Is it possible to feed celandine to chickens. What grass can be fed to chickens. Grass feeding chickens

In order to competently run a farm on a poultry farm where laying hens live, a farmer needs to have a decent baggage of knowledge on the topic of chicken breeding. One of the most important aspects of raising hens is the correct formulation of their diet.

There are many products suitable for feeding, so it is not so difficult to assemble a nutritious menu, which will include the entire list of nutrients necessary for normal life. In order to avoid mistakes when choosing food for their pets, novice poultry farmers need to know exactly what kind of grass can be given to laying hens.

After all, it is impossible to feed hens everything that grows around and indiscriminately. Of course, among the varieties of herbs that grow on the territory of the dacha economy, there are those that are quite suitable for chicken. But the list of those that are forbidden for quots includes many types. This, in particular, celandine, white acacia, etc.

As you know, raising chickens is a fairly simple business and does not cause serious hassle with care and maintenance. As a rule, the choice of what is also not a special puzzle. Especially if the farmer knows very well what and in what quantities chickens should eat during the day.

The number of meals rarely exceeds 4 times a day, but here a lot depends on the appetite and general condition of the birds. The daily dose of feed should be distributed as follows: in the morning, one third of the entire daily norm is poured into the trough, and two thirds are divided into the remaining meals.

These feedings should be done at intervals of several hours over the course of one day. Thus, laying hens are energized after sleep and then spend the day well-fed and satisfied.

There is an opinion that these birds are omnivorous, and the feeders for laying hens can be safely filled with any leftovers left after eating from their own table. Experienced poultry farmers will not dispute this statement, however, they know that the main part of the diet of layers during the day should be the right foods, from which the organisms of individuals will only benefit.

The diet is usually based on grains or flour. It is not worth giving up the use of compound feeds produced in a specially balanced manner; it is also allowed to give mineral supplements. Now we are focusing on what kind of grass can be fed to chickens, so we will not talk in more detail about other types of food.

What is so good about natural green chicken feed? The main thing, grasses suitable for feeding birds, as a rule, contain some vitamins and useful elements. If birds eat the right herbs, then this will protect them from vitamin deficiency, as well as prevent the development of many diseases associated with a lack of any substance in the body.

Fresh greens are one of the key foods for maintaining vitamin balance, so their presence in the diet is not easy to allow, but is necessary during every day.

Herb for chickens

Having paid attention to some generalized nuances in the question, you can move on to those herbs that are suitable for nutrition. What greens are shown to be given to the courtyard? To begin with, we list the list of plants that zoologists advise for a weekly diet:

1. Cereal mixes based on corn, wheat, etc.
2. Grains of leguminous plants such as peas, oats, lupines, etc.
3. Nettle leaves, finely chopped and heat treated with boiling water.
4. Herbs growing in meadows: clover, fresh mowed greens, alfalfa and sorrel, which contains a lot of vitamin C. And also this group includes the plantain, useful for chickens and their favorite.
5. All this herb is good for the bird. In some cases, woodlice is also referred to it.

The use of dream, which is considered a medicinal plant, is allowed. However, let's not forget that calendula also has useful properties.

Wild varieties can also be excellent nutritional supplements for laying hens. They will diversify the daily bird menu and are likely to make the permanent food list of the chicken farm dwellers. Such plants include not only quinoa, hay, acorns, but also the following herbs:

• blooming Sally;
• hawthorn and rose hips;
• spurge;
• leaves and fruits of oak, chestnut, mountain ash;
• pine and spruce needles.

Vegetables growing in the garden are great for chicken as food. Birds love to eat most vegetable crops due to their varied and delicious flavors. Here are some plants that can go straight from the garden to a chicken feeder:

• pumpkin;
• beetroot;
• cucumber;
• lettuce leaves;
• carrot;
• fruits of potatoes;
• cabbage;
• onion feathers.

These greens can be given to chickens, however, the lists presented are far from complete, and there are much more plants that are acceptable for feeding chickens. For example, some also feed the bird duckweed, a perennial branchy plant. However, this plant is given to pets with care.

Can chickens be given fruit? They should be highlighted separately, since fruits can be fed to chickens without any fear. Of course, you should not get carried away, because you can overdo it with the amount of any product. And since fruits often have a wide range of very different substances in their composition, you need to be doubly careful with them.

Excessive content of one or another element in the body of a laying hen can negatively affect its condition. How do you make a healthy diet for your poultry, including all sorts of food groups? We carefully distribute and give portions, and then no problems will arise. You can pamper hens during the day with pears, plums, apples and even watermelons.

Do not forget that all these products must be grinded with a knife or other kitchen tools.

After all, birds simply cannot peck a whole pear, so the breeder himself should give the chickens this fruit in a cut form. Interestingly, grape leaves can also diversify a pet's diet. Strawberries also adjoin them. Of course, they should be given infrequently: once every few days, however, they will not harm the health of the bird.

Is it possible to give grass to chickens and what to feed them

So that the balance of nutrients in the body of the chicken is not disturbed, special attention should be paid to the composition of its diet. Of the aforementioned vegetables, pumpkin and carrot fruits are great. The stage of active growth and development is the period when these vegetables can be fed to chickens, as they are full of carotene.

This enzyme helps to speed up the processes in the bodies of chicks, helping them to grow up healthy and fertile. The amount of product that can be given to chickens should be calculated as follows: up to 20 grams of feed for each baby.

Food during molting

The process, during which, occurs at least once a year in an adult laying hen and more often in a younger one. As a rule, it takes place at the jumper between summer and autumn. At this moment, the organisms of all the inhabitants of the poultry farm are in a weakened state. The fact is that along with molting, avitaminosis attacks birds, one of the companions of which is a general deterioration in health.

Therefore, it is important that the breeder provides an adequate supply of vitamin-rich foods during this period. How to optimally feed chickens during molting? Here green herbs will come to the rescue - feel free to add them to the diet of layers, because they are full of a variety of useful elements that will help save chickens from serious illness.

Seasonal chores

In the summer, the use of freshly cut grasses will be appropriate for the chicken. Fresh lawn grass is also fine. Do not forget to also prepare feed and tops for the winter. When can you give hay to chickens? Dried and chopped straw is perfect for diluting the diet of chickens on cold days, supplying them with vitamins and minerals.

What grass should not be given to chickens

Of course, not all greens are allowed for chickens. There are plant varieties that can seriously harm the hens due to the toxic substances in their composition. Therefore, it is forbidden to give such herbs. The key to keeping chickens healthy will once again be a considerate farmer. He needs to know clearly the list of herbs that are not suitable for adding to the feeder.

Feeding which greens would jeopardize the well-being of chickens? These are burdock, dandelion, celandine, juniper, etc. As a rule, these are the plants that can grow on the site. Among what fills the garden there are also harmful foods. What kind of herbs are they? These include:

• dill leaves;
• green part of tomatoes;
• inflorescences and leaves of potatoes;
• beet tops.

Wormwood is given with caution. It can sometimes cause diarrhea and diarrhea in the bird, so it is better for the breeder to refuse it. Rhubarb contains a lot of acid, which can also be harmful. Therefore, the inclusion of this herb in the diet is also carefully considered.

Note that if you give chickens mustard, ginger, then the nervous system will become more shattered, which will not play into the hands of the breeder. Therefore, it is better to fence the bird from these plants.

In the process of evolution, domestic chickens have acquired the ability to independently determine which plants they should better refuse. For example, they bypass celandine. But don't rely solely on their legibility. Spend extra time making up a balanced diet so that only healthy foods are fed to your chickens.

This is done in order to avoid unnecessary problems that may arise from harmful products. The food listed above, including the greens of tomatoes, should in no case fall into the feeder of the hens, this must be strictly controlled.

Keeping hens healthy

In cases where the farmer completely avoids bird walking, grasses intended for feeding should be hung in the aviary or on a high feeder, instead of leaving them on the floor.

A feeder made at a certain height will be a good idea for active body movements of chickens. The thing is that without walking, birds become prone to obesity and the development of certain diseases, and a grass bunch fixed at a height of 1–1.5 m will make the chickens do a little warm-up when eating. Give the chickens additional movement in this way.

Do not forget that herbal food is used as a medicine in the treatment of diseases of domestic chickens.

For example, yarrow will help protect birds from worms. Greens are widely used in the prevention of a wide variety of ailments, which makes them an even more popular type of feed. So the bird, first of all, can be given herb with medicinal properties, and only then the rest of the plants.

Note that any grass for chickens and adults must be thoroughly washed before serving so that the pets eat a fresh and high-quality green product.

In order to competently raise and feed a healthy farm, a breeder must know exactly at what age, what and how to feed the chickens. At the same time, it is important to take into account the list of products, including herbal plants, that are contraindicated for poultry, since their action may cause discomfort, and this, in turn, gives more serious consequences.

For example, night blindness occurs due to improper diet. You also need to know the list of herbs that give the bird's body benefits. It is these plants that are taken as a basis and added to feed mixtures. All this information can be easily obtained from specialized literature, which will allow you to thoroughly understand what kind of grass is best to feed chickens. It is necessary to obtain this knowledge for breeding a farm.

