Growing Chickens Feed

For raising young chicks, a diet enriched with protein and containing balanced mineral is very useful. Two pounds of chicken starter dry mash is suitable enough for one chicken that is about six weeks of age. You always have to concentrate about the diet of growing chicks to ensure rapid growth and good health of chickens. For better result, you can mix starter at home. Usually 200 pounds of commercial starter mash is sufficient enough for each 100 chickens. While purchasing commercial starter mash, choose popular brand in the market. Avoid out dated and less tasty ground mixtures. Store the feed in a cool and dry place, and provide fresh food daily. After hatching, start feeding the chicks when they want to eat. Provide them dry mash by using a clean cardboard. After their two or three days of age, give them dry mash with self feeders (when all the chicks can eat). You must have to ensure constant supply of adequate fresh and clean water according to their demand. Separate all the hard insoluble grit from their food by keeping the food in pans or hoppers. Add some dry cracked wheat with dry mash, when the bird reach the age of three or four weeks. Poultry feed mixture for different aged bird are shown below.

POULTRY FEED ( STARTER NO. 1)

lbs.                      lbs.

Coursely Ground Wheat                       30.0                      25.0

Coursely Ground Oat Grouts                18.0                      10.0

Medium Ground Barley                        15.0                      10.0

Finely Ground oats                               10.0                      10.0

Wheat Bran                                            5.0                       5.0

Meat meal (60% protein)                      5.0                        10.0

Fish meal (67% protein)                       5.0                        10.0

Milk powder                                           3.0                       4.0

Alfalfa Leaf Meal                                   5.0                       7.0

Linseed Oil Cake Meal                        1.5                          1.5

Fine Oyster Shell or Limestone          1.5                          1.5

Fine Iodized Salt                                   0.5                         0.5

Fish Oil (200 D)                                    0.5                         1.0

Total:–                                                   100.0                    100.0

POULTRY FEED ( STARTER NO. 2)

Suitable if chicks will have good pasture at 2 or 3 weeks of age

Coursely Ground Wheat    40 lbs.    Milk to drink

Oat Chop (sift out coarse hulls)    25 lbs.

Barley Chop (sift out coarse hulls)    25 lbs.    Alfalfa or Clover chaff or other green feed, until chicks are on pasture

Meat Meal (60% Protein)    10 lbs.

Fine Iodized Salt    ½ lb.    Fine Gravel and Oyster Shell in separate pans or hoppers

Fish Oil (200 D)    ½ lb

Growing Rations 

When chicks reach at the age of five to six weeks, Gradually cheaper mixture and coarser e.g ½ starter mashes and ½ growing mash can be given.

Growing Mash (in self-feeders)

Ground wheat                100 lbs.

Ground Barley               100lbs.  ( Oyster shell and gra-

Ground Oats                  75 lbs.  vel, or limetone grit, in

Meat Meal                     25 lbs.   separate pans or

Fine Salt                         3lbs.     feeders)

Rations for Laying Hens

If you want to make maximum profit from layer poultry farming business, then you have to feed the 

birds well balanced and nutritious food from their chick stage. Usually laying hens need some form 

of protein supplement in addition to other feed ingredients. Minerals and vitamins also play a significant role for producing desired amount of eggs. You have to be very careful in winter season. Laying hens require balance diet with additional energy during this period. Because they use a large amount of energy for keeping their body warm. And they get this extra energy from additional energy enriched foods. Wheat , grains, clover hey etc. are helpful for laying hens. And always try to provide your birds sufficient amount of clean and fresh drinking water, along with providing them nutritious food.

Providing quality poultry feed play a vital role in overall production from your poultry farming business. So always try to feed your birds quality and nutritious feed according to their demand. And always ensure availability of sufficient amount of clean and fresh water.