Nutrition is important to all living beings and knowing the proper feed and amounts to feed your laying hens will go a long way toward a satisfying experience in egg production. There are a number of good commercial feeds on the market and if you have a small flock it would be to your advantage to choose this method of feeding rather than mixing it yourself or trying to get by with table scraps.
Types of Commercial Feed
There are basically three types of commercial feed which include pellets, mash and crumbles. Pellets and crumbles are probably the easiest to feed and the least wasteful of the three choices. Feeding your chickens a packaged feed called 'scratch' is one of the most effective ways to satisfy their need to dig for their dinner. Scratch is comprised of a variety of grains. It is very cost effective if you have a small flock. Chickens at different ages of life have different nutritional needs. Young chickens need a lot of protein while older ones need more starch. Most commercial feeds are labeled with appropriate age information.
Free Range Chickens
If possible it is desirable to let your chickens range around the yard or pasture. Grass that is mowed offers more advantages for the chickens to select the bugs and seeds that will add to their diet. You need to be mindful when the chickens have scratched bare patches in their roaming space and move them, if it is available, to another place because they have depleted whatever they found there.
How to Feed
Again the demand for feed depends on the age and the purpose of the chickens. Egg layers will need slightly less than those chickens slated for the dinner table. Feeding your chickens free choice, in other words leaving feed out at all times, will insure that everyone gets something to eat but it does introduce rodents, bugs and sometimes mold to the feed troughs. Feeding a small ration once or twice a day might be a better solution. Watch your flock to see if anyone is getting bullied away from the feed pans.
Other Important Considerations
Water - lots of water. Water is a vital ingredient in your flock's welfare. It should be clean, changed at least once a day, and the waterers washed regularly. Remember, you are going to be eating what the hens produce in the way of eggs and you want their feed stuff and water to be the best you can provide. Feeding table scraps is an age old way of supplementing nutrition and is all right as long as you don't feed onions and other strong vegetables. Your eggs are going to taste a lot like whatever the hens eat. Never feed raw potato peels, they can be toxic and never feed salty or moldy rations. They can actually kill your chicken. Green, leafy leftovers from vegetable peelings are a good source of food. And don't forget to offer your hens hard grit as well as calcium in the way of oyster shell.
Managing the Egg Crop
To learn how to manage your egg production refer to Basics of Fresh Egg Management
Sources:
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, Gail Damerow, Storey Publishing,1995
Raising Chickens