Any poultry farmer knows about the omnivorous nature of chickens. But, like any poultry, their food must be nutritious and balanced. Greens are an important part of a healthy chicken diet.

But not all of it is useful, so you need to know what kind of grass you can give to laying hens so as not to harm them. Greens are a natural source of vitamins and minerals that increase immunity and improve the general condition of the bird.

Why greens are useful for laying hens

If birds graze on a walk, they know what kind of grass they like and they will find it themselves. But when birds are kept in a pen and do not have access to green feed, they are deprived of many useful substances. Therefore, poultry farmers need to take care that layers always have the opportunity to nibble on fresh plants.

In summer, green forage can reach 50% of the daily ration of chickens, some poultry farmers bring this figure even higher. In addition to vitamins, greens can save a lot on the cost of purchased feed.

The introduction of grass into the diet reduces the risk of vitamin deficiency, and increases the productivity of layers. Also, greens improve marketability (the color of the yolk is brighter and richer) and the taste of eggs, promotes good digestion in chickens.

Alfalfa is good for the vision of birds, due to its high content of vitamin A. Sprouted grains of wheat are rich in vitamin E, which increases productivity, strengthening the body of layers. Sorrel is rich in vitamin C, clover and alfalfa are rich sources of protein.

Another argument for feeding chickens with fresh herbs is the use of plants to prevent and treat certain diseases in chickens.

For example, tansy and yarrow help with worms. Vitamin D, which is contained in sprouted grains, helps against rickets.

But, not all greens are useful for laying hens, there can be poisonous plants on forbs. Therefore, when introducing green additives into the feed, you need to monitor the quality of the grass.

Herbs for adult layers

On average, green forage should make up 15-30% of the diet of laying hens. In the summer, when there is plenty of greenery, this figure can reach 50%. Although, the percentage of grass content depends on the composition of the diet - it should be balanced.

What grass do adult chickens like:

In addition, birds are very fond of legumes, they eat hard vegetables. A good source of vitamins is cabbage, and you can feed chickens with leaves and heads of cabbage.

Beet tops, dill, parsley, onion feathers - all this will be eaten by chickens with pleasure. Poultry farmers recommend giving birds woodlice - this is a medicinal plant that strengthens the skeleton. A good source of protein is amaranth.

The grass can be finely chopped, mixing it into the feed, or you can feed it whole. To prevent the chickens from trampling the greens, it is best to tie them in bunches and hang them. You can make special feeders. To do this, simply cover any suitable container with a large mesh.

Many farmers feed weeds and herbs to their chickens. If there are no harmful plants in the total mass, you don't have to worry, the birds themselves know what kind of grass they like, so they will choose the greens that they need.

In winter, the lack of fresh greens is compensated for by dried ones. Sprouted grains and pine flour are good substitutes for herbs.

What greens to give chickens

As with adult chickens, young layers should be fed with fresh grass. However, it is important to know what kind of grass can be fed to chickens and how.

They begin to feed the chickens with greens from the first day after hatching. Many poultry farmers question whether it is okay to feed chickens this bait so early. But in practice, finely chopped green onion feathers improve digestion and prevent intestinal diseases. But this must be done carefully - up to 5 days, the norm of greens is 1 g per chicken.

From day 5, the body becomes more strengthened, so this rate can be increased and diversified.

Norms of greens for chickens:

All greens should be washed and finely chopped. For prevention, you can scald it with boiling water. You need to cook the grass just before feeding, if the greens lie for a long time after mowing, there will be few vitamins left in it. They give it either by mixing with a mash, or separately.

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Chickens love nettles

What grass do chickens like:

Dandelion - rich in vitamins, has medicinal properties.

Salad - high in minerals.

Green onions - disease prevention, many vitamins.

Sorrel - rich in vitamin C.

Nettle - prevention of digestion.

Clover - contains protein.

Plantain is a medicinal plant.

So that chicks hatched in winter do not suffer from a lack of vitamins, you can prepare plant supplies in summer. To do this, the cut grass must be tied in bunches and hung for drying.

In winter, it should be given crushed. When raising young animals, it is important to know what kind of grass the chickens like so as not to give them too much.

Poisonous plants for layers

In order not to poison the chickens, it is imperative to inspect the place where they are walking. Usually, chickens are able to distinguish useful vegetation from harmful ones themselves, but it is better to keep this question under control. If poisonous plants are found in the pasture, they should be removed. It is best to dig it up by the root - it is less likely that they will germinate again.

Harmful herb for chickens:

All these plants can provoke disease, or death of birds. Therefore, you need to keep the walking area clean, be able to identify poisonous plants and know what kind of grass chickens like. Another option is not to let the hens out of the pen by adding only those ingredients to the diet that there is no doubt about the benefits.

In order for chicks to develop well, and layers to be healthy and productive, their diet must necessarily include fresh herbs. In addition to the vitamin content, plants serve as a preventive measure against many diseases.

They also strengthen the immune system. But before adding green supplements to the diet, you need to know if the selected herbs can be given to chickens, and what effect to expect from them.

Finally, a video about feeding chickens with milkweed and woodlice:

Grass feeding chickens - harmful and useful plants

With this article, we will reveal the details and features of compiling a nutritious menu for chickens kept at home, consider seasonal dependence, "binding" to biological nuances. The publication offers lists of basic products, examples of "bans" for chickens in winter and summer.

Watch the video about a convenient way to feed grass.

Chickens are omnivorous pets

Homemade quads are very unpretentious to the content in general and the components of the feeding - in particular. The omnivorous nature of the Ryaba Chicken makes it easy to feed, and in the household, the question “what to feed” does not arise, and even more so. Many sources suggest that at home it is allowed to keep any leftover food from the owner's table in the feeder.

However, the role of food waste should not be confused with the bulk of the diet, which should consist of grain and flour mixtures. We also do not recommend ignoring compound feed and mineral supplements. As already noted in the prologue, the “red line” (and in our case, rather “green”) of today's material are components of plant origin.

Usually, chickens are fed up to four times a day, distributing the order of food intake - one third of the norm - in the morning hours, then the remaining approaches are performed sequentially at calculated intervals.

Experienced poultry houses are well aware that chickens are omnivores, ready to swallow any offered food, but in reality, the diet of feathered pets should be diversified with one of the indispensable "dishes" - fresh herbs.

Talking about the richness of this product in various vitamins means understanding that giving it, the owner prevents vitamin deficiency and stimulates the growth, development and productivity of the bird. Fresh herbs are a vitamin pantry, so their contents are included in the diet without fail.

Grass feeding chickens

substitutes for bran and grain mixtures;

legumes: peas, oats;

nettle (crushed and treated with boiling water, leaves);

meadow herbs: clover, freshly cut greens, alfalfa.

Wild food is an excellent source of nutrition for laying hens. Delicacies include:

quinoa;

Horse sorrel;

pine and spruce needles;

hay and weed silage;

berries of hawthorn bushes, rose hips;

leaves and fruits of wild trees - acorn, chestnut, mountain ash.

In addition to all this, the chicken loves vegetable culture in its diet:

salad;

pumpkin;

beet;

cucumber;

zucchini;

carrot;

parsley;

potato;

onion feathers;

cabbage leaf.

If we can afford and summarize information about feeding chickens with grass, then we will put it this way: “fruits are also grass,” therefore it is also recommended to include them in the diet of domestic chickens. Birds can be treated with pears, plums, apples, obtained with apple pomace, as well as pampered with ripe watermelon and tomatoes.

All this must be crushed, since neither females, nor males, nor their offspring simply can peck an apple entirely. The main thing in everything is a moderate amount.

The pumpkin and carrots listed above are used as a source of carotene and affect the growth of offspring, the fluff is given at the rate of: 15-20 grams per individual. This contributes to accelerated growth and full-fledged development, since it contains all the components necessary for the implementation of this process.

Livestock menu during molt

This period is fundamentally different from the standard one. In mature individuals, the process occurs once a year, and its development falls on the end of August / beginning of September and is accompanied by an increased weakening of the body. The ration in the trough should be categorically enriched with vitamins, for which it is necessary to contain more juicy and green products.

Grass can be fed to chickens in whole form, which is appropriate to do in the summer, while at the same time carrying out procurement work for the winter. Thoroughly dried, chopped straws are later added to various mixtures, thereby enriching the feed with vitamins and minerals that are deficient in cold seasons.

Now about the presence of poisonous plants. Grass-feeding chickens should be careful because there are also harmful species. An important and dangerous point in feeding chickens with phyto-mass is the presence of toxic substances in vegetation.

What grass can not be fed to chickens

Let's figure out what greenery is a health hazard for representatives of a domestic feathered nursery:

As you can see, the list can be captured with a glance, but it is not so small!

beet tops;

dill foliage;

green part of tomatoes;

pear seeds and foliage;

inflorescences and foliage of potatoes.

