The best diet for laying hens. The main diet of layers

Winter is a difficult period for hens. Low temperature, limitation of mobility and a deterioration in diet have a harmful effect not only on egg production, but also on the general condition of their body. Improving wintering conditions in small chicken coops is not as easy as it might seem. the main problem- temperature. It is economically unprofitable to make nuclear heating for several chickens. In large outbuildings, other livestock are kept along with chickens, due to this, the temperature rises in winter period time. The birds themselves will never be able to maintain positive temperatures in the room in winter.

Since it is cold indoors, the birds need significantly more nutrients just to warm the body. To this must be added the energy consumption for the production of eggs. This is the first difference. Three times. In summer, chickens will always find green food for themselves, various "worms, bugs and spiders" to replenish the protein component of the diet, etc. In winter, these opportunities are absent. This means that there should be an increased amount of these ingredients in the winter diet. Conclusion - feed for winter feeding of layers should be more nutritious and varied in composition.

It is necessary to prepare mixtures taking into account the recommendations of livestock specialists. Unfortunately, not all summer residents listen to advice or have the ability to withstand scientifically based standards for winter feeding. Hence the low productivity of layers in the winter. And sometimes they stop laying eggs altogether.

How to organize winter feeding - practical advice

The physiological characteristics of chickens are distinguished by several periods of development. The winter stage has a special place due to the most difficult conditions. What can be done to facilitate the passage of this unfavorable period?

Increase your winter feeding rate to at least three. If in the summer food is given twice a day (in the morning and in the evening), then in winter this is not enough. The fact is that the bird's body requires much more energy for heating, moreover, the energy must be supplied and consumed evenly throughout the day. Give various mash and juicy food in the morning and in the afternoon, only dry food at night. There is a possibility - arrange drinking bowls with warm water. Let for this you have to change it more often, but the condition of the layers will improve significantly, and this will certainly have a positive effect on productivity.
In winter, chickens should be fed three times a day.
Try to add a wide variety of succulent foods. Finely chop only beets and carrots. It is enough to chop the zucchini and pumpkin with an ax or a bayonet shovel into several pieces, the hens themselves will peck out the flesh. Make sure that the pieces of vegetables do not lie upside down, the flesh should always be accessible. If for some reason the juicy food on the ground is frozen, do not throw it away. As the chickens melt, they will eat them, nothing will be lost. Although you need to understand that with negative temperatures the egg production of laying hens sharply decreases. If the diet contains grated juicy feed, then for better efficiency it is recommended to mix them with ground cereals before serving. As for giving waste from the table, you need to be careful here. The immune system of chickens is already weakened, you should not overload it with stressful situations with unknown food. Any diseases of birds in winter are much more difficult to treat than in summer.
If you have time, give the birds sprouted wheat or oats at least several times a month. We understand that to prepare such food in large quantities it is impossible at home, but do not be too lazy to germinate at least a few kilograms of grain. You can tie up hay or throw it on the floor. Chickens like hay on the floor more, they will spend most of their time in it. An excellent groundbait is dried nettles. This plant is very rich in vital vitamins and minerals, hens eat nettle with great pleasure and almost no residue.
If possible, add fishmeal and a few drops of fish oil to the winter diet (and not only in winter). This will enrich the diet with essential proteins and amino acids. You can buy fishmeal at your veterinary pharmacy. In the same place, by the way, buy special vitamin and mineral supplements for the winter diet of layers. They are inexpensive, but they bring a lot of benefits.
In winter, it is recommended to increase the amount of animal proteins: reverse, whey, cottage cheese and other dairy products. We understand that this "hits" the wallet. Make your own choice - have a few more eggs or consume dairy products yourself.
Be sure to give calcium in any accessible form... Keep chalk, sand, small pebbles, shell rock in a separate feeder. Chickens are very fond of crushed egg shells. They will peel off such an additive in a few seconds.
The water in the drinking bowls should be constantly, do not forget to wash them periodically. Sometimes you can add a weak solution of potassium permanganate, but do not overuse it. Potassium permanganate kills not only pathogenic bacteria, but also beneficial ones. In winter, the microflora in the digestive tract is restored more slowly.

How the laying hens overwinter depends only on you. In order to have eggs in the winter, you should make an effort in the summer - to prepare food.

What food to cook for the winter

The question is worth considering in more detail. What can be harvested for personal plot? Root crops, melons and hay.

Roots

This refers to carrots, fodder and table beets.

The amount of these feeds should correspond to the number of chickens. On average, it is recommended to plan for one hen for the winter up to 12-13 kg. These calculations include inevitable weight loss. Fodder beets are excellent feed for all animals. Sowing it is very profitable, big harvest stacked in piles, covered with straw and buried in earth. Several ventilation ducts must be made. The air is made from a beam of scraps.

Melons

Pumpkin is sown especially for winter feed. This vegetable is perfectly stored until the new harvest, it is distinguished by its high qualities in composition and quantity of vitamins. Pumpkin is best stored, the main thing is not to damage its skin during harvesting and storage. Store the vegetable in a basement, cellar, or warm extension... If there are a lot of overripe zucchini in the garden, then these plants will also be used for winter feed for layers.

Practical advice. Zucchini does not last long, use it in feed first.

