Proper organized feeding of chickens - the main factor that will ensure a good level of development and growth of the bird. The death of chickens in the first days is usually the result of not any diseases, but namely errors in feeding and selection of the diet. When forming food for chickens, their breed, age and activity level should be considered.
The importance of proper feeding for newly hatched chicks
Growing chickens at home for beginner poultry farmers may seem like a dreary occupation. But if you properly organize the temperature conditions and prepare a balanced diet for them, the birds will quickly grow and develop.
You can also get acquainted with the features of growing ducks, geese, turkeys, peacocks, pigeons, quails and guinea fowls.In the case when chickens are born naturally, their mother hen will mainly be in charge of their care. But if they are from an incubator, then the cultivation, care and feeding will be exclusively on the shoulders of the poultry farmer. The most crucial period is the first six or seven days of the bird’s life. Further, the chicks will quickly grow up and mature.
Did you know? Young chicks are quite easy to do without a hen, because they have innate behaviors. Thanks to their curiosity, chickens are scratching and pecking everything around, which means they will always find something to eat.
It is known that newly hatched chickens do not know how to eat. For the first couple of hours, their vital activity is supported by the remains of important elements in the gall sac. Then you need to put them a trough and learn to use dry food.The quality of the formation of the digestive system of small birds depends on how quickly they learn to peck food. The nutritional reflex is formed after the first grains eaten by the chick. If you do not allow small chicks to eat food in the first hours of life - there is a shortage of nutrients that can be the root cause of serious health problems in the future.
Important! The containers in which the chickens are kept must be dry and clean. The litter changes regularly. It must be remembered that a wet and dirty chicken is a sick chicken.
Young chicks are quite sensitive to light and temperature conditions. The temperature for them in the first days of life must be maintained around the clock at 29-30 degrees. After 5-6 days, it can be gradually reduced to 26-28 ° C. And then, every two weeks, still decreases by 3 degrees. In this case, at the age of three months, the chickens will feel great at a normal temperature of 18-19 ° C. Small chicks that are actively running around the box or cage are a sign that the temperature is right.What to feed the chickens on the first day of life
The fact that it is necessary to feed the chickens immediately after their birth is already known. Now we need to understand how and what to feed the hatched chicks in the first days of their life. In principle, the same food that adult birds eat will suit them, it only needs to be ground up beforehand. But nevertheless, at first it is better to form a diet of grain, greens, dairy products and, of course, do not forget about vitamins in the first days of life.
What to feed the chickens for the first time
The first feed is prepared with your own hands. This is a chopped yolk of one egg, which must be boiled beforehand. Already you can add to it cleared from the film, well ground in the shell and very little manna cereal (so as not to stick together the yolk).
How to feed just hatched chickens
Then you can gradually supplement their diet with fresh kefir, which regulates their digestion and forms the correct microflora in the intestines. At first, the nestling does not know how to liquid matter, so he needs help and water with a pipette or a small syringe. A good option is corn grits. It is small, which is convenient for newly born young chicks, and very useful for their development.
Features feeding daily chickens
Now let's figure out how to feed daily chickens at home. The diet of birds of this age is more diverse. Millet, barley and wheat groats, ground oatmeal flakes should be added to the diet.
It is necessary to feed a daily small chick every two hours and always in small portions. Food should be enough, but you can not give it in excess so that they do not scatter it. Groats are given separately, because the young chicks will begin to choose the one that they like, and therefore will not receive the full range of trace elements they need.
Important! Chickens are given porridge in a dry form, it is not necessary to steam or boil it.After 2-3 days, the croup for normal growth of birds is not enough, therefore need to gradually enter into food and other products. For example, cottage cheese, which will saturate the body of the chick with calcium and nitrogenous substances. It is better to give it in the morning, mixing with the main cereals.
In general, any dairy products are only good for chicks. Later, next to the water, you can pour fresh whey or sour milk into a separate drinker. Kids will eat them with pleasure, and their bodies will be saturated with probiotics.
