Can chickens eat bran?

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A farmer who wants to raise healthy and productive chickens must take care of the correctness and completeness of their diet, what they will eat, how they will eat. Laying hen bran is an essential aspect of a balanced diet and should be included in the diet of domestic birds.

Bran for laying hens

It is important not to overdo it and not to overdo it, otherwise all actions to improve the health of chickens will only harm. Everything should be in moderation.

The benefits of bran in the diet of chickens

When used correctly, wheat bran will enrich the supply of vitamins and minerals in the body of chickens. Here are the positives of using them:

• Unlike premium flour, which loses 80% of all nutrients during processing, the bran retains all the vitamins and minerals laid down by nature.
• By regularly feeding chickens bran, you can improve them. egg production, increase the period of productivity, prevent health problems (in particular with the gastrointestinal tract).
• Bran is useful for chickens as a storehouse of chemical elements necessary for normal growth and development.

An important role in the feeding process is also played by the fact that the bran should be given to the birds no later than 40 minutes after the preparation of the dish, which should consist of soft food (boiled or baked, mashed vegetables) and bran.

Such food retains its beneficial properties for 40 minutes, and later begins to waste them little by little. If chickens are fed pre-prepared bran food, they may become malnourished.

The daily consumption of bran by birds

The amount of bran consumed is different for laying hens, chickens and broilers. How to properly give bran to chickens and for laying hens. Bran should not be a separate type of food, it is only an addition to the main people as an enrichment of the bird's diet.

Recommendations for introducing bran into the diet of pets:

• Considering that bran for chickens and for laying hens is a product with a low calorie content and a fairly high fiber content, it is important to remember the recommended proportions. Young animals and meat-type chickens should not consume more than 30-40 g of bran per day. For layers, this amount can be increased slightly.
• If the goal is to slightly lose the bird's weight after gaining it, you can restrict the birds in their diet by including bran with mash instead of half the daily feed intake. The other half must be kept in its basic form.
• Chicken bran consumption should be in the morning or early afternoon. For the remaining time of the day, the bird's body will have time to digest food and assimilate all the useful elements from there.
• The percentage of bran in the diet of chickens should not be more than a quarter (25%).

Knowing how and in what quantities you can give the bran to layers, chickens and broilers, feeding your pet will not be difficult.The process of preparing mixtures (mash) for birds is also simple.

It is important to take into account the correct proportions and mix the bran and additives as thoroughly as possible. It is forbidden to exceed the volumes and allow the formation of compacted pieces: broilers cannot eat such a mash.

How to cook bran mash properly

Layers, chickens and broilers need mixes of different composition, aimed at strengthening different organs and systems in the poultry body. It also depends on the age of the bird: young animals need more vitamins and nutrients for normal growth and development of the body, and older individuals need less.

Mushrooms for laying hens

Chickens raised to produce eggs require a proper diet that includes bran and mash for laying hens. It differs for the summer and winter periods and depends on how much time the birds spend free-range. Let's start with a summertime recipe:

• 50 g of boiled root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, etc.);
• 20 g of the bran or oatmeal itself;
• 5 g legumes (green peas, corn, beans, etc.);
• 7 g of special feed yeast or cake;
• 45 g of any whole grain;
• 10 g of fermented milk product (whey, cottage cheese or kefir);
• 1 g fish oil;
• 3 g of chalk;
• 5 g flour (flour can be bone or ordinary, better not the first grade);
• 0.5 g of salt.

This recipe is for 1 middle-aged hen. The number of ingredients should be varied depending on the number of birds on the farm, but it is important that each bird receives the correct percentage of vitamins and nutrients. Now the recipe for the winter time period:

• 65 g whole grains;
• 10 g of bran;
• 100 g of boiled potatoes or other root vegetables (beets, carrots, etc.);
• 6 g legumes (green beans, peas, corn);
• 7 g of cake or feed yeast;
• 100 g of fermented milk products (whey is better in winter);
• 3 g of chalk;
• 1 g fish oil;
• 2 g bone meal;
• 0.5 g of salt.

Broiler bran should be fed to hens throughout their lives, from early age to old age. But the chicks already need completely different dishes, which will be described below.