Potato

It is not specially grown for feeding hens. Use small culled or damaged tubers. It should be noted that summer residents are not very fond of adding potatoes to the winter diet of layers. This is due to the fact that it takes a long time to cook food: they need to be washed, poured clean water, cook, knead, cool, and only then can you feed it. This operation will have to be repeated in best case in one day. To the costs of physical labor, one should also add monetary losses for energy and it will become finally clear why layers do not often have to eat boiled potatoes.

How to prepare food for laying hens in winter

The technology changes somewhat depending on the temperature in the hen house. The temperature in the room should not be lower than + 15 ° С, in such conditions the hens continue to lay eggs. In practice, in most outbuildings it is much colder; in many, the temperature is almost the same as outside. And in such conditions, chickens have to spend the winter, fortunately, the frost is not very terrible for them. In some cases, they continue to lay eggs a little.

Warm heated chicken coop - photo

For cold rooms, feed should be prepared more thoroughly. It is recommended to give hens a little more warm mixes, the water should be poured into the drinking bowl warmed up and changed as it freezes. If the remains of feed are frozen in the trough, do not throw it away. In this form, it can be stored for a long period of time, and as it thaws, the chickens will eat it. Feed should be given more often, at least three times a day. Do not overuse mixtures, dry food should be at least 40-50% of the total diet. To prevent digestive tract disorders, it is recommended to add hay or grass flour to layers.

In warm rooms, there are fewer problems. Water and feed do not freeze, you can monitor the condition of the feeders and drinkers less often. Root crops must be chopped with special large graters or with the help of electrical units. Do not cook a lot of feed at once, the amount of root crops should not exceed the two-day norm. V otherwise there are risks of spoilage, and stale feed has a very negative effect not only on egg production, but also on the general health of layers.

You should not rub pumpkin and zucchini, it is enough to chop them into several pieces with an ax or a bayonet shovel. Make sure that the pieces are turned with the flesh towards the top. Chickens themselves will peck at the flesh, only one peel will have to be thrown away. If there is a desire, you can first remove the seeds from the pumpkin and zucchini, if there is no desire - leave them to the layers. Large seeds, however, they do not eat without preliminary grinding, and small and unripe seeds peck with pleasure.

Using electric units for preparing feed

Winter food for laying hens requires a lot of physical effort during preparation. We strongly advise you to purchase an inexpensive, powerful and versatile shredder. The specific brand does not matter, there are a lot of them in implementation today. The principle of operation is no different, the main thing is that they can crush both grain and juicy roots.

The drive is an electric two-phase motor, it is better not to take a three-phase motor, not every household has three phases. The grinder will make it possible to quickly and efficiently crush grain, including corn. And for root crops there are special knives made of durable alloy steel.

It is recommended to change laying hens annually, otherwise the productivity of laying hens sharply decreases, the cost of eggs increases, and the quality of already dubious meat decreases even more. What do they advise experienced summer residents? Do not leave chickens for the winter, especially if it is not possible to keep them in warm conditions... At sub-zero temperatures layers stop laying, keeping them in winter is a waste of time, money and effort.

Experienced summer residents recommend late autumn eliminate all livestock, and in early spring buy a new one. Thus, the owners will have both eggs and relatively good meat. For these purposes, it is better to purchase not layers, but mixed breeds of chickens.

Video - How to feed chickens in winter so that they lay eggs

Video - Rules for feeding chickens in winter

Every poultry breeder, both a beginner and with experience, should know how to feed chickens correctly and how to feed them in order to obtain high egg production and obtain soft and juicy meat. An unbalanced diet or a lack of it causes a deficiency of vitamins and minerals in chickens, which leads to diseases of individuals, their depletion and a drop in egg production. It does not matter for what purpose the farmer is breeding birds: meat or eggs, the health and productivity of the animal should always be in the foreground.

Currently, there are three types of chicken feed:

Wet;
Dry;
Combined.

To wet feed treat a mash for chickens. It is prepared at home. It may include various types of vegetables, grains, bran, herbal flour, cake, sunflower meal, sunflower cake, etc. All of these products are used boiled with the addition of water or whey. If the birds are kept in cages, chopped greens must be added to the mash. If they can move freely around the coop, you just need to scatter the cut grass.

Wet chicken feed option

To dry food treat compound feed. Compound feed for chickens is a feed mixture consisting of various types nutrients necessary in the nutrition of birds. It is sold in crushed form. The fragmented state makes it possible to get enough of only the necessary amount of the product. One bird per day should eat 120 - 130 g of dry feed.

The composition of feed for chickens may include:

Substances of animal origin;
Herbal products;
Vitamins;
Microelements.

Each type of feed mixture contains a different amount of nutrients. The composition of the compound feed also depends on the season for which it is intended, the main components are:

Wheat;
Corn;
Barley;
Bone flour;
Bran;
River shells;
Salt;
Vitamins.

As the name suggests to combined feed include both dry and wet food in equal proportions in the diet. The use of a combined feed allows you to get the most balanced nutrition for chickens.

