Great success in breeding chickens can be achieved only if the right to raise chickens from the first days of life. It is important to ensure proper nutrition. It just needs a feed for chickens. It contains the right bird vitamins, trace elements and minerals promote health and vitality of the Chicks.
Ready-mixed feeds may seem expensive fancier, and perhaps in the region of residence it is not that easy to get. In this case, to start growing birds will help feed for chickens with their hands.
Feed can be made independently on the basis of the recipe feed industry, for example, mixed “Sun”. The main thing is its mixture satisfies all the needs of the younger birds.
Quality feed must be present the entire spectrum of nutrients. Food is selected in accordance with the age of the chicken, because the growth requirements of the Chicks change.
The feed “Start” for the chickens and feed the “Growth” used in the first month of life chickens. Then the young begin to feed “Finish”.
Starter feed chicken feed in the first two weeks of their lives.
“Start” or “nulevka” (spoken) from different manufacturers have different composition, but the main ingredients are the same:
- wheat;
- corn;
- peas;
- barley.
The main component is corn fine grind, which positively affects the formation of the skeleton and increased muscle mass chicken improves his stomach. Many manufacturers in the starting mixture is added limestone, baking soda, fish meal, feed phosphates, vegetable fat, antioxidants, vitamins, amino acids.
Feed The “Growth”
In age from two weeks to one month Chicks are transferred to feed the “Growth”contributing to weight gain. First of all, from the above, this feed is grinding. In “Growth” consists of large granules, which contributes to the faster absorption of food.
The composition of the “Growth” is more grown-up birds. In feed mixed oil, lysine and meat and bone meal.
The result is the following equation balanced food:
- protein;
- grain;
- amino acids;
- specific components;
- vitamins and minerals.
How to feed it?
To calculate the amount of feed needed for the birds, you need to know average daily dose. For example, “Start” is fed with the expectation of 10-27 g per chick, and “Growth” – 90-120 g (the number increases with the growth of the chicken).
The first five days of fed 6-8 times a day, with 6 to 14 day – 3-4 times/day, then you can feed three times a day. Thus the birds must be permanent access to drinking water, instead of which in the first days it is better to give the chickens a light solution of manganese in order to avoid indigestion.
One complete feed is not enough that the bird was fully developed.
Therefore, in the first days of life the diet must include:
- greens;
- cottage cheese;
- chopped boiled egg.
Then gradually mixed into the feed.
For optimum growth and activity of chickens from seven days of age with ready-made food give minced offal (liver, heart, lungs), minced green onions, dandelions, ground meat of sea fish.
Reviews feed
Before poultry farmers today is the challenge, what to feed chickens: grain or forage. Grain is cheaper, but knowledgeable people say that the feed gives the best effect. Some noticed that the chickens consuming the feed, get sick less often.
Farmers drew attention to the fact that balanced food is spent three times less grain. In 95% of cases, you select the feed.
Speak well of the stern “Sun” for Chicks, designed for birds aged from day to a month. The composition of this feed includes all the necessary ingredients, so you can do without greenery, eggs, etc. Food improves immunity of poultry and contributes to weight gain. The only disadvantage is the high cost.
Feed “Start” and “Growth” selects every second birder. In quality they are comparable with the mixture of “Sun”, but their price is slightly lower, why feed applied more widely. The survival rate of Chicks using data feed is 97-100% (subject to the rules on the content).
A lot of positive feedback about the stern TM Kalinka, ensuring maximum survival rate that increases the growth rate, contributed to the acquisition of chicken meat a good flavor. Now the firm is not as well known, but “Kalinka” there is everything to win in the market competition.
Feed with your own hands
To manufacture feed for chickens with their hands, the necessary ingredients must be mixed in the following proportions.
For Chicks under two weeks:
- A 50% ground corn;
- 16% – wheat;
- 12% – fat-free yogurt;
- 14% of the cake;
- 8% barley.
For Chicks aged two weeks to a month:
- 48% corn cleavers;
- 19% of the cake;
- 13% of wheat;
- 7% flour of meat and bone meal or fish oil;
- 5% of feed yeast;
- 3% powder skim milk and herbs;
- 1% – feeding fat.
About the ingredients
In the grain contains vegetable proteins and carbohydrates that are needed to provide energy for the growing birds. Sunflower meal contains fiber, stimulates digestion younger Chicks. In the meal is protein and approximately 2% vegetable fat needed for energy, formation of tissues of the chick, the accumulation of protective subcutaneous fat.
Fish and bone meal is a valuable source of calcium and animal protein. Choosing meat and bone meal, notice the smell and color. Yellow meat-meal, may says that it has a lot of milled feather and eating this product may lead to cannibalism of the chicken population. The musty odor of meat-meal likely indicates the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Code to touch the flour is greasy, so bad dry.
In fresh green weeds contains a lot of vitamins and fiber. Vitamins are biological catalyst for the majority of metabolic processes in the body of the younger birds, they also participate in the formation of sexual and nervous system. Especially important are the b vitamins, because they are the basis for the formation of muscles. Without vitamin D will not develop a strong skeleton.
Trace minerals – the components of the major systems and organs of the chicken, and they are part of the digestive enzymes and hormones.
Among of these minerals include:
- Selenium;
- Iron;
- Cobalt;
- Manganese.
Selenium is important for laying hens, because if the diet it enough, the egg production of birds increases.
Macronutrients are parts of minerals that are present in the feed in relatively large amounts (from 0.1 to 3 mass%). These include basic materials for organic protein and calcium to help the hens to form a healthy skeleton and to have a high egg production in the future.
Mix
Quality food must be:
- homogeneous;
- fresh;
- balanced;
- easily digestible.
To obtain uniformity of feed mixes:
- Mixed, crushed, and whole grains.
- Added cake, meal and pellets – stir again.
- Meat and bone meal or grass meal separately mixed with ground feed chalk and vitamin supplements.
- Separate mixed components add to the total mixture, continuously stirring the composition.
The dry ingredients better to mix in a wide pan. To add a separate mixture should be continuously stirring the grain basis. If the feed or fish oil, it is recommended to add the step of mixing whole or crushed grain.
Not recommended to add fats in small grain, meal or meat and bone meal, because these will result in stalling of the components in clumps, which will lead to uneven feed. Adding fat to the large grains allow them to be distributed evenly.
The mash was prepared as follows:
- Mix the milled grain.
- Add oil-cake, meal and meat and bone meal.
- Add the chopped greens.
- In the pre-heated liquid based added fats, vitamin supplements, calcium supplements and salt (stir to dissolve the additives).
- Pour dry mixture liquid Foundation and insist half an hour with stirring every 2-3 minutes.
This technology will help evenly distribute the vitamins and minerals that are added in small amounts, evenly.
Good conditions and feeding – a guarantee that the Chicks will grow healthy, will be good to gain weight and lay eggs.