Got some chickens out there in your backyard? What do you feed them on? Feeding chickens is one of the most essential tasks of being a poultry owner. Obviously, you have kept those chickens either for eggs or meat, and in both cases, good nutrition is important. So, how do you feed chickens in a healthy way? Here is a quick guide.
What should you feed chickens?
The most basic element of a chicken nutrition plan is the pellet. Quality is important here if you want your chickens to have all the right nutrients in the right quantities. Generally, pellets contain maize, wheat, sunflower seeds, oats and salt – in other words, they include a lot of protein, which is a must if you want more eggs.
Where do your chickens live? If this isn’t outdoors, then pellet becomes even more important because they won’t be able to get any of the nutrients from the soil or the ground.
Is there anything else other than pellets which you can feed chickens? Variety is good, so you can add wheat, corn, fruits and veggies. Chickens like vegetable peels, carrots, broccoli, apple cores and bananas; anything is good as long as it isn’t a raw green peel or a citric food. One more point to add here: chickens need whole grain, low sugar and salt foods. So, keep this in mind when feeding them.
How should you feed chickens?
You should feed pellets to your chickens in the morning and evening. Between these two times, do give your chickens any supplements as mentioned above, or just give more of pellets. Keep the portions small and in check, but feed your chickens multiple times a day.
Don’t throw the pellets on the floor, put them in a clean and dry trough.
What if you overfeed with pellets? It’s not really an issue. How much a chicken eat varies with the breed. If your chickens are continuously leaving pellets in the trough, then you are giving them too much. Generally, chickens don’t overeat, but never leave their food overnight, or it will attract pests.
That being said, here is another tip: ensure that the most dominant chickens don’t eat away all the feed. Should that happen, feed the weaker chickens separately, so that they also get their required nutrition.
How much water should you give your chickens?
Your chickens should have a 24/7 access to fresh and clean water. You can put water in any kind of plastic container, but we would suggest that you purchase a drinker, especially for the chickens. If you live in colder areas, then water may freeze. Our last tip: Don’t forget to clean the water bowl every single day.