For greater productivity, it is useful to feed the chickens with compound feed

Chicken feeding ration

In order for the chickens to be healthy and have high productivity, it is necessary that their daily diet be balanced with nutrients and vitamins. The main components of the daily diet should be:

Corn- up to 75% of the daily diet;
Corn- up to 50% of the daily diet;
Barley- up to 30% of the daily diet. It is not recommended to feed chickens with pure barley. This is due to the structure of the barley grain (sharp tips can harm birds);
Wheat- 2/3 of the daily diet. Sprouted wheat grain is especially useful, it contains all the necessary vitamins for chickens;
Oats- no more than 15% of the grain mixture. It allows you to avoid pecking chickens with each other.
Additionally, you can add to the daily diet: rye, buckwheat porridge, cake, meal- no more than 10% of the daily diet;

With the help of sunflower seeds, you can increase the egg production of birds. The same properties are possessed by legumes and flax.

Feeding chickens with vitamin complexes and premixes is also very important.

Premixes are a supplement to basic nutrition. They should not be given in place of the main food. They contain vitamins, minerals... It should be used in a small amount in the diet.

Vitamin complexes include the addition of fish oil, yeast, fresh grass and silage to the feed.

With improper nutrition, cannibalism is often found in chickens. Stronger individuals begin to peck at the sick, weak. Most often, this is characteristic of chickens. To avoid such situations, they can be given fish, meat waste. Before serving them to chickens and chickens, the bones must be crushed and poured into the feeder.

In summer, vitamins can be obtained from grape leaves, sugar beet tops, etc. In winter, some poultry farmers produce fodder beets. For the prevention of various diseases, it is useful to introduce onions into the diet, green onions... For the same purpose, the chicken coop should be treated with an iodine checker.

What is forbidden to give to chickens

There are a number of products that are not recommended to be given to chickens in large quantities, or generally prohibited. It is not recommended to use in the food of birds:

A large number of vegetables - can cause digestive upset in chickens;
Low quality fish oil - causes an unpleasant smell in eggs;
Baking - can lead to the death of animals;
The tough peel of fruits and vegetables is also not recommended because they are poorly digested by birds;
Large amounts of salt;
Styrofoam.

Bread can be given to chickens only if they are contained in the hen house and have a place for walking. Caged birds should not be given it. In the case of using bread as an additional complementary food, it must be mixed with what chickens eat at normal times - grain, mash. For fattening chickens, it is recommended to use white bread rusks.

Features of nutrition of adult chickens

To provide birds with all the necessary nutrients, a number of substances must be in their feed:

The rate per day is calculated taking into account that during the day one adult eats 120 - 130 g of feed.

For cooking mash use various types of grains and cereals. They are supplemented with animal waste and vegetables, such as:

Rutabaga (fodder beet);
Potato;
Carrot.

All products are chopped and boiled. The porridge should be of medium consistency. In winter, they put it in the feeders warm. Daily feeding of chickens may include mash or compound feed. At night, birds should not be given heavy food. It is best to add grain to the feeders.

Near the feeder, there must be a drinking bowl with water with small pebbles and sand. Due to the peculiarities of the structure digestive system chickens, pebbles can improve their digestion.

Combined feed you can buy it in the store or make it yourself at home. To do this, you need to take cereals, legumes, animal products, cake, etc. Alternatively, you can use the following composition:

70% wheat;
10% each barley, oats;
5% of meat, fish waste, chalk, lime and plant seeds containing large amounts of oils (sunflower, pumpkin).

Before serving, this mixture is crushed and moistened. It can be given together with a mash, green grass.

Feed for laying hens

To provide high level egg production is necessary so that the following types of feeding are present in the diet of laying hens and hens of egg-bearing breeds:

The lifespan of a chicken is 3 - 5 years. Laying hens most of all lay eggs in the first year of life. They need to be provided with enhanced nutrition, including:

Boiled potatoes;
Carrot;
Bone meal;
Barley;
Yeast;
Pumpkin;
Millet;
Green grass.

Depending on the season

During active egg production, chickens need to be fed 3-4 times a day. This period usually falls on the summer season, so in the summer it is necessary that the feed contains at least 50% protein.

In different seasons, the feed should be saturated with different vitamins and minerals.

An example of a diet in the summer:

8.00;
13.00;
18.00.

If the birds are free to go outside and are able to find a certain amount of food on their own, you can skip feeding at lunch. Animals in cages need to be fed more often, just like in winter. In order for the birds to fly well in winter, 50% of their diet should be carbohydrates, and as vitamins, it is necessary to add to the diet:

Boiled vegetables;
Hay;
Dairy products;
Silage;
Forgiven grains;
Oilcake.

During molting

The feeding of birds during feather dropping should not be as intense as during laying. Molting chickens should be given more protein food of animal origin, but despite this, the diet should be varied. You need products such as:

Carrot;
Shells;
Potato;
Fresh cabbage;
Pumpkin;
Lime;

Video: Compound feed for laying hens or how to make even a rooster rush

Chickens can eat anything. But do not forget about the health of chickens, their food should be varied and balanced. Then they will regularly lay eggs, and the meat will be tasty and juicy.

At correct feeding chickens rush all year round.

The diet for them should consist of whole grains and flour mixture, feed of plant, animal and mineral origin.

In the diet of chickens from which eggs are obtained for hatching young animals, there must be feed rich in vitamins and containing an easily digestible complete protein.

Breeding chickens are fed with sprouted grain: the source of vitamin E is up to 40 g per chicken per day.

