Feed the Chicken with Compound Feed

The simplest way to feed a small flock of chickens is using complete feed . Complete feeds provide nutritionally balanced diets for chickens.

Today's chickens are descendants of the jungle fowl of Southeast Asia. Mature jungle fowl hens lay about 12 eggs per year, and only during the breeding season, but genetic selection has resulted in the development of a chicken that can lay almost 300 eggs per year and can lay year round. As a result of genetic selection and improved nutrition, hens start laying at a younger age and lay more, larger eggs, all with increased feed efficiency.

Complete feeds ave all the nutrients in the right proportions that chickens need. A balanced diet is necessary for optimal growth and production. If using a good diet that meets the dietary needs of the flocks, supplementing with other items will upset the balance of the diet. The ingredients used in different types of feed are similar, but the proportions vary depending on the particular chickens being fed. Each bag of feed is labeled with its specific use.

Common mistakes made with supplements include the following:
Providing vitamin and electrolyte supplements for more than 10 days
Supplementing complete feeds with cracked corn, oats, or other grains
Regularly adding green chops, lettuce, or other low nutrition ingredients to the diet
Administering inappropriate or unnecessary medication

A chicken's daily consumption of feed depends on the composition of the diet. Chickens typically adjust their feed intake in order to meet their energy requirements. As the energy content of a diet increases, feed intake decreases, and vice versa. Environmental temperatures also play an important role in determining how much feed a flock will consume. During hot weather, feed intake decreases. Feed intake increases during cold weather as chickens consume more to supply the extra energy needed to maintain regulation body temperature.