As a rule, birds on their own, at the level of instincts, are able to distinguish what to eat and what vegetation it is better not to touch. But, if you do not want to accidentally regale the ward flock with poison, then under no circumstances do not allow anything from the above list!

Prevention of a healthy lifestyle

If in the subsidiary poultry, it is best to hang the grasses in bunches in the chicken coop, and not leave them on the floor. Lack of walking deprives the animal of the natural ability to sense space and contributes to obesity and diseases. In this case, a bunch of greenery is fixed at a height of half a meter to a meter, which makes it possible for the birds to not only eat, but also graze, warming up.

Speaking about the properties of vegetation, one cannot fail to mention that some herbs are used by poultry farmers as medicinal and prophylactic agents enriched with vitamins. For example: yarrow, larkspur and tansy prevent the infection of chickens with helminthiasis or, more simply, with worms.

Do not forget to delight with worms in the summer, read the link about the benefits of worms in the diet of chickens.

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See you soon and all the best to you!

In the comments you can add your photos of laying hens, rooster and chickens!

Learning to properly feed chickens with grass: we understand what is harmful and what is useful

In addition to dry food, chickens also need fresh green herbs, which are a natural source of almost all vitamins necessary for birds. However, not all plants are good for bird health. Therefore, any poultry farmer needs to understand grasses, in their types and features, so that feeding and walking the birds will only benefit them.

Useful properties of herbs for chickens

Juicy green food has a positive effect on the health of birds, which is expressed, in particular, in bright color of egg yolk.
In the warm season, in addition to fodder carrots, beets, Jerusalem artichoke and other popular garden plants, it is worth giving chickens and fresh green grass, or providing them with free access to it.

However, the benefits of a particular species for poultry can be different, so poultry farmers recommend that you carefully study the vegetation in the walking area.

Herbs that can be given to chickens

In addition to the vegetation already mentioned, there is a lot of other that not only can, but also need to be fed to chickens for their good health and high productivity.

The special "delicacies" that grow in the wild include:

swan;

horse sorrel;

pine and spruce needles;

weeds (silage and hay);

plantain;

alfalfa;

dandelion;

wood lice (perfectly strengthens the skeleton);

spurge;

wheatgrass;

hawthorn and rose hips;

chestnut and rowan leaves.

Chickens will not give up and vegetable crops and their leaves... These include:

salad;

pumpkin;

cucumbers;

zucchini;

carrot;

parsley;

leaves of cereals;

onion feathers;

cabbage leaves.

If you are sure that only useful herbs grow on the site, then you can safely release chickens, they themselves will find their favorite vegetation.

Herbs that are strictly prohibited

Despite the opinion of some poultry farmers, you should not trust the choice of grass only to chicken. The statement that birds themselves know about the benefits or harms of this or that vegetation is very exaggerated - birds often peck at plants that are poisonous to them. As we already said, before walking the chickens, you should carefully inspect the site.

1. After cutting the pine branches, they must be placed in a warm, dry room on racks made of metal mesh. Under the structure, you can spread oilcloth or cellophane, so that after a few days it will be easier to collect the crumbling needles.
2. Pine and spruce needles are harvested from November to mid-March, since it is at this time that it contains the least amount of essential oils.
3. The collected needles are usually crushed and poured into glass containers, tightly closing them with lids.

How to cook "health food"

Chickens are more willing to eat needles if they pre-grind... For these purposes, use a coffee grinder (if we are talking about pre-cut spruce branches with needles) or pass it through a mechanical meat grinder (it is more suitable for grinding pine branches). In addition, the cut branches can be placed on a baking sheet and sent to the oven for half an hour to help the needles crumble faster.

In a crushed form, they can be mixed into a mash or given on their own, adhering to the daily rate for a bird of a certain age.

If you wish, you can burn the needles and prepare a "bath" for the chickens from its ash. Of course, in this case there will be practically no vitamins, but all the necessary elements can be found. Chickens will be able to receive them, in particular, by pecking grains trapped in the ash.

Video: harvesting needles for chickens

How to properly feed the needles

The needles of pine or spruce branches will bring the maximum benefit to the bird in winter, since it is during this period that it contains a maximum of useful substances, with a minimum of essential oils, which are not very beneficial for the bird.

The optimal dosage of chopped needles for adult chickens is 6-10 g per individual per day, but it is better for young animals to introduce it into the diet in stages, starting from 2-3% of the total amount of feed.

As for the method of serving, the needles will be best absorbed in combination with a wet flour mash, but often adult chickens are given it in pure form or in combination with dry food, stirring with them until a homogeneous composition.
As you can see, both greens and needles will be useful for chickens of any age. The main thing is to properly prepare them, avoiding poisonous plants. If you doubt the benefits of the grass growing on the run, it is better to remove it, giving the hens only the one that you are sure of.

Useful and harmful herb for chickens



Experienced poultry farmers know perfectly well that chickens are omnivorous birds. They are ready to eat whatever food is offered to them. In fact, the diet of feathered pets should be varied. But one of the must-haves in a chicken's diet is freshly cut grass. Greens are rich in various vitamins that prevent the development of vitamin deficiency in them, and also have a beneficial effect on the productivity of the bird, its growth and development.

The most suitable and useful types of grasses for birds will be cereals and legumes, namely: peas, clover, oats, alfalfa, etc. In early spring, as well as in summer, chickens eat very well chopped and boiled nettle leaves. It is best mixed with bran or grain mixture. You can also use meadow herbs: clover, dandelions, pig and other types of herbs.

In addition to grass, chickens can and should be fed vegetables and garden grass: carrots, zucchini, beets, potatoes, cucumbers, onion feathers, parsley, lettuce and cabbage and others. The main thing is a moderate amount of feed.

An important point in feeding chickens with green mass is the presence of poisonous herbs and plants in forbs. These include: hemlock, nightshade, cockle, hellebore, cicuta and others. As a rule, feathered pets themselves distinguish what they can eat and which plants it is better not to touch.

When used in a subsidiary farm without a range of chickens, herbs are best served in bunches in the hen house, and not thrown under their feet. A bunch of greens is suspended at a height of 50-100 cm above the floor so that the bird does not just eat food, but also warms up and resists obesity.

Some types of herbs are used by poultry farmers not only as a feed fortified with vitamins, but also as a medicine. For example, yarrow, larkspur and tansy prevent worms from infesting chicken.

Rules for feeding chickens at home

The productivity of your poultry farm directly depends on what you feed your laying hens. The composition of the feed and its quality play an important role in the poultry production process. In this article, we will talk about how to properly balance the diet of your chickens.



Nutrients

In home farming, care should be taken to ensure that birds receive a varied diet that is rich in all the ingredients needed to maintain health and growth. It is necessary to maintain a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and fats. Let's talk about each element in more detail.

The main material that is involved in the process of building cells in the body of chickens. Protein is the main ingredient in eggs.

Layer feed must contain vegetable proteins. It can be cake, rapeseed, soy. Animal fat proteins can be fed as fishmeal, fish waste, and some chickens prefer worms.

Fat is also essential for the body as it provides the bulk of energy for birds. The element is deposited under the skin, spent on the formation of egg production.

For poultry to get healthy vegetable fats, it needs to eat corn and oats.



This component gives the answer for the correct functioning of the muscular system and all internal organs of chickens. Based on this, it follows that the feed developed for layers must be rich in starch and sugar. Don't forget about fiber.

Juicy feed contains a huge amount of carbohydrates: potatoes, beets, carrots. However, in order to supply the correct vital functions of chickens, it is necessary to add a whole seed, it is it that is rich in fiber.

Chickens will die without vitamins. Particular attention should be paid to vitamins such as A, B, D. If such components in the bird's body are in short supply, then immunity decreases, it begins to hurt, and productivity decreases. The main sources of useful vitamins are herbs during bud formation, fish oil, yeast, and pine needle flour.

Minerals are foundational of the bird's skeleton and eggshell. It is necessary to equip additional feeders in your chicken coop, they should contain pieces of gravel, chalk, bone meal, ash or shells.



In order to ensure proper nutrition of chickens in poultry farms, you can use waste from the garden, garden and even from the kitchen. We list food products that are suitable for feeding chickens:

4. Potato. Chickens are fed potatoes that have grown in the garden, but are not suitable for human consumption. It can be a sprouted root vegetable, small, green. Potato skins are also good. One chicken can eat about one hundred grams of potatoes.
5. Bread. Dry, stale bread can be soaked in water and fed to the chicken.
6. Waste from the kitchen. Leftovers from meat food, head and offal of fish, fresh bones - all these wastes are suitable for feeding chickens and have a good effect on increasing productivity. Chickens eat such foods well in any form.
7. Juicy and green food. This feed group consists mainly of vegetable and garden waste. For such nutrition, carrot tops, fallen apples, cabbage leaves and other gifts from your site are suitable. All these components should be finely ground and added to the layer mash in a fine form.
8. Protein feed. Household owners use dairy products and the results of its processing. This can be cottage cheese, whey, small fish and meat. The cake from plant material is also rich in proteins. All of these additives are mixed with wet food. Earthworms, beetles, and small amphibians are a complete source of protein.