The source of B vitamins is baker's yeast. They are introduced with mixed fodder daily in the amount of 3-5 g. You can yeast the fodder. Fish oil is also introduced into the diet in the amount of 1 g per head. Mineral feed should always be available in the house.

An approximate daily ration, calculated for one head of chickens, can be as follows (in g):

grain (oats, barley, etc.) - 50;
flour mixture (oatmeal, barley, wheat bran) - 50;
hay flour - 10;
juicy feed (carrots, rutabagas, beets) - 30-50;
dry protein feed of animal and vegetable origin (cake, meat waste, etc.) - 10-15;
shell - 5;
bone meal - 2;
salt - 0.5.

In an adult bird, plumage changes annually. Molting usually begins in late summer - early autumn, when daylight hours are reduced, and is accompanied by a noticeable weakening of the body. The pen change takes place within 2-4 months. At this time, the egg production of chickens decreases and the laying of eggs may even completely stop. The earlier molting begins, the shorter the productive period of chickens and the lower the productivity. With normalized feeding, observing the required length of daylight hours and in good keeping conditions, the bird molts in the fall, the molting process proceeds intensively and ends in 1.5-2 months. It is not advisable to leave a bird that began to molt in the summer for the next year.

During the moulting of chickens, the diet is diversified with juicy feed, the proportion of protein feed, especially of animal origin, is increased, the diet is enriched with vitamin-rich feed or vitamin preparations are introduced into it.

Feeding during molting should be less abundant than at the height of egg-laying, but varied and high in calories. The bird can be fed with fish and meat and bone meal, fresh cottage cheese, reverse. You should give a shell, slaked lime, chalk, bone meal, eggshells, as well as carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, cabbage and beet leaves, greens of leguminous herbs. It is good for shedding layers to feed grain and yeast that have sprouted before nibbling.

Usually the bird is fed 3-4 times a day. In the morning, give one third of the daily grain intake, after 2 hours, feed a wet mash in such an amount that the bird eats it completely within 30-40 minutes after distribution. The dry mixture is poured into separate feeders as it is eaten. They are fed grain at night.

In winter, you can use the following diet for a laying hen per day (in g):

cereals - 50;
wet mash (ground barley, oats, etc.) t 30;
boiled potatoes - 100;
sunflower cake - 7;
hay flour or nettle - 10;
curdled milk - 100;
chalk, shell - 3;
ground bones or bone meal - 2;
table salt - 0.5.

In feeding chickens, the following feed groups are used: carbohydrate, mineral, vitamin and a number of additives.

Carbohydrate fodders include cereal grains (corn, wheat, millet, barley, oats, sorghum, chumiza, etc.), potatoes and root crops with melons, cereals and flour-grinding waste (bran, flour, mill dust).

Protein feeds contain a lot of protein and are divided into feeds of animal origin (fish meal, meat and bone meal, meat meal, whole milk and skimmed milk, cottage cheese, etc.) and plant origin (legume grains, cake and meal, yeast, flour from leguminous herbs and nettle).

Vitamin feeds are a source of vitamins and provitamins, which are contained in whole milk, flour from various herbs and tops vegetable plants, pine flour, carrots, green grass.

Mineral feeds, which include shell, chalk, limestone, feed phosphates, table salt, salts of macro- and microelements, serve as a source of minerals: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, iron, etc.

If necessary, medicinal preparations are also used as directed by a veterinarian.

In addition to feed mixtures, which are based on concentrated feed (grains of cereals and legumes, wheat bran, cakes, meal, etc.), poultry also uses food leftovers, kitchen waste, vegetable tops and green grass, which can replace a significant part of the scarce grain feed ...

It is necessary to ensure that wet feed is in the trough for no more than 2-3 hours, since in the warm season they quickly deteriorate, causing gastrointestinal diseases in birds. Therefore, wet mash should be prepared just before feeding.

It is better to grind or flatten grain feed before feeding. Best sizes the particles of ground grain are considered 1-2 mm. If wet mash is used, then the grain is crushed to smaller particles, as this leads to an improved utilization of nutrients in the bird's body.

Legumes (peas, vetch, beans, etc.) are soaked in water for 1-2 hours before feeding and then steamed or boiled in a minimum amount of water over low heat. Cooking legumes increases the protein utilization of poultry.

After washing, potatoes and root vegetables are ground into a pulp or paste on cutting or graters and immediately mixed with other feed. Potatoes are pre-steamed or boiled; sprouts are removed from sprouted potatoes. After boiling sprouted or green potatoes, the water cannot be used to make mash, as it contains solanine, which can poison the bird.

Grass or tops are crushed in wooden troughs with chaffs or passed through a meat grinder. The main thing is the minimum particle size of grass and tops. For forage purposes, legumes are used (clover, alfalfa, peas, vetch, sweet clover) before or at the beginning of flowering, nettle (previously scalded with boiling water), dandelion, quinoa and other herbs, potato tops (preferably dry, since it does not contain solanine), carrots, beets, rutabagas, radishes, cabbage leaves.

The bird eats well the mash, into which horticultural waste is introduced - crushed carrion of apples, pears and plums, apple pomace, etc.

