Having your own chickens is both fun and very rewarding. There are definitely some things that you need to know before you jump right into buy your chickens, but one thing you shouldn't worry about too much is what to feed them. Chickens will eat most of the stuff you toss at them and will fill up on the grass, weeds, bugs and pests they find in your yard. There a few nutrients that you will want to add to their diets to make sure they are healthy and happy, but this is not a hard task to accomplish.
Another common food that owners feed their chickens is grains. This can be their primary source of food. There are some options to the way you feed your chickens. Some owners like to spread the food out around the yard. This works fine as long as you are leaving enough food, sometimes it is hard to tell if everyone is eating with this method. The other main method, is getting a chicken feeder. This is used by most owners, make sure to take into account how many chickens you have and how much food you need to put in your feeder before buying one.
One important nutrient for your hens is calcium. This is important to help them lay the most and best eggs possible. Start adding calcium to their diets before laying season and don't stop until they have finished laying for the year. If your chickens lay all year then just keep calcium in their diets all the time. Crushed clam shells is an excellent source of calcium and chickens love them. You can find these at most feed stores. Just be sure they are crushed up real small, because if their are whole shells in there your chickens might mistake them for their own eggs.
If you have a large enough yard and allow your chickens to roam freely they will actually get a lot of the nutrients they need from just eating grass and the bugs in the grass. They can't live off just this though as animal protein is important in their diet. This is where feeding them small bones with meat on them pays off. Fish is also an extremely good source of protein for your chickens.
I know that this was a short article, but when it comes to feeding your chickens there really isn't too much to be stressed about. Remember that if you are looking to get the best and most eggs out of your chickens you are going to want to keep a steady amount of calcium in your hens' diets. And protein is another important part of their diets. Other than that, go down to your feed store and see what they have. Most stores will have chicken feed all made up and this will work, then you can add in the extra nutrients you want that the feed doesn't cover. Or you can create your own feed, your chickens will be happy either way! So go out there, get started and have fun!
Another common food that owners feed their chickens is grains. This can be their primary source of food. There are some options to the way you feed your chickens. Some owners like to spread the food out around the yard. This works fine as long as you are leaving enough food, sometimes it is hard to tell if everyone is eating with this method. The other main method, is getting a chicken feeder. This is used by most owners, make sure to take into account how many chickens you have and how much food you need to put in your feeder before buying one.
One important nutrient for your hens is calcium. This is important to help them lay the most and best eggs possible. Start adding calcium to their diets before laying season and don't stop until they have finished laying for the year. If your chickens lay all year then just keep calcium in their diets all the time. Crushed clam shells is an excellent source of calcium and chickens love them. You can find these at most feed stores. Just be sure they are crushed up real small, because if their are whole shells in there your chickens might mistake them for their own eggs.
If you have a large enough yard and allow your chickens to roam freely they will actually get a lot of the nutrients they need from just eating grass and the bugs in the grass. They can't live off just this though as animal protein is important in their diet. This is where feeding them small bones with meat on them pays off. Fish is also an extremely good source of protein for your chickens.
I know that this was a short article, but when it comes to feeding your chickens there really isn't too much to be stressed about. Remember that if you are looking to get the best and most eggs out of your chickens you are going to want to keep a steady amount of calcium in your hens' diets. And protein is another important part of their diets. Other than that, go down to your feed store and see what they have. Most stores will have chicken feed all made up and this will work, then you can add in the extra nutrients you want that the feed doesn't cover. Or you can create your own feed, your chickens will be happy either way! So go out there, get started and have fun!
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If you need more information on how to raise your chickens and especially how to build the Perfect Chicken Coop, then visit my site for the best Blueprints for a chicken coop.
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