How To Feed Chickens

So you have decided to buy your own chickens, great! They are so much fun and very rewarding pets to have, they will lay you fresh eggs and keep your yard healthy by eating weeds and pests that annoy your grass and plants. If you are reading this article you are here for help on what to feed your chickens, well don't stress too much, because it is fairly simple. Besides some basic nutrients and vitamins, their diets are almost impossible to mess up because they will eat just about anything. Meat, vegetables, bugs, pests, weeds, you name it, they will eat it.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.One of the best things about having a nice yards for your chickens to run around in, is that they will get a large number of nutrients just by eating the grass and the bugs. They will need more than just this, but it is a good start to a healthy diet for them. Animal protein is one thing they will not get much of from roaming your yard. You can feed them small bones with meat on them and fish which they love to get them the protein.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!

Posted in: Chickens