Now let's talk about how to select green plant food for bird nutrition. Green forages are irreplaceable sources of useful elements: minerals and vitamins.

If the chickens walk themselves, then they eat the required amount of grass on their own. If you feed the birds with concentrates, then you need to add about twenty percent greens to the daily diet.

What can you find in your garden beds for your chickens? Plants such as dill, green peas (preferably young), lettuce and other herbs that will not irritate the digestive system of chickens are suitable.

Among the weeds, dicotyledonous nettle leaves are most often used. This plant contains a large amount of ascorbic acid, vitamins, fiber and liquid.

Chickens can be fed with barley, zucchini, oats. Give buckwheat and boiled peas. You can make different types of cereals, a variety of cereals will do. We give porridge during the day, and in the evening we give preference to green food. Some vegetables are healthier to feed raw.

Sometimes you can add a little beetroot juice or tops to the mash. From greens, give preference to dill and parsley, they can be given pure or full. Don't forget to give potatoes.

It is also worth paying attention to feeding laying hens at home in winter. It is necessary to add such greens as needles and spruce needles. In addition, it is worth harvesting grass straw for the winter. This kind of food is also suitable for chickens.

Currently, the most correct option for poultry feed is dry type compound feed. Its disadvantage is the increased cost, which negatively affects the cost of one egg.

Therefore, farmers tend to use less costly methods of feeding birds. Let's talk about how to properly feed hens without compound feed.

Everyday poultry diet consists of grains, fishmeal, herbs. In addition, minerals and vitamins must be added.

The best option in this case is to change different grains and flours. It is very good to use zucchini as an additional source of vitamins and liquid. You can give both raw zucchini and boiled, but they should always be pureed. Minerals should be in the feed of birds at all times.

Since it is quite simple to make and mix feed, farmers prefer to make compound feed for layers with their own hands. Cereal feed - solid food, soft food - a mash of cereals, vegetables and herbs with the addition of flour.

If a farmer knows what products should be added to his chickens' feed in order to increase egg production and increase their immunity, then he will easily find the answer to the question of how to feed laying hens at home. It is important to monitor compliance with the proportions of the content of each element. Feeding hens includes:

Before starting to make a mash for chickens, farmers must decide on the quantity. Other products should be pre-processed before being fed to chickens:

• Potato tubers and peeling are worth boiling, cooling and mashing.
• Vegetables are grated or in a food processor; beets can be processed into juice.
• Meat and fish products are treated with heat and cooled.
• Red beans should be boiled, other beans should be soaked before serving to the chickens.



Chickens are omnivorous. They can search for food all the time, however, if they overeat, it will not have a very good effect on their health. The number of eggs laid will decrease.

To avoid this, it is necessary to develop the correct feeding regime for the chickens and give the right amount of food at a certain time. How to feed chickens properly?

How many times for layers per day is it better to give feed and what are the norms for feeding laying hens at home?

In order for the chickens to give more egg production, it is necessary to feed them two or three times a day. Changing this number is based on the individual characteristics of each breed, which can be identified after experimental observations.

Feeding rate for chickens. Most often, half a gram of salts and minerals is added to one hundred grams of a mixture of grain for laying hens at home. In addition, straw or herbs are added. Don't forget about vegetables and animal ingredients.

There are many recipes for making your own bird feed. At home, you can use a lot of handy products. Special attention should be paid to seasonal restrictions.

How to feed chickens in summer? The feed rate for chickens is green feed. In the winter season, when problems arise with this type of feed for laying hens, attention is focused on hay and vegetables, which are subject to long-term storage. Some people prefer to give chickens green onions.

Can potato peelings be given to chickens? Experienced farmers always know which feed can be replaced with what and which grain is better. This makes it possible to combine meals based on what products are available at the moment.

Now let's talk about what you can't feed laying hens. Since these birds are almost omnivorous, it is worth paying attention to the quality of food in the chicken coop. Get rid of rotten and moldy pieces. Due to the greed of chickens and the carelessness of farmers, many intestinal infections can begin to develop, the goiter becomes clogged, and worms appear.

So what is harmful to domestic chickens? What shouldn't you feed them? The daily menu of birds should not contain sour and fermented feed. Mold is also unacceptable. To keep the birds safe from digestive problems, you need to grind the roots. Before giving potatoes, it must be boiled, as well as peeling.

When a bird consumes greens or straw, it is worth knowing that there are no poisonous varieties of grass in the composition of such food. Eliminate horsetail and wormwood. These types of herbs in most cases lead to bird poisoning.

It is common for novice farmers to ask this question: is it possible to feed chickens with bread products. If these are muffins, then they will have an adverse effect on the chicken body. But simple grain bread or a loaf of wheat can be given to laying hens.

Especially such feedings are beneficial in the winter season, when the chickens need to acquire energy reserves. In the daily diet of chickens, it is worth adding good pieces, which are always dried. They can be soaked.

Feed during molting

When the daylight hours become shorter, the birds enter the molt period. At this point, productivity decreases. Many farmers artificially induce molt - they simply change the lighting in the house, and they expose the chickens to unnecessary stress, give less food.

On the first and second day, the chickens receive only fresh water, and after the feathers begin to fall, they are given food. During molting, chickens need to get the right amount of nutrients and minerals. Food should be less high-calorie, but more different in components.

The farmer must monitor the condition of the livestock. Feeding control can be carried out based on observations of bird droppings.

In healthy chickens, with the correct diet, the feces are dense, dark and with a white bloom. Other deviations from the norms should force the owners to pay attention to the menu and reconsider the diet of chicken feeding.

Now you know what to feed the chickens. For those who are engaged in poultry farming, it is important to be able to save on keeping chickens. To do this, farmers seek to learn the rules and regulations for self-preparation of bird feed. After all, food for industrial-produced laying hens is distinguished by its high cost, which affects the cost of production.

All the necessary elements to create a quality and healthy diet can be found in the household. It only takes a little knowledge and a little effort from poultry farmers. The more love we give the birds, the better the results will be. Pets will appreciate such care and will delight their owner with their good health and high productivity.

Chickens of the egg direction: the best breeds of layers and their description

Chickens are unpretentious, and therefore popular poultry. In this case, the hen can give not only eggs, but also dietary meat. There are many breeds and varieties of laying hens. But how to choose the one that best suits the description or photo? The article will help you understand this issue, as well as what grass should be fed to the chicken and at what age it will lay the first eggs.

How to equip a chicken coop

Before choosing a breed, take care of the content of the bird. The chicken coop is a bird house. Layers need comfort and safety in it. The sizes are calculated based on the number: about 0.2 m? Is needed for one hen. It is not recommended to make the height more than 1.8 m - in cold weather it will be more difficult to warm up the chicken coop. The best floor material is wood, mound, or clay. Above you need a bedding of straw, dry leaves or sawdust. It will help you with humidity and temperature control in winter. The optimum humidity in the chicken coop is 60-70%. Drafts are categorically undesirable, but ventilation should be. Its options are extensive: from a simple window to a hood.



Lighting - daylight or lamp - is a prerequisite for laying eggs. The hen needs 12 hours of daylight. Any chicken coop definitely needs a roost: made of bars or poles 2-3 cm thick. The width of the sitting space for one individual is 20 cm. The roost is located opposite the windows and away from drafts at a height of about 1 meter above the floor. Another condition is nests. The chicken will lay eggs in them. For 10 chickens, you need 2-4 nests. Usually these are wooden boxes with straw or wood shavings. Before entering the nest, you need a nut 5 cm high and a shelf (a bird will fly into it). The coop should be disinfected periodically (for example, before winter) and the litter should be changed.

The length of the feeder is calculated at the rate of 10-15 cm per 1 chicken. The containers are most often made of wood or galvanized iron. To prevent the bird from scattering food, you need to fill the feeder 2/3. Drinking bowls for chickens must be made comfortable and durable.

The diet and organization of nutrition for chickens is a simple matter, but it has its own nuances. Its diversity and balance is achieved by the presence of greens, grains, vegetables, clean water and minerals in the required amount. Chickens also need small stones for proper digestion.

Advice. To obtain a bright orange yolk, which is appreciated in domestic eggs, you need an excess of juicy feed: carrots, potatoes, beets, melons, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, herbs. You can give something in plenty, in something you can limit.

The grass should be fresh from spring to autumn. Vegetable herbs include lettuce, parsley, green onions, and fennel. You should be extremely careful with greens from outside the garden. Poisonous herbs for chickens:



The most useful herbs for chickens are alfalfa, wheat, peas, oats, purslane, dandelions, pig, meadow clover. Nettle, chopped and treated with boiling water, has excellent properties. Fresh grass should also be given in winter. For this, meadow forbs are stored in May-June.

