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what to feed chickens for great eggs

by Dr. Jerry Kshlerin Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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What To Feed Chickens For Best Tasting Eggs {One Simple Solution}

  • 🧊 Hydration. Chickens need plenty of fresh water to produce the best eggs, and it’s important to keep an eye on the...
  • 🦗 High Protein. If you’re looking for a high-protein diet, you should consider feeding your chickens wheatgrass. This...
  • 🌳 Free-Ranging. Chickens that are allowed to roam freely produce...

You don't have to go crazy with some cutting-edge feed that's guaranteed to make your chickens produce eggs the size of a garden gnome. It's recommended that you use a diet of premium laying mash or pellet, along with occasional fresh fruit. vegetables, meal worms and other healthy treats.

Full Answer

What is the best food to feed chickens?

What do chickens consume? Birds need plenty of water. Without it, eggs won’t happen as they are mostly liquid themselves. Feed from a farm supply store is best with a weekly handful ... Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at ...

What type of feed should I Feed my chickens?

  • Dairy products – poultry lacks the enzyme that allows them to digest milk on a large scale, but a small amount can prove beneficial to your flock. ...
  • Sweet Potatoes & Potatoes – Make sure they are cooked (we don’t eat raw potatoes and neither should your flock. ...
  • Corn – This is another what that is greatly debated in the world of chicken keeping. ...

More items...

What can I Feed my chickens to fatten them up?

What to Feed Chickens to Fatten them up?

  • Scratch Feed. Scratch feed is made out of different seeds and grains. ...
  • Mealworms. The idea of purchasing mealworms to feed your chicken would not be so appealing. ...
  • Cooked Oatmeal. Another effective method to fatten your chicken is to provide them with cooked oatmeal. ...
  • Bread. ...
  • Berries. ...
  • Yogurt. ...

How to feed chickens without buying feed?

Feeding chickens without “chicken feed”

  • Feeding chickens in the beginning. The Allen’s chickens enjoy their dinner. ...
  • Wasting feed. But the areas our hens had regular access to were severely overgrazed and when harvest season ended we expected to be feeding mostly layer ration.
  • Brew grain. ...
  • Dumpster diving. ...
  • A complete diet. ...

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What to feed chickens to get the best eggs?

Fat added to chicken diet can supposedly make eggs taste better. Things like corn oil or beef tallow can purportedly make eggs taste better.

What do you feed chickens for big eggs?

4:0012:245 Things To Feed Your Chickens So They Lay Eggs All Year - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipDewormed. If you want them to like lay a lot of eggs. And not get sickly worms make them sickly weakMoreDewormed. If you want them to like lay a lot of eggs. And not get sickly worms make them sickly weak.

How do you make chicken eggs richer?

What to Feed your Chickens for Better Tasting EggsStep 1: A high protein diet. The foundation of that diet is the wheat grass fodder I grow. ... Step 2: Fiber and Herbs. Along with the wheat grass, I add oatmeal, alfalfa, garlic (fresh or powdered), and dried oregano to my chicken's feed. ... Step 3: Fresh foods. ... 61 Comments.

What do you feed chickens to make their eggs harder?

The most common sources of calcium carbonate fed to laying hens are crushed limestone and oyster shell. Commercially prepared layer feeds ordinarily contain crushed limestone, while oyster shell is usually offered as a supplement in a dispenser or hopper alongside the feed.

How can I improve my egg production?

7 Tips to Improve Egg QualityStay Away from Cigarettes. Smoking permanently speeds up egg loss in the ovaries. ... Manage Stress. ... Eat Healthy. ... Achieve a Normal BMI (body mass index). ... Boost Blood Flow. ... Invest in Supplements. ... Freeze Your Eggs.

What to feed chickens for rich yolks?

"So, typically a diet high in dehydrated alfalfa will give you darker yolks." You can also give your chickens treats that are high in xanthophyll, such as carrots, apricots, pumpkins, red cabbage, and the leaves of most green plants.

How do you improve the quality of chicken eggs?

On average, a chicken egg contains about six grams of protein and six grams of fat.Provide the Basics. Food. ... Keep the Coop Clean. Shutterstock. ... Provide Nest Boxes. Shutterstock. ... Set Up Lights. ... Clean Eggs Well.

How do you increase egg shell strength?

Shell quality can be improved by providing the nutrients needed for the hen to build her bone reserves of calcium and make good shells: Feed a third to half of the calcium as large particles that are approximately ½ cm in size.

Are crushed eggshells good for chickens?

It may seem strange to feed chickens their own eggshells, but the shells provide a good source of calcium for them. When you want to start making eggshells into feed, make sure you dry and crush them first so they aren't easily recognizable. When you're finished, your chickens will stay healthy and produce more eggs!

Are thicker eggshells better?

Strong eggshells keep bacteria out A strong eggshell is about 0.3 millimeters thick and has between 7,000 and 17,000 tiny pores1. These pores work to allow oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture to pass through, but to keep bacteria out. Eggshells with larger pores or thinner shells have less protective power.

What causes chickens to lay large eggs?

The massive yolk, which took up most of the egg, may have prompted the development of a larger shell in the oviduct, just like two yolks would have - a twist of fate that may have ultimately led to a crazy long egg. Less than a week later, however, Belinda laid another one, which McGrath posted to Instagram.

