Posted by CaliforniaHatchery.com on 7/7/2013 to
Duck and Chicken Food and Care
Chickens require different kinds of feed at different stages in their life. Chickens are omnivores, which means they will eat just about anything from worms, vegetablkes, fruits, flowers, and grass. However, you should consider feeding your chickens feed with the proper amount of protein and nutrients designed to keep your chickens healthy.
To get started, we have listed the kinds of feeds to provide for your chickens at different stages in their lives:
Chicks- Should be fed organic chick starter feed with at least 20% crude protein, and other ingredients to include lysine, crude fat, crude fiber, calcium, phospohorus, and salt. Other ingredients in chick starter feed may include corn, soybean meal, dicalcium phosphate, diatomaceous earth, lime, potassium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, kelp, dried lactobacillus fermentation product, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, calcium carbonate, ferrous sulfate, folic acid supplement, copper sulfate, niacin supplement, and Vitamin B12 supplement. Chick starter feed should be fed to your chicks up to 14 weeks of age before transitioning to chicken layer developer feed.
Chicken layer developer feed contains the same ingredients as chick starter, except it should have less protein- generally around %17 crude protein. Chicken layer developer should be fed from 14 weeks of age until your chickens start to lay eggs, at which point you should switch to Organic Layer Mash Feed, or Organic Layer Pellet Feed. Organic Layer Mash Feed and Organic Layer Pellet Feed should contain about %16 crude protein and various amounts of other minerals. It should be fed to chickens that are laying eggs in order to provide the right amount of nutrients for your chickens!
Remember:
- Chicken feed should contain the proper amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
- Chickens will eat more in cold temperatures than in hot temperatures.
Some of our customers have questions about the different kinds of chicken feed we offer, one of the most frequent being the difference between medicated and non-medicated feed. We currently only offer non-medicated feed in order to ensure the truly organic nature of providing all organic ingredients.
Some other answers to frequently asked questions about feeding backyard chickens: How much should you feed your day old chicks?
Answer: Plan on ten (10) chicks consuming about one (1) pound (lb) of chick starter feed per day (The average chick will consume about ten (10) pounds (lbs) of chick starter feed during the first ten (10) weeks. How to Feed Chickens- Make sure to purchase chick starter feed that comes in a crumbled form that is easy to consume for your chicks. Day old chicks cannot consume pellet feed. It is also very important to provide plenty of fresh water for your day old chicks next to their feed in a shallow dish or bowl. The feed can be served in a seperate shallow dish or bowl.
When to Feed Chickens- Chicken feed should be available at all times inside the chicken coop. Your chickens will most likely eat as soon as they wake up in the morning and throughout the day. It is also important to provide plenty of fresh water. Egg laying chickens will consume more feed than layer developing chickens, so make sure to account for providing enough feed for your egg laying chickens.
Question: My chicks stopped laying eggs, is there something wrong with them? Answer: It depends. Some chickens may stop laying eggs when they are stressed or they do not have proper nutrition available. To make sure you are providing the right nutrition, you can always provide ground up oyster shell to give them an extra serving of calcium. This supplemental approach usually improves the health of egg laying chickens!
To get started, we have listed the kinds of feeds to provide for your chickens at different stages in their lives:
Chicks- Should be fed organic chick starter feed with at least 20% crude protein, and other ingredients to include lysine, crude fat, crude fiber, calcium, phospohorus, and salt. Other ingredients in chick starter feed may include corn, soybean meal, dicalcium phosphate, diatomaceous earth, lime, potassium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, kelp, dried lactobacillus fermentation product, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, calcium carbonate, ferrous sulfate, folic acid supplement, copper sulfate, niacin supplement, and Vitamin B12 supplement. Chick starter feed should be fed to your chicks up to 14 weeks of age before transitioning to chicken layer developer feed.
Chicken layer developer feed contains the same ingredients as chick starter, except it should have less protein- generally around %17 crude protein. Chicken layer developer should be fed from 14 weeks of age until your chickens start to lay eggs, at which point you should switch to Organic Layer Mash Feed, or Organic Layer Pellet Feed. Organic Layer Mash Feed and Organic Layer Pellet Feed should contain about %16 crude protein and various amounts of other minerals. It should be fed to chickens that are laying eggs in order to provide the right amount of nutrients for your chickens!
Remember:
- Chicken feed should contain the proper amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
- Chickens will eat more in cold temperatures than in hot temperatures.
Some of our customers have questions about the different kinds of chicken feed we offer, one of the most frequent being the difference between medicated and non-medicated feed. We currently only offer non-medicated feed in order to ensure the truly organic nature of providing all organic ingredients.
Some other answers to frequently asked questions about feeding backyard chickens: How much should you feed your day old chicks?
Answer: Plan on ten (10) chicks consuming about one (1) pound (lb) of chick starter feed per day (The average chick will consume about ten (10) pounds (lbs) of chick starter feed during the first ten (10) weeks. How to Feed Chickens- Make sure to purchase chick starter feed that comes in a crumbled form that is easy to consume for your chicks. Day old chicks cannot consume pellet feed. It is also very important to provide plenty of fresh water for your day old chicks next to their feed in a shallow dish or bowl. The feed can be served in a seperate shallow dish or bowl.
When to Feed Chickens- Chicken feed should be available at all times inside the chicken coop. Your chickens will most likely eat as soon as they wake up in the morning and throughout the day. It is also important to provide plenty of fresh water. Egg laying chickens will consume more feed than layer developing chickens, so make sure to account for providing enough feed for your egg laying chickens.
Question: My chicks stopped laying eggs, is there something wrong with them? Answer: It depends. Some chickens may stop laying eggs when they are stressed or they do not have proper nutrition available. To make sure you are providing the right nutrition, you can always provide ground up oyster shell to give them an extra serving of calcium. This supplemental approach usually improves the health of egg laying chickens!
