Keeping chickens is an increasingly popular hobby. In addition to a species-appropriate barn, exercise area with employment opportunities and protective bushes or trees, this also includes species-appropriate feeding.
In addition to fresh eggs, those who grow their own vegetables have another advantage: chickens not only provide great fertilizer for the garden, but also rid it of weeds and unwanted guests. The aim is to keep happy chickens and to enjoy your flock of chickens as much as possible. Chickens are 'happy' when they can pursue their own behavior as undisturbed as possible, and they visibly thank them with healthy plumage, normal social behavior and a lack of stress symptoms.
When feeding chickens, it is important to ensure that the chickens always have enough fresh water available from an open water point (in addition to nipple drinkers for the pullets). The water must not be dirty and the drinking troughs should be cleaned and rinsed regularly, preferably every day.
Good, species-appropriate and natural feeding of chickens can be seen directly in the animals and eggs. If you want to offer your chickens a species-appropriate and natural feed without chemicals and artificial preservatives, you should use an organic feed such as the complete feed as laying flour or a supplementary feed .
It does without synthetic preservatives and uses natural oregano oil instead. Similar to the well-known oregano spice, it smells very pleasant and, with its essential oils, acts as a natural antioxidant. Oregano is known as a powerful medicinal plant for preventing intestinal parasites, maintaining a healthy intestinal flora and stimulating digestion.
It is best to feed in the morning and early afternoon, always at the same time. Chickens appreciate a fixed daily rhythm and enough time to eat the feed in peace and quiet before it gets dark. Since chickens radically eat all the green in the run in a short time, you should ensure that the run area can regenerate in the meantime before the chickens use it again, especially if there is less space available. The principle of changing pasture with a mobile chicken coop has proven its worth. Like all animals, chickens love space, but are otherwise relatively undemanding and easy to keep.
Winter feeding tips
Laying hens cannot live on any leftover food or on what they find on the outdoor area without developing serious deficiency symptoms and gradually falling ill. Due to their genetics, they are egg-laying pets with a certain need for nutrients, minerals and vitamins. If the diet is not balanced, the laying performance of the chickens will also decrease. In winter, the chickens have fewer vitamins from green plants. Therefore, sprouted grains are ideal as a feed supplement. One advantage of sprouted grain over bare grains is the higher content of vitamins and essential linolenic acids. A visual side effect are the brightly colored egg yolks.
Increased need for nutrients during the moult
Chickens regularly renew their plumage during the moult, similar to how other animals change their winter or summer fur. The moulting of the chickens usually takes place between late summer and mid-autumn and usually lasts between four to six weeks. The moult is necessary because the plumage that has grown old can no longer fully fulfill its functions. The worn feathers are exchanged for well-warming plumage for the upcoming winter. If there is an insufficient supply of essential nutrients and minerals, the weight gain or the laying performance is initially impaired. Also, only thin eggshells are formed, feathers are formed more slowly and rickets (soft bone) can occur.
In order to form new feathers, the chickens need a lot of additional body energy and use their reserves to do this. As a result, they gradually lay fewer and fewer eggs during the moult, or sometimes even abandon them completely for a short time. At the same time, the ridges and wattles fade and shrink during this time. After the moulting is over, they increase in volume and color intensity and egg-laying can start again. The timing of the moult is influenced by external factors such as temperatures, daylight conditions and food availability and is controlled by hormones.
Particularly substantial feeding is necessary during the moult. An above-average number of trace elements and vitamins are required to regenerate the feathers. Vitamins and minerals as well as proteins in increased concentrations are guaranteed by the supply of plenty of fresh greens and good food during the moult.
Organic feed - the best for species-appropriate chicken feeding
Another important aspect is the conditions under which the components contained in the feed, such as wheat, maize and soy, were grown. Because one thing is clear: via the eggs or the meat, the residues of toxins end up back on our plate.
Certified organic chicken feed is free from genetic engineering and contains neither colorings nor synthetic amino acids or fish meal. But it is full of valuable vital forces!
It is important to pay attention to a serious organic certification, such as the hexagonal EG-Eco seal or the green, leaf-shaped EG-Bio seal with the 12 white stars. Many feed manufacturers advertise with unprotected terms such as “natural”, “directly from the farm” etc., which does not automatically mean that the raw materials were consistently grown organically.
Organic agriculture is active environmental and climate protection
The use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides is prohibited in organic farming. In conventional agriculture, these poisons are normally applied to the fields as a “chemical club” against parasites and weeds. Industrial agriculture reduces biodiversity, causes lasting damage to our soils, pollutes our groundwater and drives the climate crisis forward. Factory farming and food scandals keep dominating the headlines. The EU has already sued Germany for nitrate levels that are too high. One reason for the high nitrate levels in Germany are rules that are too lax for handling liquid manure and artificial fertilizers. Nitrate is vital for plant growth. However, excessive nitrate levels can damage freshwater and the marine environment.