The best crosses and their content

Laying hens have a small weight (up to 2.5 kg), dense plumage, light bones, well-developed lobes, and a straight leaf-shaped crest. There are many breeds of egg direction. This term is also called complex hybrids - crosses. They are more productive, but you are unlikely to be able to grow their new generation from eggs on their own. In addition, after 1-2 seasons, the productivity of layers drops sharply, so they are sent for slaughter and new ones are bought. However, even with this type of farming, laying hens remains profitable. The most popular and highly productive egg chicken breeds include the following:

Greater celandine is a perennial herb with a short rhizome. The stem of celandine is branched, up to 1 m tall, the leaves are green above, glaucous below. Celandine flowers are medium-sized, golden-yellow, on long pedicels, collected in small umbellate inflorescences. In all its parts, celandine contains orange milky juice, which, when it gets on the hands, resembles the color left by the tincture of iodine. Celandine grows in the European part of the country, in the Urals, in Siberia, in the Caucasus, mainly in the foothill and mountain regions, as well as in shady places among bushes, in forests, ravines, and near hedges. Blossoms in May-July; fruits ripen in July-September. In medicine, the aerial part of the plant is used, as well as the roots and fresh juice. The herb contains more than 20 alkaloids (chelidonine, chelerythrine, sanguinarine, protopin, etc.), essential oils, vitamins (carotene, ascorbic acid), flavonoids, saponins and organic acids (citric, malic, succinic and chelidonic). The composition of celandine includes many physiologically active substances, and therefore it has a number of contraindications for admission. So, you should not use celandine for persons suffering from epilepsy, angina pectoris, as well as with a number of neurological diseases. In case of an overdose of celandine, poisoning may develop with nausea, vomiting, paralysis of the respiratory center. Remember: celandine is an unsafe herb, it contains alkaloids, which, in large doses, turn from drugs to poisons. For this reason, celandine is best taken as directed and under medical supervision. and for chickens decide for yourself, I would not advise.

To answer

Chicken dishes can be diversified not only by different methods of cooking meat, but also by changing the composition of the spices added to them. The list of seasonings used by housewives is usually quite narrow - they are familiar to everyone: salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic, etc. Remember that the same chicken meat cooked with the addition of different spices will be very different in taste and aroma.

What spices go well with chicken?

So, the spice of chicken meat is undoubtedly given by pepper. Of course, it is best to use black or chili peppers, they will subtly emphasize the taste and add the necessary piquancy to the cooked dish. Peppers are usually added at the very end of cooking, as they can produce an unpleasant bitterness during cooking. Chili peppers are the zest of Mexican cuisine. It is added to the preparation of chicken goulash and spicy wings.

In addition to peppers, marjoram, sage, rosemary, basil, thyme and mint are suitable for chicken. These seasonings can be used separately or mixed together. Before cooking, the chicken should be grated with these herbs and left to marinate for a while. Condiments such as curry and ginger have become very popular. Both of these spices work well together to complement the flavor of the chicken. Ginger gives the dish a hot mint flavor and is very healthy. It is recommended to use it dried or fresh. Curry, on the other hand, is a mixture of versatile spices and is even suitable as a spice for grilled chickens. It consists of caraway seeds, white mustard, nutmeg, coriander and all kinds of hot peppers.

But chicken meat in the form of minced meat will go well with such a seasoning as oregano, without which it is unthinkable to achieve delicious taste and aroma.

Another spice that's great for chicken (especially grilled chicken) is turmeric. Rich, rich, with a pleasant smell, it will not overwhelm or overshadow the taste of chicken with its presence, but only subtly emphasize the dish and form an appetizing crust on the chicken.

The spices for grilled chicken can be used the same as for stewing chicken, but the taste of the cooked dish will, of course, be different.

And finally, when adding various seasonings and spices for chicken, remember that, despite their taste and benefits, you need to use everything in reasonable small quantities so that they do not interrupt the natural taste and aroma of the dish.

Related articles:

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Seasoning marjoram Marjoram is a common herb that is widely used in medicine and cooking. It is also used as an ornamental plant. Nowadays, more and more often you can find marjoram in the lists of ingredients for the preparation of various dishes.	Basil - application Basil is a very popular condiment that can be found on the ingredient list for many dishes. This spicy plant has a pleasant, tart, pronounced aroma. Basil is consumed both fresh and dried. To learn more about this plant, you can read our article.

Various local feeds must be prepared for the poultry. This is not difficult to do, because poultry (especially chickens) can easily and quickly adapt to different foods, and geese are mostly herbivores.

Birds are fed: a) grain waste and grain - oats, millet, wheat, rye, barley, corn, peas, lentils; b) remains of technical production - wheat bran, mill waste, brewer's grains, dried beet pulp, oilcakes, meal; c) animal feed - skim milk, buttermilk, meat and meat and bone meal, flour, blood of healthy animals, meat and caviar of frogs, beetles, caterpillars and other agricultural pests, earthworms, ant eggs; d) vitamin and juicy feed - fresh nettle, clover, alfalfa, vetch oat mixture, forage cabbage, red carrots, silage, hay and hay dust, baker's or brewer's yeast, duckweed, beetroot, turnip, turnip, rutabagas, potatoes, cabbage leaves, lettuce, spinach, spruce and pine needles, mountain ash, alder leaves, aspen, hazel, yellow acacia, poplar, ash, maple, willow, birch, dandelion, etc.; e) mineral feed - slaked lime, chalk, eggshells, shells, bone meal, gravel, charcoal, table salt.

Young poultry farmers can procure a significant amount of feed during spring, summer and autumn on their own. For chickens, you should prepare for the winter (per head): potatoes 10 kilograms, root crops 10 kilograms (including preferably 4 kilograms of carrots), for ducks - 15 kilograms of juicy feed, and 20 kilograms for goose and turkey.

Hay is harvested from young grass or aftermath; the grass should be cut before flowering or at the beginning of flowering. To keep more vitamins and nutrients in the hay, the grass should be dried in the shade, quickly, preserving the leaves. To do this, the mowed grass must be immediately removed under the canopy, in the attic, in the barn and here in the shade to dry.

When tedding hay, you should be careful not to lose the most valuable parts of plants - leaves, which contain more proteins and vitamins than the stems.

For the winter, hay is required per head: for chickens 3 kilograms, for ducks 5 kilograms, for turkeys and geese 10-15 kilograms. It is good for poultry to prepare silage from clover and alfalfa aftermath, young grass, cabbage leaves and other plants. During winter, you can feed silage per head: chickens 6 kilograms, ducks 9 kilograms, geese and turkeys 15 kilograms each.

Birds readily eat quinoa mixed with other feeds. Wood brooms for poultry should be prepared in June-July. Brooms should be dried in the shade and stored in a well-ventilated area at low temperatures. Frogs are fed fresh in summer and dried in winter. Various insects (May beetles, turtle, locust and others) can be fed both fresh and dried.

May beetles appear in mass on trees as soon as they are covered with leaves. At this time, it is necessary to collect beetles. For this purpose, in sunny laziness under a tree, spread, and burlap, sheet, tarpaulin, climb the tree and shake it; beetles fall from the tree. Beetles can be dried in an oven at a low temperature; dried beetles are good animal food for winter feeding of poultry. For breeding worms, you can arrange wormholes: on well-manured land, make beds or grooves and cover them with boards; under these boards, worms will creep out onto the surface of the bed. The beds should be watered.

In wooded areas, be sure to feed poultry, especially young animals, ant eggs. It is very easy to prepare them. The ant heap together with the ants is placed in a bag and the contents of the bag are scattered on a smooth, grass-free area under the rays of the sun.

Is it possible to give celandine to chickens

Around this area, branches of Christmas trees, burdock, etc. are laid. To protect the eggs from hot sunlight, ants will drag the eggs under the only shelter - a spruce forest, burdock, etc. After all ant eggs are transferred, the shelter should be removed and collected ant eggs.

Duckweed, sometimes with a solid green carpet, covers the surface of ponds with weak flowing water. It is convenient to collect it with a mesh bucket through which water flows out. Ducks eat duckweed in great numbers, and other birds willingly eat it. It can be dried in the shade or in an oven at a temperature of 50-60 ° C. Dried duckweed can be poured into the water of a bird in winter.

It is also easy to prepare rowan berries, which are a valuable vitamin feed.
Good animal feed for poultry can be obtained from shells, which can be collected in large quantities in ponds, lakes, rivers. The collected shells are thrown into boiling water and boiled for about an hour. The shells open, and the "meat" can be easily taken out and fed to the bird or dried on a substitute. The shells are crushed and fed to the bird as a mineral supplement instead of chalk and slaked lime.

Feed is fed to chickens in the form of dry or wet mash. Animal, green, juicy and mineral feed are added to crushed and uncrushed grain, ground and flour grain. All feed must be pre-mixed very well. Juicy and vitamins should be finely chopped. Carrots, beets, cabbage can be pricked on nails, not high from the floor, and the bird will willingly peck at them.

Laying hens

On the backyard and small farms for laying hens, the main feed, which makes up 80% of the nutritional value of the diet, is concentrated feed: corn, barley, wheat, oats, millet, peas, beans, soybeans, cake or meal, wheat bran, meat and bone meal, fish meal and a number of other dry waste from the food industry, and 15-20% are carrots, beets, pumpkin fruits, good-quality kitchen waste, hay flour made from good bean hay, potatoes, green silage, fresh young grass, primarily alfalfa and clover , vitamin and mineral supplements.

