Providing a balanced diet for laying hens is crucial for maintaining their health and maximizing egg production. Whether you aim to supply your family with fresh eggs or produce eggs for hatching, understanding the nutritional needs of your flock is paramount. A well-fed hen is a productive hen, and a balanced diet is key to preventing deficiencies that can hinder egg production and lead to health issues.
Understanding the Nutritional Needs of Laying Hens
A hen's diet is used for two main purposes: maintenance and production. The maintenance requirement covers the energy and nutrients needed for basic survival and health, including the proper functioning of organ systems. Once these needs are met, the hen can use additional nutrients for egg production. A diet lacking the correct balance of nutrients will likely result in poor or no egg production.
Here are the essential nutrients in a hen's diet:
- Protein: Vital for various bodily functions, including hormone and enzyme production, immune cell function, tissue maintenance, and oxygen transportation. Protein is also crucial for egg components, especially the albumen (egg white). Soybean meal is a primary protein source in most poultry diets.
- Carbohydrates: A primary source of energy for hens. Energy powers almost every function of a chicken, from basic bodily processes to physical activity. Corn is an excellent source of carbohydrates in poultry feed.
- Lipids (Fats or Oils): Another concentrated source of energy, especially important during colder seasons when hens need more energy to maintain their body temperature.
- Vitamins and Minerals: Extremely important for many bodily functions. While most commercial layer feeds contain sufficient vitamins and minerals, calcium and phosphorus deserve special attention.
- Calcium and Phosphorus: These minerals are essential for bone health and eggshell formation. Eggshells are primarily composed of calcium carbonate. The ideal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for laying hens is much higher than the standard 2:1 ratio for most animals, ranging from 4:1 to as high as 7:1.
Choosing the Right Feed: Commercial vs. Homemade
Commercial Feeds
Commercially available complete feeds are formulated to meet the specific needs of growing pullets and laying hens, making them a convenient and reliable option. These feeds are readily available at local feed supply stores. Pay attention to the feed label to understand the concentration of important nutrients and match them to the recommendations for pullets and laying hens. At a minimum, labels typically display the amount of protein (or crude protein), fat, and fiber. Layer feed labels should also include the analyzed calcium and phosphorus content.
A laying hen consumes between 100 and 150 grams (approximately 0.25 pounds) of feed per day. Therefore, ten laying hens will consume a 50-pound bag of feed in about 20 days.
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Homemade Poultry Feeds
Mixing your own layer feed can be an attractive option for some small-flock producers. However, it requires in-depth knowledge of your birds' nutritional requirements based on their age and the nutrient content of various ingredients. An imbalanced diet can have lasting adverse effects on your flock. Mixing homemade feeds may also require investing in additional equipment, and sourcing individual ingredients can be challenging.
Types of Chicken Feed
- Starter Feed: Feed newly hatched chicks a starter diet until they are about six weeks old. Starter diets are formulated to give proper nutrition to fast-growing baby chickens. It is not recommended to give meat-bird starter feed to young layer-type chickens. Some starter diets are medicated to prevent coccidiosis, a common yet serious disease in young chickens. Check the label for warnings concerning the medication used in feeds. Withdrawal dates will be indicated on the label if there is a risk of the medication’s presence in the eggs. Non-medicated feeds are commonly available or can be ordered.
- Grower/Developer Feed: Once the birds reach about six weeks of age, begin using a grower or developer feed. If developer feeds are available, you can substitute them for the grower feed after about 14 weeks of age. Developer feeds are lower in protein than grower feeds (14-15%) and are formulated to prepare young chickens for egg production; sometimes they contain higher calcium to aid eggshell formation of the first eggs of young layers.
- Layer Feed: Start feeding layer feeds at about 18-20 weeks of age or when the first egg is laid, whichever occurs first. Layer feeds are formulated for chickens that are laying eggs. Layer feeds contain about 16% protein and extra calcium (3-4%) so chickens will lay eggs with strong shells and not deplete the calcium in their bodies. Sometimes “breeder feeds” are available. These feeds are formulated for chickens that are producing eggs for hatching. Breeder feeds are basically layer feeds that contain slightly more protein and are fortified with extra vitamins for proper chick development and hatching.
