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Poultry Nutrition 101: The Six Essential Nutrients Your Chickens Need
Want healthy, productive birds? It all starts with proper nutrition! Research shows chickens require six essential nutrients in their diet:
1. 💦WATER - The most critical nutrient! Chickens need constant access to clean water. A hen can survive weeks without food but only days without water. Water regulates body temperature and is essential for egg production.
2. 💪PROTEIN - Builds muscle, feathers, and eggs. Chicks need 18-20%, layers need 16-18%, and molting birds need extra protein to regrow feathers.
3. 🌽CARBOHYDRATES - Primary energy source. Grains like corn and wheat provide the fuel chickens need for daily activities and staying warm.
4. 🪽FATS - Concentrated energy and help absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. Essential for healthy skin and feather quality.
5. 🪶VITAMINS - Organic compounds needed in small amounts for growth, reproduction, and disease resistance. Deficiencies show up as poor feather quality, reduced laying, and health issues.
6. 🦴MINERALS - Calcium for strong eggshells and bones, phosphorus for skeletal development, and trace minerals like zinc and selenium for immune function.
🐓Complete layer feeds are formulated to provide all six nutrients in proper balance - that's why they should make up 90% of your flock's diet!
❓Questions for you:❓
- Do you offer free-choice calcium (oyster shell) separately from feed?
- What's the weirdest thing your chickens have ever eaten thinking it was nutritious?
- If your flock could design their own "dream feed," what do you think they'd put in it?
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Poultry Nutrition 101: The Six Essential Nutrients Your Chickens Need
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