There are 3 types of feeding for laying hens: dry, wet and combination.

Dry type of feeding for laying hens

With the dry type, laying hens in different phases of laying are fed full-value compound feed - dry feed mixtures balanced in terms of nutritional value.

Laying hens of egg breeds and lines with high egg production require 115 g of compound feed per head per day. It is fed in loose form or in the form of crumbs. Coarsely granulated feed for laying hens is not suitable, because pecks in excess and causes obesity.

Dry feeding with compound feed is usually used in poultry farms. On private farms, they prefer to give the poultry wet or combined feed.

Wet feeding for laying hens

With a wet type of feeding, laying hens are given mash, consisting of 3-4 types of grain ground into cereals, cake or meal, wheat bran, supplemented with hay flour, chopped carrots, beets, pumpkin or potatoes or other juicy feed moistened with up to 40% water , or better with skim milk, buttermilk, whey or meat broth. In summer, young juicy grass, green cabbage, fruits of early pumpkin crops are added to the mash. Salt and other mineral additives are also added to the mash, and in winter, in addition, vitamin supplements, incl. fish oil (0.5 g per head per day). The fish oil is added to the mash just before it is dispensed.

It is very important that the mash is crumbly, because the pasty mash clogs the beak of laying hens, is poorly eaten and stains the plumage.

Chickens eat feathers

They feed with a damp mash usually 3 times a day and give it so much that it pecks for 40-50 minutes.

It should be noted that feeding laying hens with wet mash is associated with additional labor costs for preparing feed for feeding, for cleaning the feeders. Therefore, in the courtyard and small farms, preference is given to the combined type of feeding for laying hens.

Combined type of feeding for laying hens

With the combined type, concentrates are used as the main feed, as well as the same additional feed as for wet feeding.

In the total amount of concentrates in the summer diet, the ratio of grain and dry food crushed into cereals should be 1.25: 1 in spring and autumn, and 1.5: 1 in winter. Whole grain (1-2 species) is fed in the morning and at night; in winter, they give a large (2/3) part of the diet at night so that the laying hens do not feel hunger during the long break between evening and morning feeding.

One part of the ground dry feed is kept in the trough during the day, and the other, together with additional feed, is used to prepare wet mash. They are fed 1-2 times during the daytime.

Feeding and feed rates

In the daily rate of basic feed (115-120 g) with wet and combined type of feeding, at least 2/3 is allocated to feed rich in carbohydrates - cereals (3-4 types) and wheat bran, and up to 1/3 - to protein (protein), which include beans, peas, soybeans, sunflower cake or meal (or sunflower), dry animal feed and feed yeast.

Permissible norms for the inclusion of carbohydrate concentrated feeds in the daily rations of laying hens: corn and wheat grain - 40-70 g each, barley - 30-50 g, millet - 20-40, sorghum (without tannins) - 30-45, wheat bran - 10- 25 g. Oat grain is especially appreciated in poultry farming, which is fed up to 20 g per day.

Optimal daily norms of protein feed: grain legumes - 10-12 g, cake or sunflower meal - 7-20 g, fish or meat and bone meal - 2-10 g. Pre-steaming for 30-40 minutes soaked legumes (beans, peas, soy) markedly increases the digestibility and utilization of the protein they contain.

Rape crops for grain are expanding in Moldova. In terms of protein content, rapeseed is superior to peas and only slightly inferior to beans. The daily allotment of rapeseed grains of common varieties to laying hens is limited to 8-10 g per head due to the increased content of saponins, glucosinolates and erucic acid in it, which reduce the feed value of rapeseed and negatively affect the productivity of poultry. The norm of rapeseed meal with a low content of these substances can be increased to 1 5-20 g. It is not at all recommended to feed the hens with vetch grain, ranches and grain waste with a high content of poisonous weed seeds.

The grain of barley, corn and other crops in a germinated form is very useful for laying hens, since in the process of germination the grain is enriched with vitamins, in particular E and B2 (riboflavin).

Complementary feed

All additional succulent feeds (carrots, pumpkin, grass, etc.) are crushed and fed immediately to prevent the breakdown of valuable biologically active substances. The potatoes are served boiled, but some of them can be fed raw.

Excellent feeds are meat broth, skim milk (reverse), churning, whey. Reverse can be given fresh or fully fermented. It is pertinent to note that the bird's body does not produce lactase, an enzyme that digests milk sugar (lactose). In fermented skim milk (curdled milk), lactose is converted into lactic acid, which is well absorbed by the bird.

The meat of culled animals can be used as feed for chickens only with the permission of a veterinarian and only boiled.

Laying hens' diets need to be supplemented with mineral supplements. Their total amount is usually 5-6% in relation to the mass of the main feed.

Table salt in crushed form is given at the rate of 0.4 g per head per day (as part of the mash). Its other use can cause acute damage to the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. The diet includes calcium salts contained in chalk, limestone, shell rock (3-6 g each). Bone meal or defluorinated phosphates (1-2 g) are used as sources of calcium and phosphorus.

Laying hens should be provided with sufficient gravel (coarse sand) to better grind the feed in the bird's stomach. Small gravel, the size of a millet grain, is given to young chickens, and a large one, the size of a vetch grain, is given to laying hens and young adults. Adult laying hens are given gravel at the rate of 0.6-0.7 g per head per day. Usually, a seven-day rate of gravel is applied to the mash once a week, if it is not constantly in a separate feeder.

Lack of gravel leads to a noticeable increase in feed consumption. Crushed shells or limestone cannot replace gravel because dissolve in the hydrochloric acid of the stomach with the release of calcium, an excess of which can lead to a violation of the mineral metabolism in poultry.

Poultry feeders and drinkers should be kept clean. It is necessary to fill the feeder with food up to half its height. If it is 2/3 full, feed losses will increase, and when the trough is fully loaded, they can exceed 20%.

Laying hens should have free access to fresh, clean water, the temperature of which does not exceed 20 ° C, and they completely refuse warm water (35 ° C).

Chicken mites

A sign that the stock of chickens is affected by a tick is the reluctance of birds to return to the chicken coop: these arthropods are most active at night, causing significant discomfort to chickens. Soon, external signs appear: discoloration of the scallop, cough, constant head shaking, egg production decreases, and brown spots appear on the eggs.

Unlike a tick, fleas live on the surface of the skin and feed on dead epithelial particles, and, as the name suggests, down and feathers. Diagnostics is not difficult: insects are up to 2 mm in size and are visible to the naked eye.

Is it possible to give celandine to chickens

Chickens behave very restlessly: they pull out feathers, constantly wallow in the sand or dust. Treatment of a chicken coop from fleas using special means is the only reliable way to prevent infection.

Despite the fact that fleas live on the surface of the skin, they have a significant impact on the overall physical condition of chickens. Birds rush less, lose weight, go bald. The treatment is quite expensive and lengthy. Do you want extra costs? Do not wait until the first symptoms of infection appear: just carry out preventive treatment of the chicken coop from puffin fleas!

Chicken coop checkers

The process of fumigating a chicken coop is not difficult: you can start work immediately after reading the instructions. It is clear that there should be no birds in the room during processing. It is also necessary to remove the remains of feed, drinking water, inventory. Checkers "PESHKA-V" are evenly distributed over the entire area of ​​the room and set on fire. Due to the special pyrotechnic composition, the active substances do not burn, but their sublimation takes place. The resulting finely dispersed smoke quickly fills the internal space, penetrating into hard-to-reach places. Three to four hours is quite enough for all insects and harmful microorganisms to be destroyed. After aging, the chicken coop is thoroughly ventilated for several hours, after which the bird can be launched into it.

If you need additional information on checkers for treating a chicken coop from insects, contact the consultant managers of MK PERI: they know the answers to all your questions!

Checker PESHKA-B

Net weight of the checker 500 g, D. V. - 450 g / kg cypermethrin
Packaging - boxes (20 pieces, 120 pieces)
Registered in the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation -
Registration number PVR-5-7.6 / 01909 dated 03.04.07.

Harmful objects 1 checker per room with volume (m 3):

Livestock premises: Flies 1000-1200; Lice beetles, lice 500-700; Gadflies, scabies, gnat 200-400

Poultry premises: Flies 1000-1200; Persian and gamasid ticks, downy, feather eaters 500-700; Bed bug 200-400

Greenhouses, warehouses, granaries, vegetable stores: Complex of pests of stocks 200-400

ATTENTION! Sending goods (checkers) is carried out on a full prepayment basis, only for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs!

Minimum lot - 1 box (20 pieces).

Order checker PESHKA-B

Late in the morning, a gray squirrel looked out of its nest. Frosty, but no snowstorm. It's time for breakfast. Of course, there are no more reserves on the tree where there was her nut. Having descended down the tree trunk, the squirrel softly jumped into the deep, loose snow. Running over to a nearby pine tree, she decided to have breakfast with cone seeds.