- All-Purpose Feeds: All-purpose feeds are formulated as the sole ration for chickens of all ages, from hatch through egg laying. These feeds are formulated to provide adequate protein for young chicks and layers alike. However, read the label carefully.
Additional Feeding Considerations
- Age of Feed: Ensure your feed is always fresh. Complete feeds that are too old can lose quality as minerals naturally oxidize other nutrients, reducing their availability. As a good rule of thumb, the feed should be no older than 3 months, and the purchased feed should have the manufacture date on the bag.
- Feed Storage: Store all feed in a dry place at a reasonably mild temperature (room temperature is ideal). Never store feed in direct sunlight or a very hot area. Also, ensure that your feed is stored in a rodent- and insect-free container or area.
- Overfeeding Nutrients: Avoid over-supplementing your birds with treats or extra feed beyond the complete diet, as this can lead to nutrient imbalances. Overconsumption of protein and minerals can cause urinary system problems, while excess energy intake can lead to fat deposition.
- Water: Water is the single most important nutrient that chickens consume. Chickens will drink between two to three times as much water by weight as they eat in feed. Their consumption of water increases in warm weather. Therefore, it is necessary to provide adequate amounts of clean, fresh water on a daily basis during growth and egg production. Providing a gallon of water each day is enough to sustain the water consumption of roughly 16 laying hens.
- Grit: Chickens use their feet to scratch the litter or ground to find various seeds, greens, grit or insects to eat. When feeding scratch grains, also provide an insoluble grit so the birds can grind and digest the grains properly. If the birds have access to the ground, they can usually find enough grit in the form of small rocks or pebbles. Otherwise, you can purchase grit at your local feedstore.
- Scratch Grains, Treats, and Kitchen Scraps: Chickens, like other family pets, enjoy many of the same foods their owners do. However, feeding your chickens an excessive amount of table scraps and greens is not beneficial to the birds or their productivity. Some supplementation is fine - in fact, greens help to keep egg yolks a deep orange color - but, as with scratch, these foods should be limited. Avoid mixing scratch grains with your complete feed to prevent diluting essential nutrients.
- Oyster Shell and Other Calcium Supplements: Some small flock producers provide their laying hens with oyster shell (or other calcium sources) as a calcium supplement to their diet. If you are feeding a high-quality complete layer diet (check the calcium- phosphorus levels), supplementing a layer flock with oyster shell is probably unnecessary. However, oyster shell is inexpensive and providing it to your hens will not have negative consequences.
- Fermented Feed: A newer trend in small flocks is the use of fermented feeds. Adding water to a commercial layer feed, allowing it to ferment naturally, and then feeding it to a flock as a wet mash can have some positive effects on digestion and water intake. However, the negative consequences should also be considered. Providing your birds a wet feed (especially in the summer) will attract flies and other potentially disease- causing insects.
- Roosters: In most backyard and small flock situations, feed roosters the same diet being provided to the laying hens. Rarely the rooster’s extra consumption of nutrients (especially protein and calcium) can negatively affect the kidneys. Make sure to provide males with plenty of clean drinking water at all times. Adding a little apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon per gallon) to the drinking water can help avoid any issues (this can also benefit the whole flock).
Feeding Management Practices
- How Much to Feed: If feeding a complete layer feed, provide feed for your hens at all times. You can use self-feeders that allow birds constant access to feed. Alternatively, you can feed your flock meals once or twice daily to prevent excess feed in the feeder, which may attract rodents and insects. If meal feeding, provide enough feed for the hens to consume within 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Feeders and Feeder Space: Use feeders that provide adequate eating room, protect feed from weather and fecal contamination, and prevent waste. Chickens tend to roost on feeders (and drinkers) at night, so discourage this behavior to avoid feed contamination. Ensure birds have adequate feeder space to reduce fighting and feather pecking. As a rule of thumb, feeder space should be sufficient for every bird in the flock to eat simultaneously. Keep feeders at the proper height for your hen size-bottom of the feeder at about bird back height. Start with at least 1 linear inch per bird for chicks and increase to at least 4 linear inches for adults.
- Clean Water: Provide a clean and fresh source of water at all times. Poor-quality water restricting consumption will reduce feed intake, reducing egg production. Make sure to provide fresh water daily (more often in the summer) and keep drinkers free of slime and mildew. A few drops of household bleach per gallon of water can be added to nonchlorinated water to kill any unwanted organisms. For best drinker management, invest in a nipple drinker system. These systems keep the water cleaner and reduce spills that can encourage certain disease organisms. If the drinkers are too low, the birds will bump into them and spill water, resulting in wet litter.