The digestive system of chicks is very vulnerable, and therefore diet should be as balanced as possible. Greens and bran are also present on the broiler chicken menu, but in different doses.

The necessary diet for broiler chickens

While the menu for laying hens differs depending on the season, for broiler chickens, depending on the age. During the first 2 weeks, it is worth preparing food according to one recipe, and during the next 2 weeks - according to another. The menu for the first 2 weeks of life of pestles should be prepared according to the following calculation:

• 16% medium-sized wheat;
• 50% corn turf;
• 14% cake;
• 8% chopped barley;
• 12% whey or low-fat kefir.

Such food should be fed to even young chicks in the first 14 days of their life. At this time, their body is not yet strong enough to accept normal, too heavy food.

And here is the menu for the 14-30th day of the bird's life:

• 13% wheat turf;
• 5% special feed yeast;
• 48% chopped corn;
• 19% sunflower meal;
• 7% bone or fish meal;
• 3% fresh herbs;
• 1% feed cake;
• 3% whey or kefir.

Food according to this recipe can be given to broilers until slaughter, but after they reach the age of one month, you can switch to a more economical food option. It is also recommended to add premixes, fresh herbs, cottage cheese or fish oil in small quantities to the birds' diet at this time.

The main thing is that the bird should eat and drink enough water fully and correctly. In addition, bran can be introduced into the chicken menu periodically: during the growing up of chicks, during the laying of eggs or in molting period... We need to dwell on the last point in more detail.

Bran for moulting chickens

Chickens begin molting every year in the off-season.Can bran be given to chickens during molting? At this time, the body weakens and needs additional sources of nutrients. Bran is a great way to add vitamins and minerals to the bird menu. During this period, it is better to include this product at the rate of 30 g per 1 chicken head. You can also add sunflower meal, fish oil and other sources of minerals. This will help the birds to better cope with the plumage change and prepare for the cold season so that the bran for chickens and chickens is an essential food.

The farmer must monitor the condition of his charges.

Sometimes chickens do not need additional sources of minerals, their excess can lead to disruption of the functioning of the digestive system: it will not cope with the amount of food supplied. To avoid this, you need to carefully monitor that the chicken farm remains clean and the pets are full. This is the key to good production in production.

How and what to feed laying hens, in addition to bran

In addition to mash with bran, layers should be given complete feed... It must be balanced and properly matched to the type of bird. The principles of a balanced diet for chickens are as follows:

• Protein is an important building block. It is part of all body tissues and is organogenic. Protein in large quantities is essential for proper egg formation in layers and quality meat in broilers. In order to include it in the diet, birds need to be fed with foods rich in protein. They can be of plant origin (cakes, legumes, meal, etc.) and animal (bone and fish meal, molluscs, earthworms, etc.).
• Fats are a treasure trove of energy and useful elements. They must be of high quality and include their worth in the form of corn and oats.
• Carbohydrates are required by the body to function properly. Chickens should be fed pumpkin, beets, carrots, potatoes and other root vegetables to replenish their carbohydrate balance.
• Fish oil, green grass and yeast are a source of vitamins necessary for the bird's body for normal development.
• Among other things, layers and broilers should receive sufficient minerals from bone meal, shellfish and wood ash.

There are also a number of foods that are strictly forbidden for chicken. It includes green or missing potatoes and chicken.

The consumption of such food leads to the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and general malaise of the bird's body. It is better to avoid the consumption of such foods by chickens than to then treat the birds for all the resulting diseases.

You can and should give bran to chickens of any age. It is only important to choose the right ratio of products depending on the season or stage of development of the bird. Bran helps to improve the quality of the resulting products: eggs become larger, and the breast takes on a better quality appearance.

Conclusion

When feeding birds with bran, it is important not to overdo it and not feed the hens, wishing them well. Also, we must not forget that the mash is only a source of minerals and vitamins, an addition to the main feed. These are not interchangeable dishes; neither one nor the other can be excluded from the bird's diet. Keeping all these simple rules in mind, you can safely give bran to the birds and raise a healthy and productive generation on your home farm.