If you’re planning on raising chickens, you have to figure out if you’ll want them to free range or not. Free range chickens can forage for food around your property, instead of staying in the coop all day. The added food the hens or broilers pick up while foraging can help save on your overall costs, once fencing and predator prevention has been paid for. Learn more about free range poultry with Nutrena and Blain’s Farm & Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When considering nutrition for free range or any poultry, first consider your overall goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your answers determine your nutrition program for your flock.<\/p>\n\n\n
Pastured or free range chickens can pick up as much nutrition as the pasture has to offer, at least until they are full that day. If you have ever built a new run, delighted at the lush green grass and plants as you let your chickens out the first few days, only to be horrified at the decimation they caused in a short time, you understand how completely chickens will take advantage of the food sources in an area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s where the old adage, you are what you eat, comes in. Chickens will get the nutritional value of what they are foraging on. So, if they are free ranging on a fairly well-manicured lawn, the variety of species of plants and insects is quite limited. If they are being rotated weekly within an electric netting fence in a large field that\u2019s mowed twice per year, housed out of a chicken tractor or hoop house, the variety will be much wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No matter where you raise your poultry, their nutritional needs will remain pretty much the same. Whenever we take away feeding consistency, we change what we know the poultry are receiving as far as nutrition, and if these needs for calories, vitamins, minerals and amino acids are not met, a bird will have a deficiency, which can cause health issues. These health issues can range from minor to severe; from dull colored feathers and poor feather regrowth after molt or hen pecking, to decreased immune system that leads to susceptibility to respiratory infections. However, its important to note that, just like us, chickens are all individuals, so for example, one hen may need more calcium than another hen to keep the same eggshell quality. Be sure to monitor your individual chickens for signs that one may be lacking in what the others may not. <\/p>\n\n\n
So, does this mean you cannot raise your poultry out in nature with a varied diet? Absolutely not! Just keep in mind that the commercial feed and supplements that you\u2019re feeding are that much more important because your birds are consuming a much smaller amount of them. For example, a chicken\u2019s diet in a coop and small run is 90% layer feed, like Nutrena NatureWise Layer Pellets<\/a>, and 10% a combination of scratch<\/a>, calcium chips, unlucky insects that wander in and vegetable scraps. Since 90% of the hen\u2019s diet is balanced for egg production, feather quality and overall health, the hen is healthy and produces large, thick-shelled eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we take the same hen, open the coop door and let her free range from 7 am – 7 pm, the percentage of the layer feed she eats will dramatically decrease. Let\u2019s say now 80% of her diet is free ranging, and 20% is layer pellets. Now, keep in mind, depending on where the flock is going, she can eat some yummy and nutritious things like insects, worms, frogs, all sorts of plants, flowers, vegetables, and even mice. None of this is bad for her as chickens are omnivores and meant to eat all these things. The result we may see is that since the hen is not eating very much layer pellet, she may be deficient in vitamins, minerals, or amino acids if she is not getting those from her environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about it like your diet. If you are eating three balanced meals a day, you\u2019re most likely getting everything your body needs. If you are on the run and your meals are unbalanced and inconsistent, you may need to add a multivitamin, protein shake, meal bar, or other supplement to prevent a deficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, give your free range hens a concentrated diet in addition to their free ranging, and you will ensure that they get everything that they need in the smaller amount of feed they eat. For example, Nutrena Country Feeds Egg Producer<\/a> is a concentrated formula that is high in energy, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that hens need to stay healthy and lay beautiful eggs for your family or customers. This type of feed is also helpful if you\u2019re mixing in whole grains, fermented feed, compost or large amounts of vegetable scraps from your kitchen. It\u2019s like giving hens all the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals they need in a small amount like in a meal\/energy bar that we humans would eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use nutrition as preventative medicine to keep your hens healthy and laying. And keep enjoying the sight of your flock and their antics outside!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was originally posted by Allison W. on scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com<\/a>. For more tips on caring for your flock<\/a>, visit our Hobby Farming<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nutrena and Blain\u2019s Farm & Fleet share valuable tips and suggestions for raising healthy free range poultry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":13599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1506,1507],"tags":[1455],"content_type":[1373],"class_list":["post-13595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets","category-farm-livestock","tag-chickens-poultry","content_type-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n