V autumn-winter period poultry can be fed coniferous flour as part of the mash (3-10 g per head per day), containing a large number of vitamins. For this, coniferous legs are harvested. Their procurement can be carried out until March. The needles are crushed and immediately used for the preparation of mash.

The composition of feed mixtures for poultry must include feed of animal origin (whole milk and skimmed milk, fish meal, meat and fish broths, minced fish, meat and bone meal, etc.)> containing a large amount of essential amino acids, with a lack of which in the diet, the productivity of chickens is significantly reduced.
Therefore, many amateur poultry farmers breed earthworms on the site, which are fed to the bird even in winter.

Much attention should be paid to the mineral nutrition of the poultry. So, for the formation of the shell of one egg, the chicken consumes more than 2 g of calcium and 0.1 g of phosphorus. Good sources of calcium are chalk, shells of mollusks and shells (it is better to boil live river mollusks and grind them whole, avoiding their long-term storage), eggshells and limestone. All feed must be chopped. Before feeding, the eggshell should be well calcined at a temperature of up to 150 ° C for 10-15 minutes over an open fire, placing it in a pan or baking sheet, since boiling eggs does not always completely neutralize the shell from microorganisms. After that, the shell must be grinded.

Lime is used old, stored for at least six months. Freshly prepared and quicklime must not be used. Natural limestones can be used as a source of calcium, but it should be borne in mind that they may contain harmful minerals - impurities of fluorine and arsenic. Old wood ash, bone meal, fodder phosphates are used to enrich poultry rations with calcium and phosphorus. Table salt is given to the bird in the form aqueous solution no more than 0.5 g per chicken per day as a source of sodium and chlorine. An excess of salt in the diet causes increased thirst, impaired appetite and even poisoning.

Drinking water consumption depends on the productivity of the bird, its age and weight, temperature environment, moisture and the amount of feed consumed. The bird consumes 200-300 g of water for every 100 g of dry food. At an air temperature of 10-18 ° C, the chicken drinks 250-300 g of water during the day.

At elevated ambient temperatures and the consumption of dry feed, the need for water in poultry increases. In hot weather, the water should be cooled, and in winter it should be heated.

The productive qualities of poultry depend on a nutritious diet that the farmer must provide for his livestock. No matter what direction chickens are bred, they all need a properly formulated diet, consisting of varied and balanced ingredients.

After the poultry farmer decides on the products that will form the basis of feeding the chickens (this will be discussed a little later), it is necessary to understand how many times a day the layers should receive feed. A large amount of food will cause obesity, and a lack, on the contrary, will lead to exhaustion. Both options will have the most Negative influence on the health of the livestock and egg-producing qualities. All components must be correctly sized.

V winter time, it is recommended to feed the bird three to four times a day. The first time, and before going to bed, it is best to add dry feed or cereals. Wet-type mash is dispensed during the daytime, the same applies to boiled or raw vegetables. If necessary, the food can be slightly warmed up to a warm state. In addition to feed, birds must have fresh, clean water.

The better the laying hens' egg production and weight, the more feed they should receive.

For example: with a mass of 1.7 kg and an estimated production of a hundred eggs in 365 days, a chicken will need 125 grams of feed per day; the same egg production, but the weight is 2 kg, the amount of feed increases by 5 grams. Further, for every 250 grams of weight, you need to add food 10 grams. Also, the indicator should be increased with a higher egg production at the rate of 130 eggs - 5 grams, 160 eggs - 10 grams, etc.

Note to the poultry farmer! If the chickens are kept in a room with no heating, then with the approaching frost, it will be necessary to slightly increase the amount of compound feed or grain during the evening distribution.

It is possible to preserve the maximum amount of vitamins and microelements in food by observing simple technologies in its processing. Using a number of recipes allows you to get such food that will be well absorbed and completely eaten by birds.

Various feed preparation technologies

Name of feed	How to cook	Note
Potatoes	Boiled in the usual way. The water is drained, the roots are kneaded and mixed with bone meal	Can be given neat or used in a mash
Carrots, fodder beets, radishes, young potatoes and other root crops	Used both raw and boiled, depending on convenience	If necessary, vegetables are grated or chopped in any other way
Waste from meat and fish production	It is allowed to give a dacha raw, but cut, or boiled	You can save the waste for future use by filling it with serum and placing it in a cool room.
Corn	Uses crushers or conditioners to grind to size	In winter, crops are germinated by soaking them in warm water for a day. Then the water is drained and the grain is left in warm room before the appearance of white processes
Legumes	Pre-soaking, steaming is applied
Waste from garden plants, vegetables, fruits	Grinding, scalding with boiling water for nettles

Good to know! To increase the amount of B vitamins, yeast is used. For 1 kg of wet feed, add fresh yeast up to 10 grams and mix thoroughly.

It is best to harvest meadow grasses in spring or summer. At this time, there is a peak in the content of nutrients in herbs. Plants are mowed and laid in small rolls for subsequent drying.

It is recommended to use a shady place for windrows, so that vitamins do not break down under the influence of sunlight. Some farms install special dryers for hay. The forage can be considered ready when the rustle of grasses begins to be heard during tedding.

Chickens will willingly eat not only meadow plants but also coniferous branches. Their collection begins in November and ends in March. The following components are also eaten: seed material, leaves, fruits of wild trees. In late autumn and early winter, when there is a shortage of green mass, the crushed parts wild plants used as an excellent top dressing.

