What vitamins to give chickens

All poultry farmers want the chickens to please them with stable, high and long egg production. However, it is not always possible to achieve this only with good conditions of detention and the provision of high-quality feed. In some cases, vitamin supplements are required. An article on what vitamins to give to hens in the winter, so that they rush well, and how to give them correctly.

Why do chickens give vitamins

Vitamins are biologically active substances, without which no physiological process takes place in the feathered organism. The lack of an element or vitamin deficiency will certainly lead to health problems in poultry (for example, metabolic disturbances, a drop in egg production, frequent illnesses, and a general deterioration in well-being).

An excess of vitamins can also be a problem, so the additional introduction of vitamin supplements should be competent and strictly according to the recommendations of specialists.

Did you know? The world's largest egg managed to be laid by a chicken named Henrietta. It weighed 163 g and had a diameter of 23 cm, a length of 11.5 cm.

What are needed

For active life, chickens need all known vitamins, except ascorbic acid. Each of them has a specific effect on the body and performs a specific function, namely:

Function

Deficit Health Problems

Where is contained
Vitamin A (Retinol)
Participates in metabolic processes
  1. Decreased immunity of the mucous membranes.
  2. The development of xerophthalmia (eye disease).
  3. Drop in egg production.
  4. Decreased hatchability of offspring.
  5. Blanching of the yolk.
In small amounts in plant foods
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Responsible for the activity of the nervous system, takes part in carbohydrate metabolism
  1. Diseases of the nervous system.
  2. Loss of hunger.
  3. Sharp weight loss.
  4. Paralysis.
  5. Stunted growth.
  6. Lack of coordination of movements.
Flour from various herbs, bran, animal feed
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Participates in the nervous system
  1. Paralysis.
  2. Decreased reproductive function.
Yeast, grain, dairy products
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Participates in the processes of digestion, breeding, endocrine glands
  1. Slowdown.
  2. Drop in egg production.
  3. Decreased hatching.
  4. Deterioration of feed digestibility.
Animal products
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
Takes part in reproductive function
  1. Germ mortality.
  2. Slowdown.
  3. Decline in productivity.
Fishmeal, animal products
Vitamin D (calciferol)
Regulation of phosphorus and calcium metabolism, bone formation
  1. Weakening bones.
  2. Rickets.
  3. Weakness.
  4. Absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
  5. Negative changes in the whole body.
  6. Laying eggshells with a thin shell.
Fish oil, yeast, hay flour
Vitamin E (tocopherol)
Participates in metabolic processes and the process of reproduction
  1. Violations of the reproductive system.
  2. Decline in productivity.
Green fodder, corn, legumes and hay from them, sprouted grain
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
Essential for stable circulatory system function
  1. Anemia.
  2. Blanching of scallops and catkins.
  3. Cannibalism.
Green feed, hay, silage, soybean seeds

How to give

If birds are unable to provide all the necessary vitamins with food, it is necessary to purchase ready-made vitamin supplements in the pharmacy network.

Premixes will help increase the egg laying of chickens.

The following premixes have been developed for laying hens, which include only natural substances, without preservatives and hormones:

  • Rex vital;
  • "Ryabushka";
  • "Chicken pock";
  • Zdravur.
Important! The dosage of premixes will need to be calculated based on age, breed, method of maintenance, basic diet, season.

The vitamin mixture can be prepared independently. To do this, grind the following ingredients into powder:

  • dry nettle;
  • eggshell;
  • lime;
  • sand.

The mixture must be placed in a separate feeder so that hens can have constant access to it and eat as much as they need.

We advise you to find out whether it is possible to give polystyrene to chickens.

You can also mix 3-5 g of yeast into the feed (this will saturate it with B vitamins). The same elements are found in garlic. It is dried and triturated, and then added to the feed. In addition to saturating with valuable elements, garlic powder strengthens the immune system, is a prophylactic against worms and respiratory diseases.

There is another way to feed the yeast:

  1. Dissolve 10-20 g of yeast in 1.5 l of heated water.
  2. Pour 1 kg of grain flour mixture.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Let it brew for 8 hours at a temperature of + 18-20 degrees.
  5. Add vitamin and mineral complex.
  6. Feed chickens daily for 15-20 g.

Video: Feeding

For chickens from the first days of life, it is necessary to introduce fish oil, which is sold in the pharmacy network and is recommended for children. It is poured into food three times a day. For adults, the dosage is 1 g per individual or 1 tablespoon per 3 kg of feed. For the purpose of prevention, fish oil is given once a week.

Important! Fish oil is added to the feed of egg chickens and adult laying hens. Representatives of meat breeds can be fed up to 3 weeks. In the future, this is not recommended, since the taste of meat may be impaired.

The basics of healthy chicken eating

Whether chickens need to be supplemented with vitamins will depend on how well the basic diet is prepared and how well it is balanced. It is important to follow the recommendations for feeding poultry.

What can I give

The following ingredients must be in the diet of chickens:

  • grass (fresh and dried);
  • corn;
  • sprouted grain;
  • nettle (dried and fresh);
  • egg shell;
  • meat and bone meal and fish meal;
  • shell rock;
  • salt;
  • a piece of chalk;
  • vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage);
  • milk products.

The daily diet of laying hens can be compiled in approximately this way:

  • boiled potatoes - 0.4-1 kg;
  • whole grain cereal - 0.7 kg;
  • combined silo - 0.4-0.5 kg;
  • non-fat milk (fresh or sour) - 0.2-0.25 kg;
  • crushed grain or tart - 0.25 kg;
  • carrots - 0.2 kg;
  • bran - 0.1 kg;
  • minced meat and fish - 0.1 kg;
  • meal or meal - 0.1 kg;
  • shredded hay - 0.1 kg;
  • chalk - 0.06 kg;
  • beets - 0.05 kg;
  • bone meal - 0.02 kg;
  • table salt - 5 g.

Did you know? Twice in the world, laying hens brought eggs with 9 yolks. The first time this happened in 1971 in the United States. And the second time such an anomaly was recorded in the Soviet Union in 1977.

For broilers, the ration is 1 time and 1 individual can be made following the following recommendations:

Feed

Amount in the summer period, g

The amount in the winter, g
Cereal grainfifty60
Bean Grain56
Mealy25twenty
Cake, meal, yeast87
Animal origin66
Tubers, root crops60twenty
Flour from grass, needles, hay-10
Minerals88

What not

It is strictly forbidden to feed poultry with such products:

  • salt and salty foods in large quantities;
  • immature vegetables;
  • green potatoes;
  • onions;
  • beans in dry or undercooked form;
  • dry rice
  • seeds of apples;
  • raw eggs.

Thus, vitamins must always be present in the menu of chickens and adult hens in order for their body to function properly. The diet should be so that vitamins are present year-round. If it is not possible to provide this need only with food, it is necessary to introduce vitamin supplements in premixes.

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