Important! Do not give fresh milk to chickens. It will upset the digestive system of small chicks and glue the chicken down.On the third day in the diet should appear greens. Clover, nettle, lamb, plantain, even dandelion - all this is an excellent defense of the body of young chicks from various bowel diseases. On the fifth day, add here also green onions.
Broiler chickens for 5-6 days already give a special feed, because at this stage you need to take care of rapid growth and weight gain.
How to feed weekly chicks
Chicks can already be given a mixture of cereals. Wheat, barley, corn and oatmeal are mixed in equal parts. You can supplement the food with dairy products and herbs. Feed the young need to have less, but the portions should be more. Should focus on 4-5 feedings per day.
Novice poultry farmers often wonder Is it possible to give little chicks bread? Experts say that it is possible, but only when the young growth will be more than seven days. Bread is soaked and added to boiled cereals. Ten-day-old chicks can already eat boiled fish (not salted), grated carrots (raw) and boiled pounded potatoes mixed with soaked bread.
Did you know? For the first time, chickens were domesticated many centuries ago in south-east Asia.It is equally important to know how to feed the chickens for the prevention of various diseases.
Preparations are selected according to their age:
- From 2 to 5 days of life. On 1 l of water take 1 ml of "Baytril" or "Enroksil". They will make chicks more resistant to infectious diseases.
- From 5 to 12 day. Stimulate the growth of young stock will help "Nutril-Se". On 6 l of water take 3 g (1 tsp.) Drug.
- From 8 to 10 day. To improve the overall development of chickens, add Baikoks (1 ml of the preparation is taken for 1 l of water) and Coccidiovitis (1 g for 1 l of liquid).
Feeding Monthly Chicks
To determine how to feed the monthly chicks at home, will help the fact that at this age the young are already released for walking. Which means the basis of their nutrition will be different grass and greens. Young chicks will actively receive natural vitamins for growth and development of the body. Since the chickens look quite large at the age of a month, they need to be given coarse grains so that by the age of one and a half months they can fully eat whole grains and there is no question what to feed them in two months.
When the chicks are six weeks old, they have to spend most of the day on the run. They should have a separate feeder with fine gravel or regular sand. Also, there should be drinkers regularly filled with clean water. Thus, the poultry farmer will maintain the condition of the birds in the right balance, they will quickly grow and not get sick.
Did you know? Chickens are actually not as stupid and blind as they are considered. They can recognize the owner in a crowd of other people at a distance of more than 10 meters, easily remember more than 100 people, are well oriented in space and time, and still learn easily.
Important points in shaping the diet for young
There are several important standard rules that should be followed when raising young birds:
- Troughs are filled to no more than one third. Otherwise the feed will be trampled by birds.
- The remains of the feed are always removed from the feeders before the new one is filled up, otherwise it will rot.
- You need to constantly ensure that all chickens eat food. If 1-3 chicks rarely go to the feeders, it is necessary to separate them from the rest of the birds and feed them with a mixture of egg yolk and milk with a pipette. When the chicks are getting stronger, you can return them to the rest of the chickens.
- Water in drinking bowls should be regularly updated clean and fresh.
- In order to prevent diseases, a solution of potassium permanganate can be given to birds a couple of times a week.
- The feeder and the room where the birds live should be cleaned regularly and disinfected. You can use a 5% formalin solution or a soap solution.
Proper care and prevention of chickens' diseases is a guarantee of good health for their other representatives: Poltava, Fireol, Sussex, Adler silver, black bearded, Rhode Island and Wyandot.
Properly setting up and responsibly observing the diet, the poultry farmer will be able to grow strong and healthy chickens. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the breed of chickens, to ensure a balanced diet, to monitor the quality of food and their freshness. Poultry farming really requires a lot of effort, but it is dedication that will help achieve high performance.