The constant purchase of such food for chickens is a very expensive business due to the high cost, however, laying hens still need it. Making feed with their own hands is a fair help to farmers. In this case, it will be possible to avoid the content of growth hormones and chemical additives in food, which may be in the purchased compound feed.

With knowledge of the recipes and constituent parts of the bird in household will be provided with natural quality feed.

Compound feed recipes

Composition No. 1

wheat grain - 64.2%;
bone meal - 4%;
soda - 0.70%;
salt - 0.1%
limestone flour - 7.5%;
sunflower meal - 17.5%
premix P1-2 - 1%

Composition No. 2

wheat - 550 g;
barley - 300 g;
bran - 50 g;
sunflower cake - 100 g;
meat and bone meal - 40g;
sunflower oil - 20 g;
shredded shell rock - 50 g;
feed chalk - 27 g;
table salt - 3 g;
premix - 1 g

Composition No. 3

corn grain - 45%;
pea grain - 7%;
barley-wheat mixture - 24%;
sunflower meal - 7%;
herbal flour - 2%;
bone meal - 2%;
fish meal - 6%;
feed chalk - 2%;
salt - 0.1%:
soda - 0.7%.

Regardless of the selected recipe, when making compound feed at home, you must first make sure of the quality and freshness of the components.

Despite the fact that chickens are unpretentious birds, in terms of legibility in feed, they only need to be given wholesome food in order to get quality products, be it meat or egg.

Green potatoes with sprouts

It is in this form that the roots pose a serious danger to layers, the same applies to the water in which the cooking took place. Green potatoes contain an excess of solanine, which leads to poisoning in the livestock.

Bakery products

In a small amount, dried white bread can be given to chickens, while black bread has an increased acidity that can disrupt the work of the digestive system. The result is diarrhea. Sweet baked goods cause fermentation in the stomach and have a negative effect on the circulatory system.

Sausages

Do not give hens any kind of sausage and sausages. These foods contain excessive amounts of fat, seasonings, chemical aromas, dyes and preservatives. All of these components can cause heart attacks or strokes in poultry.

Cheese and milk

Laying hens do not produce an enzyme involved in lactose processing. Milk and cheese that got into the stomach of birds lead to dysbiosis, moreover, cheeses contain salt and fat. What the overabundance of such components leads to has already been mentioned.

First meal

For many poultry farmers, it is common to feed birds with waste from the table. From porridge and vegetable salads there won't be much harm, unlike soups. Most broths, with the exception of the vegetarian option, are prepared with a fatty basis, which is very harmful for chickens.

Sweet foods

Insulin is produced in the pancreas of poultry, but not enough to combat the high sugar content of baked goods. An excess of this component will become a favorable environment for the development of a pathogenic fungus.

Alcohol

An exception can be made only for medicines with an alcohol base, they must be diluted with water before use. Such medicines are used for treatment for no more than 7 days. More long term causes irreversible processes in the liver of chickens, which is not able to process alcohol.

How to feed laying hens so that they run well - the composition of the diet

Poultry, regardless of the season, must be provided with quality feed. But, for example, in winter to find fresh grass in conditions middle lane impossible, and therefore will have to resort to some correction depending on the season. The correct choice of food will allow you to maintain high egg production in layers, even at the time of the onset of the transition period.

As soon as the warm season comes, active egg production begins in chickens. At this time, it is recommended to diversify the diet as much as possible. Very much in such a period will help the presence of a walking yard, where the bird can independently find part of the food.

Thanks to various larvae, earthworms, the first grass will fill the shortage vitamin complexes formed in winter. Even if the owner takes good care of his hens during the cold season, he may not always be able to provide the bird with a perfectly balanced feed.

cereals (grain of barley and wheat) - 45 g;
bran, oat groats - 20 g;
pea and corn grain - 5 g;
green mass, vegetables - 55g;
bone meal, animal feed - 5g;
cake, meal, feed yeast - 7g;
dairy products - 10g;
shell rock, fodder chalk - 3g;
table salt - 0.5 g.

With the onset of autumn, chickens begin to renew their feather cover. At this time, the body is noticeably weakening due to the deterioration of metabolic processes. The faster the feather change occurs, the faster the layers will recover. A balanced diet can support chickens during this difficult time.

increased protein in the feed;
feed more animal feed;
add vitamins to the mash;
add juicy feed (green mass, tops from garden plants, vegetables).

The diet should contain the following foods:

fresh curd mass;
crushed egg shells;
feed chalk;
small shell rock;
beet tops and cabbage leaves;
boiled potatoes, red carrots, seeds from squash and pumpkin.

The main task of the owner during these months is to provide the hens with the necessary supply of energy. The food should contain proteins and carbohydrates that will help the birds survive freezing.

It is recommended to sprinkle the sprouted grain for the bird, the un-sprouted grains are pre-steamed before distribution for better digestibility. Yeast contains a large amount of protein, which means you can yeast, as described earlier.

Also in winter it is necessary to introduce various vitamin and mineral complexes into the diet. They can be added to drinkers or mixed with feed.

When choosing a feed, the owner of the layers should pay close attention to the following points:

composition;
shelf life;
quality.