She quickly flew up the trunk of a tree and turned onto a branch, at the end of which there were cones. But there was snow on the branch like a thick pillow. The squirrel sat a little and, as if thinking it over, turned and deftly went downstairs. She ran to the side, looked around, sniffed, and began to rummage in the snow. Soon there was a lump in her teeth.

In a difficult winter season, squirrels are looking for their pantries under the snow, in which they have stored all kinds of forest products since autumn: nuts, acorns, sometimes dried mushrooms.

A well-developed sense of smell helps her to quickly find her "funerals". A fine instinct allows the squirrel to find old, fallen cones under the snow. And if there is a field next to the forest edge, then she feasts on ears of cereals and peas. In winter, this is good food, it would be more! Searching for food, the squirrel now and then looks around and listens all the time to see if there is any danger. No, everything is quiet. But she barely caught the slightest suspicious rustle - quickly runs back to the tree, soars up the trunk and hides among the branches. Sometimes it happens that the squirrel does not have time to reach the tree. Then it is not she who is having breakfast, but a marten, a sable, a fox or a feathered predator ...

A cat recognizes a mouse by smell and even determines where it is. By smell, the rabbit finds carrots or cabbage, to which the dog, for example, is completely indifferent. Using the sense of smell, all animals search for food.

Wild pigs are omnivorous animals, but their diet is dominated by plant foods. Wild boars eat grass, tubers and other underground parts of plants, acorns, beech and cedar fruits, wild fruits, and cultivated plants. They willingly eat earthworms, various soil insects and their larvae, small vertebrates, and do not neglect carrion. When searching for and obtaining food, wild boars use their rather delicate sense of smell. This is confirmed by the following example. In the spring of 1957, workers at the Kalacheyevsky state farm in the Voronezh Region laid a forest belt. The acorns were sown in an ordinary way under a hoe, and the next day they found empty open grooves. It turned out that the wild boars were in charge at night - they chose from the furrows and ate all the seeds. The workers decided to outwit the wild boars and at the same place laid a forest strip in a square-nesting manner with a staggered arrangement of nests. In each nest, to a depth of 12 centimeters, 25 selected acorns were planted, and the ground was buried. However, on the very first night, the boars reached these acorns and picked them out of the holes.

Domestic pigs also have a good sense of smell. Therefore, in France, for example, they have long been used to search for truffles. These aromatic mushrooms with underground fleshy fruiting bodies are a favorite dish of the French.

But since it is difficult to look for them in the soil, at a depth of up to 10-16 centimeters, this work is performed by specially trained pigs. It remains only to pick up the mushrooms dug by the patches of their assistants in time, otherwise the pigs will eat them.

Elks in winter are attracted by the smell of hay and they often appear in meadows and forest clearings near haystacks prepared by people. And in the Toguchinsky district of the Novosibirsk region there was a case when an elk detained a postman in the forest because of hay. In the morning the postman left for the mail and did not return. Towards evening, a tractor with people was sent in search. Three kilometers from the village, they saw the following picture: a tall elk stood across the forest road, not letting in a sleigh with a thoroughly chilled signalman. It turned out that he was attracted by the smell of meadow hay lying in the sleigh, and the postman did not think of treating the forest giant with this delicacy.

In rare cases, moose that have lost their sight can live for some time thanks to their good sense of smell, touch and hearing. In addition, it is much easier for herbivores to find food than for predators: the smell of grasses and trees comes from everywhere. In Bashkiria, one hunter on horseback chased a fleeing licensed elk for three hours. It was great surprise when, after killing the beast, he discovered that he was completely blind: both eyes, stricken with disease, had flowed out. And nevertheless, the elk perfectly navigated in the forest, maneuvered between the trees and, if not for the river, most likely, would have left the hunter.

In the fall, ferrets prowl near shallow rivers, lakes and swamps. They are attracted here by large flocks of frogs gathered for the winter. Having pulled the frog out of the water, the ferret rips open its stomach with sharp teeth. The same fate befell another, third ... tenth. The corpses of frogs are dragged to burrows by ferrets or thrown right there near the water, on the sand or in the grass, where they dry out and rot. In winter, when food becomes scarce, the animals roam along the snow-covered banks of rivers and lakes. Smelling the smell of rotting meat, ferrets shovel the snow and get to the frog graveyards. Similar meat warehouses - "refrigerators" - are also suitable for many other animals: ermine, wolverine, arctic fox and even a fox.

Experienced hunters are well aware of the habits of animals and the smells that attract them. This helps them successfully hunt fur-bearing animals using food odorous baits. Usually, animals are most willing to go to baits that have a natural smell familiar to them. Ermines, columns, martens, sables willingly go to bait from smelling meat, fish, bird carcasses, muskrat and other rodents.

Arctic foxes are attracted to the smell of any food of animal origin, for example, the smell of burnt hooves or deer antlers, and even herring brine. In order for the animals to find complementary foods faster, stakes with small flags are installed near it, which play the role of visual bait. Hunter F. Zugarev says that in the years when there are few foxes, hunters very effectively use odorous hulks. On Novaya Zemlya, in the Russian harbor, a hunter killed a bearded seal on the fast ice. Having butchered the carcass, he put the meat on a sled, and decided to carry the skin by dragging. Up to the hut itself (distance about 12 kilometers) the skin dragged behind the sled. The next day, the hunter went to the hunt again and saw that three Arctic foxes were running to the hut at night on the trail where the skin was dragging. Then he deliberately dragged the skin in different directions, and the hunter put baits on the odorous traces of the slut and alerted the traps. As a result, nine Arctic foxes were caught.

The ability of animals to recognize familiar food by its smell was used by the employees of the Leningrad Zoo at a very difficult time for them. At the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the most valuable animals of the zoo were evacuated to Kazan. Some of the animals (predators and herbivores) remained in the zoo. Among them are the tiger cubs Vaska and Tigryunya. When feeding difficulties arose, herbivores - deer, antelopes, bison - were in a slightly better position compared to predators. The tigers could only be offered one dish - grupa (a mixture of crushed quinoa, grass, cabbage leaves and stumps). Vaska and Tigryunya furiously threw bowls of herbal gruel. But in place of the overturned dishes, another one appeared, with the same food. A few days later, the tigers began to sip on the liquid, and did not touch the ooze remaining at the bottom. And then the scientific director of the zoo NL Sokolov came up with the idea to use the instincts and sense of smell of predators. Before the war, the zoo bred rabbits to get cheap meat to feed the animals, and a lot of their skins were kept in the warehouse. They began to stuff the skins with rag and cake and, after sewing them up, threw them to the tigers. Smelling an irritating smell, the hungry, emaciated Vaska and Tigryunya took the stuffed skins for real rabbits, threw themselves at the carcass and eagerly, in an instant, devoured them. Gradually, with the help of stuffed skins, it was possible to accustom other predators to gag and oilcakes: foxes, raccoon dogs, martens, badgers, ferrets.

For herbivores, the smell of a predator is always fraught with a threat and, hearing it, they turn to flight. It was this circumstance that found an interesting reflection in the care of the Dutch farmers about the protection of their crops. Their fields were seriously damaged by the inhabitants of local reserves - fallow deer, roe deer and deer. And then someone came up with the idea to scare away ungulates from fields and gardens with the smell of predators. Farmers began to buy lion manure from zoos and apply it to their land plots. The success of such fertilizers has more than justified the costs. The animals were frightened off by even the smallest amount of lion dung, and the damage stopped.

Wild animals are well aware of the smell of man. Where he chases and kills animals, they are afraid not only of his appearance, but also of his smell, and the smell of his things. They are especially sensitive to the smell of tobacco, the smoke of a fire, and boots oiled with tar. Animals hear the smoke from a cigarette almost a kilometer away. Therefore, it is easier for non-smokers to meet the beast or watch for it than smelling tobacco. In general, you need to approach the animals while hunting only against the wind.

It is interesting that the predators themselves react differently to other people's smells. A lion, for example, often takes away an antelope they have killed from hyenas and willingly eats it.

But his relative, the African leopard, does not share his prey with anyone, but he will not touch someone else's either. Moreover, if another animal - a hyena, a jackal, a lion - touches its prey, the leopard throws it away. The leopard also does not use other people's prey.

The hard worker mole, in continuous worries about food, searches for food mainly by smell.

Through a thick layer of earth, he smells the smell of worms, insects and their larvae and breaks through to them. But he cannot put up with unusual, and even unpleasant odors. This is sometimes used by people who want to drive the mole out of their garden or garden. They put in one of its moves the head of a herring or a piece of tow moistened with kerosene or tar. The mole does not withstand such a smell and moves to another place.

The phytoncides of cherry laurel and black and red elderberry effectively act on rodents: rodents are usually not found in warehouses and barns lined with elderberries. Blackroot and buckwheat, as well as white and black mustard, scare off rats and mice. In fields where mustard grows, there are usually no mice or voles.

