Chickens have long been bred for meat and eggs. There are breeds of birds that can produce from 200 to 300 eggs per year. The number of eggs depends on the conditions of keeping and nutrition of the bird. The use of special additives for laying hens to improve egg production allows you to obtain a higher-quality product from domestic laying hens in a larger volume. These supplements may be mineral, but it is possible to increase production by properly balancing the feed.
What to feed chickens to increase egg production
A balanced diet is the main, but not the only, factor that allows you to increase the egg production of birds. It also depends on the conditions of detention, the breed and age of the chickens, and the length of daylight hours. Therefore, additional lighting is installed in the chicken coop. Feed at any time of the year should consist of several components.
Corn
This is the main product in the diet of laying hens. The birds are fed:
- wheat;
- barley;
- oats;
- corn;
- legumes
Corn should be crushed. Typically, a grain mixture is used for feeding, including various cereals, the basis of which (70-80%) is wheat. The film must be removed from the oat grains. Peas and soybeans are sources of protein, but legumes should not be given to birds in large quantities to avoid causing obesity.
Vegetables
These are sources of vitamins and important microelements. They should be present in chicken feed every day, at any time of the year. The bird is given: boiled potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, zucchini. They should be thoroughly washed and crushed. Do not give frozen or rotten vegetables to birds.
Greenery
Birds also cannot do without it. In the summer they are given clover, alfalfa, and tops from the garden. If the chickens are free-range, during this period they find the greens on their own; if not, the owner needs to collect the greens and chop them before giving them to the birds. For the winter, greens for chickens are dried or the birds are given bundles of high-quality hay.
Mineral supplements
Chalk, salt, bone meal, shell rock, cake, and feed yeast are added to the chicken diet. This feeding is a source of calcium; if there is a lack of this mineral, the shell will be thin and fragile, and in critical cases, soft. In addition to calcium, the supplements contain other useful elements: magnesium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus.
Important: small pebbles that are placed in the chicken coop are not a source of minerals for the birds; they are necessary for proper digestion.
You can use ready-made mineral complexes for laying hens: “Ryabushka”, “Laying Layer”, “SilaKur”.
Compound feed
The use of mixed feed increases egg production of chickens by 25-30%. You can buy it ready-made or prepare it yourself. Compound feed has a different composition, the choice depends on the age of the livestock, its focus (egg-bearing breeds need one type, broilers need another). In addition to the mixture of grains, the finished mixture contains a complex of mineral additives: salt, chalk, feed yeast, meat and bone meal, and other varieties. Feed additives save time when feeding chickens, make the diet balanced, provide quality eggs and poultry meat, and increase egg production.
Features of increasing egg production depending on the season
Chickens lay more eggs in summer than in winter. An abundance of varied food, increased daylight hours - all this increases the number of eggs laid.
Summer diet
In order for the bird to lay eggs well, you should feed it at the same time and provide access to clean water. Chickens are “early birds”, the first feeding is carried out at 7 o’clock in the morning, the last – around 21 o’clock. The daily norm per head is 120-130 grams. In summer, morning feeding consists of wet mash. They are prepared before use. The composition includes crushed steamed grain, root vegetables, finely chopped greens.
In the evening, the bird is given dry feed. It is easier to digest, the amount is calculated so that there is no grain left in the feeder.During the day, in the summer, chickens are released from the coop so that they can get food on their own. Found insects and worms are sources of protein, they are very useful for birds. If there is not enough feed, the birds are supplemented with grain.
Winter diet
In winter, the diet consists of wet mash, mixed feed, and silage. Bundles of high-quality hay are tied into feeders; it replaces summer greens. The lack of vitamins is compensated for by sprouted grain or the birds are given ready-made vitamin and mineral complexes. When preparing mash, you can use skim milk and leftover broth.
Tips on what not to feed laying hens
Chickens are not given fishmeal or fish oil because the eggs they lay have a nasty smell. Do not offer the bird sprouted green potatoes or potato peelings. Watermelon and pumpkin rinds are difficult for birds to digest and can cause diarrhea.
You should not give birds unwashed vegetables. Potatoes and beets are mashed, boiled and finely chopped (with the peel included), pumpkin, zucchini, and carrots are chopped and mixed with boiled root vegetables.
If the poultry feed is of high quality and balanced in composition, and the poultry houses are clean and bright, the chickens will lay eggs well at any time of the year. This will allow the owner to quickly recoup all costs of rearing the livestock and receive a stable profit.