Your bird needs to get enough protein, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins every day. Balanced feed has the most positive effect on the performance of domestic chickens.

Laying hens need to be provided with: grain of barley and wheat, crushed corn, oats. All this is recommended to be mixed before pouring on the feeders. To get egg products in a sufficient amount of cereal feed is not enough, and therefore it is recommended to diversify the diet with the following products:

root crops;
green mass;
table salt;
vegetables;
phosphorus;
calcium.

There are a myriad of factors that contribute to productivity loss. The most compelling cause is malnutrition, which results in soft-shell eggs that can be eaten by chickens. In this case, the owner needs to completely revise the feeding method of his livestock.

This problem most often occurs in young animals with a lack of minerals. For good egg production, feed must be saturated with calcium, phosphorus, and the necessary vitamin supplements.

How to feed chickens so that they rush well, feeding hens to laying hens: video

How to feed chickens in winter so that they lay eggs: video

As a conclusion, we can say the following: compliance with all aspects of feeding together with a properly formulated and balanced diet leads to the fact that layers show good egg production, which has the most positive effect on the farmer's profit.

The health status of domestic chickens and the quality of eggs directly depend on proper nutrition... Their performance depends on it. If you choose a high-quality and balanced diet for feeding laying hens at home, they will be carried all year round. This article will show you how to do it correctly.

The importance of proper nutrition for laying hens

To have a lot of eggs from chickens, it is not enough to choose a breed with high rates egg production. It is also important to properly organize their diet. As a rule, breeds that are characterized by a high number of eggs when worn have high demands on grooming and, in particular, feeding.

The age of the chicken also affects egg production. She begins to lay eggs from the 26th week of life, and the peak of productivity falls on the period of 26-49 weeks. Nutrition can slightly delay the decline in bird productivity. To do this, their diet should have enough vitamins, protein, and other useful substances. The feed should be light, complete and well digestible.

If you want to increase productivity, it is important to know what to feed your chickens so that they fly well. To do this, experts recommend that they must include legumes in their diet: peas, lentils, and beans themselves. Usually, chickens are not accustomed to such food, therefore, at first it is recommended to give them pre-steamed grains and add them to regular feed or mixture.

How to feed laying hens at home

So, the most important thing is that chicken feed should be varied and balanced. The bird should receive all the elements necessary for growth, development and productivity. A variety of foods should be present in the diet.

Protein feed

Chickens need a sufficient amount of protein in the diet, since it forms muscle cells, is located in the structure of the egg. To replenish its amount in the diet of chickens, plant components are added to it: legumes, sunflower meal, soybeans, rapeseed crops, cake. An obligatory component is meat and bone meal for chickens, the remains of fish, molluscs, amphibians, earthworms.

Vitamin

Vitamins must be present in the diet of the bird. Be sure to include vitamins D, B, A among them. With their shortage, chickens develop various diseases. To provide them with a sufficient amount of vitamins, the diet should include silage, pine flour, fish oil, yeast, green grass, especially during the budding period.

Mineral

Food for laying hens at home should include wood ash, lime, ground shells, bone meal, chalk. This will help replenish the reserves of minerals in the bird's body. Minerals are needed for the formation of bone tissue and eggshells.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are necessary for the body of the chicken for the normal functioning of muscles and internal organs. They are found in sufficient quantities in sugar, starch, fiber. The last in huge amount is found in whole grains, so grain for chickens is almost the main one in the diet. Potatoes, beets, carrots, pumpkin are also added.

Important! Fats should also be present in the diet of chicken. They not only protect the bird from the cold, accumulating under the skin, but give it energy, are used in the formation of eggs. To replenish them in the body, it is enough to give the chickens corn and oats.

How to compose a diet for laying hens

When composing the diet of a laying hen for the day, it is necessary to include all the elements described above in the required proportions. Protein, herbs and flour must be alternated, not forgetting about the water, which must always be present in the bird.

Did you know? Too abundant and nutritious feed leads to obesity of the bird. Then the laying hens stop laying. Therefore, the diet must be balanced.

Having decided on the diet, you need to decide how many times a day to feed the bird. Usually feed is given three to four times a day. In the first reception, dry food and grain are given, pouring them out to the chickens as early as possible. In the second and third - a wet mash with vitamins, which are given out at regular intervals. The last feed should be done as late as possible and should only be grain. Any feed must be of high quality, otherwise it will affect the performance and health of the chickens.

Features of the spring diet

Now let's figure out what you can feed chickens in the spring. This is the period when it is time to switch from winter to regular diet. But the transition should not be abrupt, so in the spring they begin to introduce it gradually. At this time, the bird is already released into the street, where it can nibble fresh young grass. But at the same time, along with the feed, more germinated grain should be given, which is rich in vitamin E. You also need to increase the amount of vitamin B and C in the diet of chickens. For this, brewer's yeast is added to the feed.

How to feed laying hens in summer

The peculiarity of feeding laying hens at home in the summer is different in that the bird spends a lot of time on the walk, so she herself is able to find grass and other food for herself. Accordingly, the amount of grass, chalk and gravel in the feed is reduced. And the number of feedings is reduced to two times. Pour a damp mash in the morning, grain in the evening. But if the chickens are not allowed out of the pen in the summer, they must be fed three times a day.

