We prepare compound feed for chickens on our own

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Any poultry breeder should know what feed is needed for growing a particular bird, be able to navigate the variety of feed, and also know how to make a starter feed for chickens on their own. The fact is that purchased feed will not contain the required amount of vitamins and essential vital substances, in contrast to what is made independently.

Compound feed for chickens

It is important to consider the correct balance of all ingredients, that is, fat, protein and carbohydrates. At first glance, it may seem that the preparation of compound feed is too difficult, but later, when its preparation becomes automatic, it will become clear that this is an excellent opportunity to save a significant amount of money.

Why compound feed should be of high quality

If the chick only gets quality food, the result will not be long in coming. The bird will be less sick, its immunity will increase, and the meat after slaughter will be juicy and soft. Also, chicks will gain weight faster, respectively, it will be possible not to wait a long time for weight growth and slaughter the bird for meat.

Compound feed for chickens from the first days of life, sold in stores and on the market, can be bought in different qualities. Feed is selected depending on the age and breed of the bird, and the dosage of meals is selected in the same way. Judging by the reviews of farmers, the best food for chickens is homemade compound feed, which was prepared independently at home, taking into account all the needs of chicks at a given age. It is necessary to give pc strictly in accordance with the age and weight of the bird.

Basic compound feed mash

Do not think that preparing feed for chickens is too difficult. After some time, you will remember which ingredients are included in the pc and how much it needs to be added. To prepare a basic mixture of bird feed, you must use the following components:

• chopped corn (flour);
• ground cereals from wheat and oats;
• sunflower cake;
• fish bone and eggshell meal;
• dairy products.

All PC ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and filled with milk. For a newborn chicken, you need to give 30 g of such a mixture at least 4 times a day. In addition to this, yeast should be introduced into the diet of young animals, starting from the first week of life.

Composition of compound feed in the first 2 weeks of life

As already mentioned, the composition of the feed for chicks should vary depending on how many days or weeks the chicks are. So, to prepare a starting mash for two-week-old chickens, you need to use the following components:

• peas;
• barley;
• wheat;
• corn flour.

Cornmeal plays a significant role in the formation of a bone corset at the start, and also improves the functioning of the digestive tract and brain. We will find out in more detail what proportions must be observed when preparing compound feed for two-week-old chicks, that is, what includes the start of feeding, the data are given below in the columns of the table:

Composition of compound feed for chickens from 2 weeks to 1 month

During this period of life, the importance of compound feed in the nutrition of chickens increases, the chick should eat about 120-150 g of the mixture per day. To make a mash with your own hands, you need to stock up on the following ingredients:

• 48% - chopped corn grits;
• 19% - sunflower cake or meal;
• 13% - milled wheat;
• 7% - fish bone crushed to the state of flour;
• 5% - a new ingredient, live yeast, which is necessary for the normalization of the digestive system, as well as for the growth of chicken mass to occur faster;
• 2-3% - fresh herbs;
• 1-2% - vegetable fat, now this component is necessary for the normal functioning of poultry at this age.

It should also be said that, starting from two weeks of age, chicks need wet food more than before.

Feeding one month old chicks

Starting from the age of one month, the need for food increases, now the daily feed rate increases to 160 g of compound feed per day. The composition of the components is also slightly modified, now the following ingredients are included in the mash:

• 45% - fresh corn or the same chopped corn grits;
• 17% - sunflower cake or meal;
• 13% - wheat grains;
• 17% - fish bone meal and small milled animal bones;
• 5% - live yeast (this will ensure the rapid growth of young animals);
• 1% - freshly cut grass or dried hay, crushed to a state of flour;
• 1% - chalk or limestone;
• 3% is a fatty component, that is, vegetable fat.

Feeding an adult bird right up to slaughter

In order to properly prepare feed for broiler poultry with your own hands, you need to know what ingredients the bird will need at a particular age, as well as the purpose of each of the components. So, for an adult chicken, the composition of the compound feed should consist of the following components (here the calculation of the daily rate for a broiler will be made not in percent, but in grams):

• 400 g - corn;
• 10 g - milled wheat;
• 60 g - barley;
• 70 g - sunflower cake or meal;
• 60 g - chalk, ground into flour;
• 60 g - fish bone meal (this is an excellent source of calcium, which is necessary for the vital activity of chickens);
• 45 g - live yeast (later it will be told in what way yeast occurs);
• 40 g - flour made from dried and crushed flour;
• 30 g - grated peas;
• 15 g - vitamin complexes;
• 5 g - table salt.

The above recipe for making mash has a balanced composition that will allow the chicken to get maximum nutrients, and will also have a positive effect on egg production rate... 100 g of such mixed feed, prepared independently at home, contains about 270 kcal, as well as up to 18% of a source of natural protein. This feed is in no way inferior in quality to brands such as Purina, for example, the price of which is unacceptable for many poultry farmers. And most often, homemade feed is not only not inferior, but is in many ways better than industrial feed.

