Many people feed chickens food that is left over from the table. But not everyone knows whether it is possible to feed chickens bread. Chickens need complete nutrition, consisting of vitamins, microelements, minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. This allows you to lay eggs, have healthy meat, and reduce the risk of obesity. When feeding flour products, a number of rules are followed so as not to harm the bird.
Is it possible to feed chickens bread?
Bread contains only carbohydrates.They are not enough for a healthy diet for chickens. Broilers fed with flour products become obese.
Negative properties of bread for chickens:
- high risk of sticking of the beak and crop, which will lead to the death of the bird from suffocation;
- ingestion of thermophilic yeast added to bread during production into the body of chickens;
- loss of egg quality in laying hens;
- the possibility of mold forming on a stale product, due to which the chicken may completely refuse the food offered;
- high risk of disruption of the functionality of the digestive tract, leading to disease.
Poultry farmers believe that bread can be given as a supplement, but not as a constant food, but as a delicacy. Many birds and animals love to eat bread to fill their carbohydrate needs.
What kind of bread is possible and what is not?
When introducing flour products into the diet, follow the following rules:
- added to main food in small portions;
- produced in dried and crushed form;
- soak and add to porridge if the product is too stale.
It is recommended to add bread products to boiled potatoes, cereals, cottage cheese, and herbs. Poultry farmers advise feeding white, dried bread that is free of mold. Rye bread is given in limited quantities, since frequent consumption can increase gastric acidity, which will lead to impaired stomach function and the bird may die.
It is not recommended to give flour product to chickens if it contains negative qualities:
- high sugar content, leading to dysfunction of the digestive tract due to the resulting fermentation;
- mold, leading to dyspeptic disorders in the form of diarrhea and intoxication of the body (products with black mold are thrown away, if it is green, cut off);
- soaked state - the chicken should eat it in the near future, the remains are thrown away, as there is a risk of infection, especially in the summer;
- the content of auxiliary additives in bread products (salt, sourdough, fat, milk) due to the risk of a negative reaction on the body (allergies, impaired intestinal motility, suffocation).
Chickens are not given white bread in large chunks. If they get into the stomach, they will quickly swell, so hydrochloric acid will not be able to digest the product. This is how a bird’s dyspeptic disorder is formed. A large lump may become lodged in the bird's throat. This will cause an attack of suffocation, which will lead to death.
Drunk bread and the consequences of feeding it
Some ears of wheat harbor a pathogenic fungus from the genus Fusarium. It is toxic to the body of chickens, animals, and humans. If it enters the bird's body, it can multiply, causing symptoms of intoxication. Mortality occurs in most chickens. The incubation period of the disease is up to 1.5 days after the pathogen enters the body.
Permitted quantity
If chickens are given a lot of white bread, their body weight will increase, leading to obesity. Therefore, poultry farmers need to be rational in quantity:
- white - can be given daily, but not more than half of the total food;
- gray - can be given in small portions, only a few times a week.
It is necessary to mix the flour product with other products. Then the risk of obesity and deterioration in egg quality will be significantly reduced.
Feeding frequency
Flour products are given to chickens in winter, as carbohydrates contribute to the energy saturation of the body. Most birds are kept in cramped enclosures with minimal movement, so there is a risk of frostbite.At this time of year, chickens should receive a daily meal of flour products. In summer, it is necessary to reduce the frequency of feeding bread products to 2 times a week.
DIY bread mixer
Mash is a mixture of different types of crackers. The product is based on porridge mixed with dried bread, which has previously been crushed into crumbs. You can add vegetables to this mixture, for example, carrots, potatoes, beets, herbs, cucumbers.
Raw or boiled vegetables are chopped. To increase nutritional value, meat broths or whey are added.
Poultry farmers often add yeast and bran to the mash.
An example of making 1 portion of mash:
- corn 30 g;
- wheat 20 g;
- meal 15 g;
- greens 30 g;
- white ground crackers 25 g;
- salt 0.5 g;
- chalk 2 g.
Mix all ingredients, add low-fat broth.