Did you know? Even in summer period, when there are many useful substances in the diet, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the herd as a whole and each of its representatives separately. For this, the state of the bird droppings is assessed. In healthy representatives, it is dark in color with a light white bloom, dense. If there is a deviation from the norm, then the diet is unbalanced or the bird is sick.

During this period, the daily diet should include the following foods:

5.5 g salt and minerals;
10-15 g of protein;
2 g bone meal;
10 g vitamin hay flour;
30-50 g of green food;
50 g of grain;
50 g flour.

How to feed laying hens during molt

With a decrease in daylight hours, chickens begin to molt and productivity decreases. But it is during this period that chickens need the most complete feed, since their body is weakened. It is recommended to add sulfur, minerals to the diet, make sure that the chicken's food is not only varied, but also high in calories.

Did you know? Some owners deliberately induce the onset of molting in chickens by reducing lighting in the hen house and restricting the bird in the feed. For several days it is kept exclusively on the water. Having received such stress, chickens begin to molt. At this time, full feeding is resumed..

At the same time, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive feed for this period of the bird's life. As a rule, every gardener, knowing how to feed laying hens at home, will find everything he needs in his garden plot.

Making a diet for laying hens in winter

The number of feedings for chickens in winter is reduced by up to three times. The first is at about 8 am, then at about 1 pm in the afternoon, and the last in the evening. The last feed should be made entirely of grain.

Important! The mash should be given in winter only during the day, during the second feeding. In this case, it is necessary to cook it in warm water and make sure that the chickens eat it warm.

In winter, chickens need to be fed juicy feed such as carrots, beets, pumpkin. Some people wonder if it is possible to give zucchini to chickens. In fact, it is even necessary, since in winter they will help fill the lack of vitamins and fiber. Also, sunflower cake is added to the mash, which is an excellent source of fat and protein for poultry.

Be sure to have ground chalk or gravel in the feeders. There must be a warm one along the wall of the chicken coop. drinking water... Change it and wash the drinking bowls regularly.

The daily diet of chickens in winter should include:

2 g bone meal;
5.5 g of minerals and salt;
10 g hay flour or dried nettle;
100 g of dairy products;
100 g potatoes;
7 g meal and cake;
50 g of grain;
30 g mash.

The feed must be minced with a knife or chopped in a meat grinder. Vegetables can be boiled and crushed for a mash. Also, in winter, hay should be present in the chicken coop. Small bundles are formed from it and attached to nails at the feeders at a height of about 40 cm from the floor.

Important! The question often arises whether it is possible to feed the laying hens with boiled potatoes. It is believed that it is harmful and dangerous for chickens. However, the danger is posed by toxic substances that are released from sprouted or spoiled tubers. Therefore, for feed, only good potatoes, and after cooking, drain all the water from it.

Ready mixes for feeding laying hens

As you can see, feeding chickens is not an easy process. Their diet should be varied and balanced. At first glance, it seems that the only way out is to buy compound feed. This is quite justified if a large number of birds are kept. But if laying hens are taken at home for their own needs, they can be fed on their own mixtures.

There are many recipes for their preparation, but the following can be called one of the best:

salt - no more than 3 g;
vitamins - 10-15 g;
peas - 20-30 g;
herbal flour - 30-50 g;
feed yeast - 40-50 g;
fish meal - 50-60 g;
meat and bone meal - 60-80 g;
sunflower meal - 70-100 g;
barley - 70-100 g;
wheat - 120-150 g;
corn - 450-500 g.

This is quite enough to prepare a kilogram of feed, the quality and freshness of which you will not have to doubt. For a change, you can prepare food according to this recipe:

This feed is enough to feed a dozen layers a day. It is important that all ingredients are chopped and mixed well.

Yeast feed will help solve the problem of avitaminosis in chickens. To do this, you need to take about 20 g of baker's yeast and dilute them in 0.5 liters of water. Then add a kilogram of compound feed and mix well. The mixture must be left in a warm place for 8 hours. 15-25 g of such feed should be allocated per chicken per day.

Homemade or commercial feed - which is better

As you can see, knowing the approximate norms for feeding laying hens at home, you can make the feed yourself. But the question logically arises, which is better - home-made feed or factory feed? There is no single answer to this question. Each owner decides it independently, based on the characteristics of the breed of chickens, their number and personal preferences.

Each solution will have its own disadvantages and advantages. So, in homemade feed, it is difficult to maintain the ideal balance of nutrients needed by the bird's body. In any case, each time it will be an approximate combination. But this is not so important when chickens are not grown on an industrial scale, but exclusively for their own needs.

The homemade mash will always be fresh. You know exactly what it is made of, how fresh the ingredients are. And this is a huge advantage over compound feeds, which have a limited shelf life, but can be stored for a long time at the seller. But the use of a wet mash puts forward increased requirements for the content of the chicken coop. Feeders should be cleaned and washed regularly to prevent feed residues from becoming moldy or sour.

Practice shows that with equal needs, chickens eat more compound feed than mash. Therefore, the use of the first is justified if the poultry is raised for meat. For layers, this is not important, so you can save on expensive purchased feed. In addition, plentiful and satisfying food provokes in them an early onset of laying eggs, and this has a bad effect on the health of the bird. In addition, the period for carrying small eggs is significantly increased.