Getting Started With Chicken Feeding - The Right Way

Are you at a loss on how you should feed your chickens?

Do you find yourself looking through the Internet for guides on chicken feeding, and feeling more and more confused?

Do you find it hard to believe that feeding your chickens can actually be the easiest part of taking care of them?

That probably means that you're a new chicken raiser. Most newcomers in the field find it difficult to believe that you can simplify the task of feeding chickens into a routine that actually works well enough to keep both the chickens and their owner happy.

While it does involve a little bit of scientific knowledge, figuring out a way of feeding your birds isn't rocket science. Most breeders come up with a feeding routine for their birds within months, usually by trying out a variety of chicken feeding schemes and choosing which works out best for them. I think what daunts most new chicken breeders the most about it, though, is the fact that they can't tell what product to get for their birds.

There are actually three basic ways of feeding your chickens. These methods involve feeding them with store-bought feed, creating your own feed at home, and using a combination of the two methods. Each one is effective so long as you take care to do it with the health of your chickens in mind.

The first method involves buying supplies of chicken feed from your local farm grocery. Depending on the kind of chickens you have, you might want to check on the formulation of the feeds that are available.

The most important thing to remember is that the younger the chickens are, the more protein they need. Older hens, in the meantime, need more calcium because of the calcium drain they experience when laying eggs.

If you decide to go natural and make homemade chicken feeds, you'll still have to take note of the nutritional formulation of the feed you're making.

Chicken feeding via normal human food will ensure that you get to save a little bit of money while you get to feed them stuff that you are 100% confident in. The only drawback with this method is that it takes too long to prepare a single meal, and if you don't have time, this can be a problem.

A combination of feeding methods will help ensure that your chickens' feeding habits are well-rounded. This way, you know that your birds are getting all the nutrition they should be getting (using homemade food as a supplement for their regular chicken food).

Chad B. is an advocate for backyard chicken care and has been involved in raising chickens since he was little boy back in 1986. Find out more about chicken feeding and how you can get a free 10-lesson chicken raising mini-course by visiting Chad's site by clicking here

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