Poultry require all types of nutrients to grow and to remain healthy. This includes vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, water and fats. If your chicken feeds on garden or household waste, it is highly likely they lack the protein and energy required for proper growth and egg production. Chicken use different types of nutrients in different ways to maintain their health and grow. Quality Chicken Premixes should provide the perfect mix of these nutrients to help in the complete growth and development of your poultry.
What do Feeds Offer?
Most of the nutrients used in chicken feeds are meant to provide both energy and proteins. Some of the points you should know about different ingredients in Chicken Premixes are as following:
- Oils and fats do not provide protein.
- Protein and energy should be provided in the proper ratio.
- Additional protein will be used as energy, but it will also increase waste excreted by the chicken.
Recommended Protein
The right Chicken Premixes should provide the following amounts of protein for your chicken:
- Growing chicken: 16% to 24%
- For eggs: 15% to 17%
- For chicken’s maintenance: 10% to 12% (not recommended for growth)
Your chicken will require the highest amounts of proteins during the initial 2-3 weeks. The Chicken Premixes can have lower protein if they contain all the essential amino acids in the right mix. Growing chicken require the following types of amino acids:
- Cystine
- Arganine
- Lysine
- Histidine
- Tryptophan
- Leucine
There are a few more amino acids which are required in trace amounts. Growing chicken also need higher amounts of vitamins and minerals. The same is the case of egg production. If you need faster growth, additional levels of these nutrients are required.
Chicken Maintenance
Grown chicken will require essential water and feed for survival. However, the nutrient content of the Chicken Premixes will depend on the bird’s weight. If you don't choose the right premix that supplies the basic energy needs, the chicken can start losing weight. The mix should also have the right proportion of vitamins, minerals and fat to ensure survival. When they get nutrients higher than the survival levels, adult chicken can use them for egg production. Additional energy gets stored in the body as fat, thus increasing weight.
Growth and Egg Production
The growth of young chicken or egg producing adult chicken is affected by the following two factors:
- Genetic potential.
- Amount of energy and quality protein which is higher than the level required for basic survival.
When it comes to maintenance, the need for nutrients is the same for a fast-growing and slow-growing broiler of the same weight. Similarly, feed maintenance needs are the same between hens that lay a different number of eggs in a week.
If the chickens are in an environment where temperatures remain below their comfort levels, they will need more energy to increase body metabolism. They will again need more energy if you allow them to run.
Matching Premixes with Existing Feeds
If your chickens are allowed to scavenge and get all the nutrients scavenging, they must be getting good amounts of proteins from insects and worms. If that is the case, you should consider using Chicken Premixes that provide more energy. If your chicken eats whole grains, seeds, fiber and vegetable material, it must have small stones or grit for grinding the fiber or hard food material. If your chicken remain indoors the grit has to be supplied in their feed.
So make sure to keep all these points in mind when choosing the right Chicken Premixes for your poultry. Our nutritional and technical team will be pleased to advise you with this.
