Chicken Feed 101

Everything You Need To Know About Chicken Feed.

Are you thinking about raising chickens? Our chicken feed guide is your resource for getting started:

• Types Of Flock: Different types of birds require different types of feed. Let’s break it down:
  • Chicks: Baby chickens require feed that is finely ground and high in protein. This fuels strong and healthy growth in your birds.
  • Layering Chickens: We recommend chicken feed that is high in calcium to create a stronger shell for your hens’ eggs.
  • Broiler Chickens: Extra protein fuels healthy growth for a higher body mass and better-tasting bird.
• Additives: Many brands add synthetic chemicals to their feed. Here’s what we mean:
  • Medication: Many chicken feeds include medications to prevent the disease, Coccidiosis.
    • The Pros: This parasitic disease typically starts when birds are tightly confined to a chicken house with other birds and sanitation isn’t a priority. If your birds are given plenty of space and room to roam, this is rarely necessary.
    • The Cons: Some global groups argue that the Coccidiostats used to treat the disease are actually antibiotics and can fuel resistance in animals and humans when used excessively.
• Antibiotics: Numerous antibiotics are used in the poultry industry, including penicillin, erythromycin, and streptomycin.
  • The Pros: These drugs minimize illness in birds, especially when those birds are housed in crowded conditions where diseases run rampant.
  • The Cons: Heavy antibiotic usage eventually creates resistance to the drugs. Surviving bacteria can infect the person who purchases the meat from a grocery store, even after it is cooked.
• Hormones: Hormone use is banned in poultry production.
• The Subject Of Soy: Soy is a major ingredient in many animal feeds.
  • Soy-Free: Scientific studies have shown correlations between soy sensitivities in humans and animals fed feed that includes soy. If a member of your family or a customer has sensitivities to soy, you’re better off going soy-free.