Today, many farmers are engaged in breeding pets. The most important thing is to know how to do it right. Any poultry farmer knows that when breeding chickens, proper feeding plays a big role. Only on condition that the chickens receive a balanced healthy diet, the farmer can get high-quality products. In this article we will try to figure out how to not feed chickens, how to improve their egg production due to nutrition and whether it is possible to give birds flour products.
What is better to give pets?
So what do you need to know about this? Many beginner farmers are interested in what can and cannot feed domestic chickens. Typically, garden and kitchen waste is used for this purpose. Potatoes that are unsuitable for use may be given to the bird. Suitable green, too small or sprouted tubers. Chicken is also given potato peeling. One bird can eat 50-100 grams of such food per day.
It is still desirable for chickens to give bread in a dry or soaked form. The diet can also include crushed bones, leftover meat, fish offal. Beetroot and carrot tops, the remains of berries and fruits are excellent for laying hens. From these ingredients you can make a mash.
Protein nutrition
What is its feature? What can and cannot feed chickens? The advice of experienced farmers often refers to protein foods.
It includes:
- buttermilk;
- milk;
- cottage cheese;
- serum;
- yogurt;
- fish or meat waste;
- small fish;
- mollusks.
For the preparation of chicken stirrer, cake and meal from crops are often taken. Small amphibians, May beetles and worms can be used as a source of protein in food.
Feed application
Is it worth it or not? Owners of large farms talk about the convenience of using compound feeds. It is recommended that you choose special types of food for your type of poultry. For example, on sale today there are certain foods that increase egg production. If you are engaged in the cultivation of meat breeds, then the feed should not contain components that reduce weight gain.
In terms of nutritional value and composition, finished feed is in no way inferior to natural. From 60 to 70% of the composition is oats, bran, millet and barley. 20-30% are corn and legumes. Also, the composition of the feed includes berries, vegetables, vitamins and minerals, bone meal, milk powder and dried herbs.
What should not be given to poultry?
If you want to successfully run a farm, you definitely need to know what you can’t categorically feed chicken. These birds are almost omnivorous. Many breeders use this. They use stale and spoiled foods as feed. This can lead to diseases and eating disorders in birds. With this feeding, the risk of infection with fungal diseases of the respiratory system is also high.
How to prepare food?
Proper feeding of chickens involves thoroughly grinding all the components. Carrots, beets and other root vegetables should be given to the birds in a raw grinded form. Potatoes must first be boiled. This will get rid of excess starch. The use of green potatoes often leads to food poisoning. Also make sure that vegetables, grains and greens are free from dirt and debris.
Prohibited Products
What can and cannot feed chickens? The advice of experienced farmers prescribes not to include buns and sweets in the diet of chickens. In small quantities, it is permissible to give chicken cereal bread. In addition, the food should not contain an excess of salts. If you want to flavor fish oil, then choose only the highest quality product. Bad raw materials can cause an unpleasant smell from chicken products.
Drinking large amounts of whole milk can cause dysbiosis in birds. The list of prohibited products also includes sausages, smoked meats, mushrooms, sausages, cheese, butter, spices, fish semi-finished products, confectionery and preserves.
Greens for laying hens
What is its use? In the warm season, half the diet of poultry can be fresh greens. This approach will help provide chickens with all the necessary components and trace elements. In addition, such fresh nutrition can significantly improve productivity. The advantage of grass feeding is also cost-effectiveness. Green food helps to improve the taste of eggs. The yolk from such feeding will be brighter. Grass is easily digested by birds and is easier to digest than artificial feed.
What kind of greens is better to give to hens? How not to feed laying hens? In the diet of birds, experts recommend the use of alfalfa. It contains a lot of vitamin A, which perfectly affects the vision of layers. Wheat grains are high in vitamin E. It is responsible for the immunity and productivity of hens. Eating clover will help fill the need for protein. To saturate the body of chickens with vitamin C, sorrel is used.
What kind of grass should adults give?
The feed mixture may contain 15-30% of green components. Adults need to be given herbs such as plantain, nettle, alfalfa, woodlice, dandelion, wheat grass, clover, cereals, euphorbia, sorrel. Legumes and hard vegetables can also be included in chicken nutrition. Cabbage leaves are a good source of vitamins. You can also include beet tops, chives, dill, parsley in the chicken diet. Amaranth has a high content of healthy proteins.
How to serve grass?
Birds can peck greens on their own at the place of their growth, and eat it together with the feed mixture. Experts recommend hanging bunches of grass near the feeding place. So the hens will not trample them. As a rule, birds themselves choose which greens are more suitable for them. Feel free to give them herbal preparations and weeds. The exception is only poisonous plants. In winter, when there is not enough greens, you can feed dried coniferous flour and sprouted wheat grains to birds.
Unsuitable herbs
What are they? How to feed laying hens? Prohibited foods include a number of herbs. To eliminate the likelihood of poisoning, experienced farmers recommend limiting the place of walking the hens. Poisonous herbs must be dug up along with the roots, otherwise they will germinate again. What plants are considered dangerous for birds? These are elderberry, spotted hemlock, broomberry, citricut, potato inflorescences, henbane, belladonna, hellebore, black nightshade, juniper, horse chestnut. If a bird eats some plant from the list, it can seriously become ill or even die. Be sure to monitor the walking range of hens. In addition, you need to understand herbs. In order to completely exclude the possibility of harmful plants getting into food, it is better to keep chickens in closed enclosures and give them greens only with food.
Can I give bread?
The main requirement for a balanced diet for hens is the availability of nutritious and healthy elements such as fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. In this regard, a completely logical question arises: "Is it possible to give bread to chickens?" Opinions on this subject vary widely. Of great importance is the type of baking. If you mix bread with bran, cottage cheese, meat, herbs and potatoes, you get a good full-fledged bird food. Such food will not harm the health of hens and will have a good effect on the level of egg production. As for fresh bread, it is not recommended to give it to birds. Such a product can adversely affect the health of the chicken, as well as reduce immunity.
The fact is that in chicken stomachs, fresh bread swells and turns into a dense lump. This can even lead to the death of the bird. Black breads are especially dangerous. They contain salt and yeast, and also have a high level of acidity. This composition helps to activate the fermentation mechanism, which reduces egg production.
Many household owners believe that chicken can be given spoiled bread. However, moldy pastries can cause serious harm to birds. It can lead to poisoning and the occurrence of metabolic problems. To deprive moldy pastries of negative impact, it must be kept in the oven.
Can any bread be given to birds? What can not be fed chickens? In no case is it recommended to give sweet buns and pastries with various toppings. This diet promotes blood clotting and can lead to digestive upsets. Since white bread is also high in carbohydrates, it can only be given in the form of crackers. But even in this form with top dressing is not worth zeal. In the winter season, bread can be an excellent source of energy for birds. However, if hens are kept in cages or small enclosures, it is best not to use such food. Such food in combination with a lack of movement can cause blockage of blood vessels.
Conclusion
The productivity and egg laying of chickens primarily depends on the diet. What can not be fed chickens? What to give to laying hens to improve the quality of eggs? How to make a diet? The main requirement in this case is nutrition and the presence of useful components. Chickens are omnivores. They can readily eat any food, whether it is compound feed or leftovers. But in order to get high productivity indicators, it is necessary to choose the right nutrition. Only in this case will the hens be healthy and will be able to rush in full force. A balanced chicken feed should include grains and legumes, fresh herbs, vegetables, berries, fruits, cottage cheese and meat. For a good giving of eggs, you can use both ready-made mixtures and a mishmash made at home.