How do you make egg yolks stronger?

Parsley, Marjoram, Fennel, and Borage are good to add when egg problems exist. As a result, the hens will be more comfortable while providing delicious strong, high quality eggs. In any event, adding more quality ingredients to your hen's diet can only help them build stronger immunity and live healthier lives.

Where do jumbo eggs come from?

Jumbo eggs are the largest weight class and tend to come from bigger-bodied hen breeds, or from hens that are still acclimating to their laying cycle. Jumbo eggs weigh in at a minimum of 30 ounces per dozen.

Step 1: A high protein diet

The foundation of that diet is the wheat grass fodder I grow. Wheat grass is very high in protein, and protein is key to healthy chickens and better tasting eggs. You can also use barley, but I use wheat because barley isn’t available in the quantities I need in my area, and I try to support local businesses.

Step 2: Fiber and Herbs

Along with the wheat grass, I add oatmeal, alfalfa, garlic (fresh or powdered), and dried oregano to my chicken’s feed. You can find those herbs in this non-GMO product I love:

Step 3: Fresh foods

I don’t use a set recipe. I just sprinkle and mix. I also add kitchen scraps, as well as fresh veggies like cabbage, tomatoes (which they can pick through), etc. Since it’s winter and their water keeps freezing, the fresh veggies help them stay hydrated in addition to giving me better tasting eggs.

5 Essential Dietary Ingredients

The chicken’s diet is largely related to superior tasting eggs. During my years as a backyard chicken farmer, I’ve explored many choices and have narrowed it down to six items I consider the best for egg layers.

Feeding Your Hens Eggshells

Because your hens use a lot of calcium laying eggs, it’s important to add calcium to their diet. Most local and online feed stores carry oyster shell as a calcium supplement. But, if you’re like me, you prefer sustainable living which includes caring for your chickens naturally. This is why I use egg shells instead of buying calcium supplements.

Importance of Quality Feed

Providing good quality feed is essential for both chicken health and maximum egg yield. I never use cheap feed; only feed containing all the nutrition my girls need.

Treats are Nice

As with any pet, chickens love treats. I keep a bag of mixed corn on hand for this purpose. The chickens love it. Scatter a couple handfuls around the chicken yard. The chickens love scratching the ground and digging out those golden kernels. It’s also great for getting your chickens to go to bed.

Things To Know

How you feed your chickens is obviously one of the more important tasks you can have when taking care of them since, you know, nobody can survive without food. This is not as easy as it looks though since getting it wrong can lead to reduced egg production, feather picking, and even deformed eggs which are of no use to anyone.

How To Feed Them?

If you have a small flock, the simplest way to provide for them is to buy a complete feed from a feed store. This way, you can make sure that all their nutritional needs are covered and they get a balanced diet.

How To Choose The Feed

If you want to go ahead with buying a feed, we recommend to always scour the market first and see exactly what products are available as well as the reviews on them. One bad feeding may not hurt your birds but you may not realize the feed is not what it should be after just one meal and you’ll never get back the time and money you spent buying it.

The Manner Of Feeding

Now that you know a little about what things your chickens should eat, what about the proper space required for their feeding? Some people like to throw the pellets straight onto the floor and let the birds peck at it, further encouraging this already natural behavior from them.

How Much To Feed Them?

Generally speaking, free-range chickens are different from their cousins that are being raised for industrial egg production. They won’t really overeat so whatever you feed them that is extra will simply remain untouched. You should remember though that any food left out overnight can attract mice that could potentially be dangerous for your birds.

Feeding Your Layers For Egg Production

The simplest and most effective way of feeding your flock of hens for egg production is to buy a complete feed intended for this purpose. Complete chicken feeds are processed to provide all essential nutrients needed by your egg-layers for better production.

Top 5 Chicken Feeds for Laying Eggs

Here comes Hiland-Naturals Non-GMO Chicken Grower feed for your hens. This brand offers different types of chicken feed, especially for layers. Also, you can provide it to your growers and starters if you want to.

1. Think about Protein Power

It’s worth remembering that the bulk of the nutritional value of eggs is supplied in the form of protein. If your chickens don’t have enough protein in their diet – those eggs are not going to shine – literally, more protein deepens that attractive yellow color of the yolk.

2. Go Green

Veggies are also an important part of the chicken’s diet that will contribute not only to keeping them healthy – but also encourage regular egg laying and optimize egg taste.

3. Fabulous Fiber

Your chickens are going to have to have a healthy dose of fiber to promote egg laying – and keep them healthy. The key is to keep up the carb content while balancing out their fiber needs.

4. Cracking the Shell Code

A healthy helping of calcium is an absolute essential to promote egg laying and the production of great looking, strong and tasty eggs.

5. Running Free

Sometimes it’s better to let nature find its own way. If you are lucky enough to have a substantial yard then make an effort to allow the chickens to forage for the food that they would enjoy if human beings were not providing nutritional help.

6. Always Hydrate

Aside from the fact that chickens may need supplementary feed in order to supply that perfect mix of fats, proteins, fiber and carbs they will also need a healthy source of water – and a lot of it.

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