Composition of compound feed for laying hens

Nutrition for layers is changing somewhat, as the bird has new needs that relate to egg production. the composition of the food will look like this:

• boiled potatoes - from 0.4 to 1 kg;
• porridge cooked in water - about 0.7 kg;
• silo - 0.4-0.5 kg;
• dairy component (milk or kefir) - 0.2 kg;
• grated grain - 200 g;
• grated carrots - 0.2 kg;
• bran - 0.1 kg;
• meat trimmings and waste - 0.1 kg;
• sunflower cake - 0.1 kg;
• hay, crushed to the state of flour - 0.1 kg;
• chalk - 50 g;
• beet (can be fodder) - 50 g;
• bone meal - 30 g;
• salt - 4 g.

Features of yeast feed

In addition to the fact that feed should be present in the diet of chickens, which is the basis of the diet, care must be taken to ensure that the bird does not lack vitamins and minerals. Yeast is a good source of the above nutritional components, and their introduction on the menu is called yeast. You can be sure that the home laying hen will not experience signs of vitamin deficiency if yeast is present in the food every day.

How to cook yeast properly? The recipe is simple, for this you need 15 g of fresh yeast, which is bred in warm, but not hot, 1.5 liter water. After the yeast dissolves, you need to add ground flour to the yeast water, stir thoroughly and leave to dissolve completely for 6-8 hours. In this case, it is important to maintain the correct temperature - about 20 ° C.

When the yeast has finished fermenting, you need to add to the mash all the ingredients that the chickens need according to their age and breed. The feed that has passed the yeast stage is given in an amount of 30 g per feeding. With regular yeast nutrition, poultry will be less sick, the offspring will be of high quality, and the weight growth will be stable.

The need for sprouted grains in compound feed

It is important to understand that feeding the chicks is an essential part of their care. Thus, if the diet lacks one or another component, or, on the contrary, the emphasis is on one of the ingredients, this can lead to the fact that the chicken will have health problems, and later even die.

Poultry farmers believe that the feed for chickens should contain sprouted grain. It is added for the reason that it contains a significant supply of vitamin B, which is so necessary for the normal functioning of the bird. How to germinate a grain correctly? First, it is soaked in water at room temperature. So the grain should lie for about 2-3 days, after which the first growth of shoots on the grain will appear. The farmer's job is to maintain a constant moisture content in the grain.

In addition to sprouted grains, it is recommended to enrich the diet with herbs, especially nettles, or in the winter season with dried green blanks from clover and alfalfa. Due to their rich composition, these herbs can add carotene to the diet of chickens and other poultry. When the herbs listed above can be obtained fresh, naturally, they do not need to be dried.

What should be included in the diet of chickens, except for compound feed

Often, mixed feed does not take into account the need for vitamin D in layers, so additional measures can be taken to add this vitamin to the poultry diet. Poultry farmers recommend walking the hens more often in the fresh air, especially at a time when the sun is outside. When it is cloudy, you can use an ultraviolet lamp (artificial sun) or give every day the usual fish fat.

It also happens that chickens need vitamin E, which is also not so much in compound feed. What to do in this case? To compensate for the deficit and at the same time increase the egg production rate of layers, one must not forget about the need for a grain crop in the daily feeding of the bird. Vitamin E is found in abundance in sprouted grains; earlier we wrote how you can germinate grains on your own at home.

It is extremely rare that when fed daily with compound feed, chickens experience a lack of protein, which can cause pecking and cannibalism in the poultry house, although in some situations, the cause of such painful conditions can be an overabundance of this food component,that is why you should not independently change the recommended proportions of the compound feed composition for a particular age of the bird.

What happens to poultry if you reduce the amount of carbohydrates and fats in the diet? This will negatively affect the quality of the eggs carried by the hen, it will also impair the ability of the roosters to cover the females, the external condition of the feathers will noticeably deteriorate, the development of many diseases due to the fact that immunity decreases.

If the compound feed does not contain carrots and other orange components, it is worth giving them periodically as a treat. The fact is that they contain vitamin A necessary for the development of chickens.It can also be found in such vegetables:

• pumpkin;
• tomatoes;
• beet;
• White cabbage.

Given the lack of these food components, the chicken may have a deterioration in appetite, egg production, and characteristic nasal discharge often appears, which indicates the development of vitamin deficiency.

Now you know how to prepare compound feed yourself, why its presence in the diet is so necessary for chickens, what should be included in its composition, how many days it involves the use of a particular product for birds of different ages, as well as what product to cook at the start of the development of pets, and how to continue growing them