- Crumbles versus Pellets: Almost all commercially available poultry feeds are in crumble or pellet form. Crumbles are broken-up pellets designed to help chicks eat, and many layer diets come in crumble form. Pelleting feed improves digestion and ensures consistent intake of all ingredients and nutrients.
Organic vs. Conventional Feeds
Most commercially available layer feeds are conventional, but organic options are increasingly available. While the composition of organic diets isn't significantly different from conventional feeds, the cost of organic poultry feeds is considerably higher. Organic grains are typically produced without commercial fertilizers or pesticides, and the seed stock is not genetically modified (GM). Certain additives (e.g., medications, animal by-products, and synthetic nutrients) are restricted in organic feeds.
Choice-Feeding
Choice-feeding can be an easy way for small flock owners to feed their laying hens. When you choice-feed your hens, you do not have to worry about grinding the grain or mixing it accurately with a supplement. Instead, you have separate feeders for the grain, supplement and limestone or oyster shell for a calcium source. Hens should not have too many choices, but can cope with three nutritionally distinct choices. The grain is high in starch and energy, supplement is high in protein and vitamins, and limestone is high in calcium. The hens learn which feeders to go to and how much to eat to meet their basic nutritional needs. Do not feed vitamins or micro-minerals (e.g., copper, zinc, etc.) in a separate feeder, these ingredients are included in the supplement. The supplement should be 25 to 40% protein - around 25% for laying hens and closer to 40% for pullets or meat birds. Hens consume 70% of their diet as whole grain when it is choice-fed. You should not have more than 50% of the diet as whole grain if you’re using one feeder; the rest of the feed should be ground.
Pullet Development
Don't forget the importance of pullet development. Pullets are young hens less than 1 year old that haven't started laying eggs. Poor nutrition, disease, stress, and temperature extremes can slow pullet growth and delay the age at which she lays her first egg. It may also negatively affect her ability to lay eggs. Slower-growing breeds can also delay first egg production. Generally, most pullets will lay their first egg at 20 to 25 weeks. During the growing phase (from chick to first egg laid), it is vital to offer pullets a complete starter/grower diet from 1 to 6 weeks of age as their sole source of nutrition.
Recognizing and Addressing Health Issues
Healthy birds are active and alert, with bright eyes. They move around - pecking, scratching and dusting - except on hot days when they rest in the shade. Chickens that are healthy and active also talk and sing quietly throughout the day. As each chicken is different in its laying and eating habits, monitor each chicken to get a feel for her normal production and consumption. Healthy droppings will be firm and grayish brown, with white urine salts. Roughly every tenth dropping is somewhat foamy, smellier than usual, and light brown. The easiest way to find disease in chickens is to know what a healthy bird looks like. When a chicken isn’t acting normal-for instance, if she doesn’t run to the food as usual or she wheezes or sneezes-start investigating.
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Possible causes of illness in chickens:
- Infection (invasion by another organism)
- Bacteria
- Mold and fungi
- Parasites
- Viruses (see information about avian influenza)
- Nonbiological
- Chemical poisoning
- Hereditary defects
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Unknown causes
Sanitation and Manure Management
An important element of bird health is sanitation. To maintain a clean, healthy environment, the coop and outdoor area should be cleaned weekly or as needed to control manure and odor buildup. Feeders and waterers should be regularly cleaned and disinfected. Dust baths should be available as they help control mites. It is important that at least once a year, usually in the spring, a thorough cleaning is done on the coop and yard. Cleaning before introducing new birds to the area will limit the spread of disease. A fall cleaning is also helpful with mite control over winter.
Chicken manure is made up of feed residue, intestinal bacteria, digestive juices, mineral by-products from metabolic processes, and water. To manage manure:
- Thoroughly clean the coop more than once a year to control odor and fly populations.
- Pasture the chickens using moveable shelters to provide fresh grazing areas and reduce cleaning time.
- Composting can be done right in the chickens’ bedding by layering bedding, stirring regularly, and adding fresh bedding until it is 12 to 15 inches deep.
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