning - a third of the daily norm of grain;
- lunch - a wet mash with vitamins and minerals;
- dinner is grain.
Nutritional Causes of Low Productivity
Egg production may decrease due to the following reasons:
- overeating;
- unbalanced feeding;
- lack of water or stagnation in drinking bowls;
Useful Tips
Experienced poultry farmers advise how to increase the productivity of laying hens:
- Let's partly sprouted grain. This is especially necessary in the winter season when chickens lack grass. Sprout about 1/3 of the grains that make up the diet.
- Give the chickens only delicious food. The bird does not like food with a specific taste and smell. If you give them tasteless food, they simply refuse food.
- Increase calorie intake for young women. During puberty, the chicken body experiences stress. Due to increased feeding standards, the chicken will show a high starting egg production.
- Give the bird clean water. Thirst negatively affects the productivity of chickens. Boil water first, and then cool. Raw water contains bacteria.
To get a lot of large and tasty eggs from chickens, you need to study the rules of feeding and keeping birds. Having shown attention to laying hens, adjusting their diet depending on age and time of year, you can maintain the egg production of birds at a high level year-round.
Posted by
12
Russia. City Novosibirsk
Publications: 276 Comments: 1