Poor birds were haunted by insects. But then one of the sparrows flew down, and a minute later appeared with leaves of a fragrant, tart wormwood - tarragon and rushed with it into the nest. This was repeated several times. Having paved the nest with wormwood, clever birds drive out annoying insects from it.

In addition to dry food, chickens also need fresh green herbs, which are a natural source of almost all vitamins necessary for birds. However, not all plants are good for bird health. Therefore, any poultry farmer needs to understand grasses, in their types and features, so that feeding and walking the birds will only benefit them.

Useful properties of herbs for chickens

Juicy green food has a positive effect on the health of birds, which is expressed, in particular, in bright color of egg yolk.
In the warm season, in addition to fodder carrots, beets, Jerusalem artichoke and other popular garden plants, it is worth giving chickens and fresh green grass, or providing them with free access to it.

Important! In summer, the daily intake of herbs in the diet of chickens can reach 50%, and some poultry farmers increase it to 60%.

However, the benefits of a particular species for poultry can be different, so poultry farmers recommend that you carefully study the vegetation in the walking area.

Herbs that can be given to chickens

In addition to the vegetation already mentioned, there is a lot of other that not only can, but also need to be fed to chickens for their good health and high productivity.

The special "delicacies" that grow in the wild include:

• swan;


• horse sorrel;


• pine and spruce needles;


• weeds (silage and hay);


• plantain;


• alfalfa;


• dandelion;


• wood lice (perfectly strengthens the skeleton);


• spurge;


• wheatgrass;


• hawthorn and rose hips;


• chestnut and rowan leaves.

Chickens will not give up and vegetable crops and their leaves... These include:

If you are sure that only useful herbs grow on the site, then you can safely release chickens, they themselves will find their favorite vegetation.

Herbs that are strictly prohibited

Despite the opinion of some poultry farmers, you should not trust the choice of grass only to chicken. The statement that birds themselves know about the benefits or harms of this or that vegetation is very exaggerated - birds often peck at plants that are poisonous to them. As we already said, before walking the chickens, you should carefully inspect the site.

It should not contain:

• cockle;


• hemlock;


• belladonna;


• broom;


• spotted hemlock;


• black nightshade;


• potato inflorescences;




• leaves and acacia.

All these plants, to one degree or another, affect the well-being of the bird, and if some simply cause an upset stomach, then others may well provoke the death of birds.

Did you know? Buttercup caustic, or "night blindness", has nothing to do with either chickens or a real disease under that name. Simply, if you rub your eyes after contact with its juice, they immediately turn red and start watering. In some villages it is still believedthis yellow flower dangerous tochickens, which is not surprising, given its toxic properties.In fact, it is harmless topoultry.

Feeding "babies"

Like human children, small chickens do not have the proper immunity, therefore, external unfavorable factors may well serve as the reason for the development of any ailment. To protect young livestock, it is very important to monitor the nutrition of the "babies", in particular when choosing greens.

At what age can you feed greens

As a rule, experienced poultry farmers introduce greens into the diet of chickens towards the end of the first week of their life (for example, from the fifth day), but there are also farmers who declare the possibility of feeding "babies" from the first day after birth. When choosing the correct power supply scheme, it is important to focus on the following norms of greens per day:

• age 0-5 days - 1 g per day per chicken;
• 6-10 days - 3 g;
• 11-20 days - 7 g;
• 21-30 days - 10 g;
• 31-40 days -15 g;
• 41-50 days - 17 g.

Of course, all greens intended for chickens must be pre-washed and finely chopped so that the fragile stomach can digest it well. As an additional treatment, you can pour boiling water over the grass. It is advisable to carry out all preparatory measures before direct feeding of the young.

Important!The longer the mowed grass lies in the attic, the less vitamins will remain in it, therefore, when feeding the chickens, it is important to give only freshly cut greens, adding to the mash or pouring them separately into the feeders.

What greens can you feed chickens

From an early age, small chickens eat very well. They also love dandelion, lettuce, green onions, clover, plantain. All these plants, in addition to their pleasant taste for birds, have a number of useful properties - from improving digestion to strengthening the body's defenses and saturating it with protein (it is contained in sufficient quantities in clover).
So that the chicks that appear in winter do not suffer from vitamin deficiency, it is desirable harvest grass since summer by tying the collected greens into bunches and hanging them in a dry ventilated room for further drying. In winter, dried greens are crushed and mixed into wet mash.

Needles as medicine for chickens

For novice poultry farmers, using pine needles for feeding chickens may seem like a bad idea, but in fact, spruce needles will bring considerable benefit to birds, as long as they are properly prepared.

Pine needles contain many beneficial and nutritious substances. Quantity for 1 kg:

• carotene - 60-130 mg;
• vitamin C - 3000 mg;
• vitamin K - 20 mg;
• vitamin B2 - 5 mg.

Spruce needles are slightly less useful, since the components are distributed in the following ratio:

• carotene - 50-120 mg;
• vitamin C - 2500 mg;
• vitamin K - 12 mg;
• vitamin B2 - 5 mg.

How to properly prepare needles

Any farm animals eat pine needles or any farm animals with pleasure, although young hens and chickens do not immediately recognize it. The bird is given needles both dry and fresh, but in each of these cases the workpiece has the same features:

1. After cutting the pine branches, they must be placed in a warm, dry room on racks made of metal mesh. Under the structure, you can spread oilcloth or cellophane, so that after a few days it will be easier to collect the crumbling needles.
2. Pine and spruce needles are harvested from November to mid-March, since it is at this time that it contains the least amount of essential oils.
3. The collected needles are usually crushed and poured into glass containers, tightly closing them with lids.

Did you know? The marsh pine is considered the record holder for the length of the needles, because its needles can be up to 45 cm in length.

How to cook "health food"

Chickens are more willing to eat needles if they pre-grind... For these purposes, use a coffee grinder (if we are talking about pre-cut spruce branches with needles) or pass it through a mechanical meat grinder (it is more suitable for grinding pine branches). In addition, the cut branches can be placed on a baking sheet and sent to the oven for half an hour to help the needles crumble faster.

In a crushed form, they can be mixed into a mash or given on their own, adhering to the daily rate for a bird of a certain age.

If you wish, you can burn the needles and prepare a "bath" for the chickens from its ash. Of course, in this case there will be practically no vitamins, but all the necessary elements can be found. Chickens will be able to receive them, in particular, by pecking grains trapped in the ash.

Video: harvesting needles for chickens

How to properly feed the needles

The needles of pine or spruce branches will bring the maximum benefit to the bird in winter, since it is during this period that it contains a maximum of useful substances, with a minimum of essential oils, which are not very beneficial for the bird.

The optimal dosage of chopped needles for adult chickens is 6-10 g per bird per day Was this article helpful?

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Most herbs provide health benefits for humans and animals. Therefore, many of them are used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. I breed chickens and use a wide variety of herbs on my farm. Plants are more than just poultry feed. They are also a component of its living environment. I prefer the well-known culinary herbs - absolutely safe and edible.

But some plants are toxic to chickens (as well as humans). There have been cases when the use of too large doses of medicinal and useful herbs led to illness and even death.

I do not do scientific research, do not have a veterinary or medical education. Therefore, I decided that caution would never be excessive. I have completely abandoned the use of materials and products in poultry that can provoke problems with my pets.

If on any product we see the mark "vegetable" or "natural", this does not mean at all that it is absolutely safe. The chicken is a fairly small poultry. It doesn't take too much effort to harm her health.

Be careful with essential oils

Essential oils are often misused or overused. Especially if a person does not have information about their use and exact dosages. Therefore, I always prefer fresh or dried herbs.

Some of the unsafe plants can be found in many poultry products. Therefore, it becomes imperative to always check the ingredient list carefully before purchasing herbal chicken nutritional supplements.

I avoid using house furnishing products and materials that contain any potentially harmful ingredients. Since chickens can peck even inedible objects, harmful substances in their composition can harm the health of the bird.

Here is a list of some toxic plants that I refuse to use. They can cause symptoms of quite serious illness in birds, and in the worst case, they can be fatal.

8 potentially harmful plants

Comfrey is an herb that often causes diarrhea and liver failure. It is better to give preference to the external use of this plant to relieve edema, heal wounds. Although many owners mistakenly convince that comfrey is chicken feed.

Eucalyptus is not dangerous by itself. But it can contain spores of aspergillosis, a fungus that leads to the extinction of various bird species, including chickens and ducks. In addition, concentrated eucalyptus oil is toxic to humans and animals.

Digitalis is an herb that can lead to heart failure.

Equine nettle is a plant from the nightshade family that has a negative effect on the central nervous system.

Marshmint is toxic to the liver, leads to kidney failure, and sometimes death.

Tansy - can provoke diarrhea, liver disease, death.

Grushanka is the cause of endocrine disorders in the body.

Wormwood - affects the nervous system and can lead to seizures.

Poultry confetti is an aromatic mixture. It contains calendula, rose petals, chamomile, mint, echinacea and other safe herbs. With this mixture, you can maintain a pleasant smell in the chicken coop. It allows you to scare off pests, has a beneficial effect on the bird.

Needles for chickens - video