What grains can you feed chickens? Is it possible to feed chickens buckwheat and rice?

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Emelyanenko Gennady.

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Buckwheat and rice contain a large supply of nutrients and useful components necessary for the proper development of poultry; in addition, they are affordable and will help diversify the chicken diet.

Buckwheat and rice in a chicken diet

It is convenient for farmers to use these cereals, because they are inexpensive and are always available in almost any home. However, although at first glance buckwheat and rice groats are ordinary grains, this opinion is not entirely true.

White grain. This culture contains a large amount of starch, which has a detrimental effect on both the digestive and nervous systems of the chicken.
But it is definitely possible to feed a bird rice, the main thing is to do it in moderation. Buckwheat. This cereal is a source of vegetable proteins and is very healthy in itself. But chickens should not eat it raw. The thing is that, once in the stomach, buckwheat instantly swells, which creates many problems with the digestive system.

The presence of boiled buckwheat and rice in the diet is the key to good immunity, since these products will saturate the chicken’s body with calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and other vital substances.

Dairy products, protein, fish and bread food for chickens

Almost everything on the farm is useful for feeding the chicks. It is convenient to feed your pets with table scraps. But inexperienced poultry farmers do not always know whether chickens can be given bread, for example. Veterinarians are allowed to give bread; thanks to bread yeast, the muscle mass of birds grows well.

Pieces of stale bread soaked in water are given to chickens with mash or on their own when they are more than 30 days old. There should be no mold on the crusts and pieces.

Cottage cheese is preferable among dairy products, which is good to give to two-day-old babies for growth and development. Cottage cheese is rich in bone-strengthening calcium and vitamin D, which improves intestinal function due to lactic acid bacteria. It is recommended to feed chickens with curd until they are two months old. One-day and seven-day-old chicks consume 2 grams of curd mass per day, each baby. Thirty-day-olds eat 4 grams. The fermented milk product kefir is also useful.

As for milk, chickens should not consume it in its pure form; lactose can have a detrimental effect on the health and life of the chicks. Only milk powder or skim milk is given. These approved products are included in mixed feed. You can get the return by separating the cream from the milk. The product can be added to poultry mash from the age of five days, dissolving 5 grams per liter of liquid.

A hard-boiled egg, or more precisely its yolk, is the first product of newly hatched chicks. It is offered to chickens in crumbled form. Protein should be added to the bird's diet from the fourth day. Egg (white) is rich in enzymes, amino acids, vitamins B, D and E. It is good to give ground shells to strengthen the backbone of birds from the tenth day.

Tip: To replenish the chicken’s body with vitamin D, it is also necessary to give fish oil.

For broiler chickens and regular chickens, it is recommended to add a little fish food to the menu for feather growth. The fish is given boiled or fried, boneless and chopped. It must be mixed with the main feed. Adding it three times a week is enough; one individual needs from 2 to 8 grams.

How to feed grains to chickens

As we have already figured out, birds can eat white grain and buckwheat, but with some caution. First of all, we must remember the most important general rule: give chickens both buckwheat and boiled rice. Raw cereals can greatly harm the bird. There are other features and rules that must be strictly followed.

It is advisable to give boiled grain to adult representatives, both laying hens and other members of the poultry family, only once a day (best at lunchtime). In this case, the porridge must be mixed with any other food, in the proportion: 1 part of such porridge to 3 parts of another food.

Chicks love rice very much, especially in the form of porridge diluted with milk. This porridge perfectly saturates the body and enriches it with all the necessary vitamins and microelements.

To prepare tasty and healthy food, you can use not only unpolished rice, but also chaff and rice flour, which are also added to wet food mixtures.

Buckwheat

Boiled kernels can be included in the diet of both adult chickens and chickens. There is no age limit for the consumption of this cereal.

The time for consuming buckwheat porridge is the same as for rice - lunchtime. And you need to mix the porridge in the same proportion: 1 serving of porridge is mixed with 3 servings of other food.

Buckwheat contains a large amount of macro- and microelements needed by the body: calcium, zinc, magnesium and many others. Buckwheat porridge also contains vitamins B and E.

The benefits of onions, garlic and sorrel for chickens

To prevent intestinal disorders and prevent the appearance of parasitic organisms, it is recommended to give green onions to chickens. Five-day-old chicks need chopped onions, which are added to the liquid mash.

Tip: One chick of onion feathers needs to eat about 6 grams per day. Instead, you can give onions minced in a meat grinder.

Garlic is high in sulfur and B complex vitamins. It is useful in preventing and controlling germs and parasitic organisms, and also strengthens the respiratory system of birdies.

The sorrel culture will also bring many benefits for the growth and development of healthy chickens. It contains a lot of proteins and carbohydrates, fiber and a variety of vitamins. Adding garlic and sorrel to the food of the chicks can be done on the second day of their life, mixing it with the main feeding. Instead of crushed garlic cloves, powdered or dried garlic will do. You can add greens to the bran.

Peas are added to the bird's diet on the regular menu on the tenth day. Good for chickens is biting midge. Chicks also love to eat dill, parsley and beet tops. Boiled non-poisonous mushroom is added in small quantities to poultry mash, enriching it with vitamins and microelements. Mushrooms are compared to animal liver in terms of their vitamin PP content.

Cheaper cereals for chickens

There is an opinion that rice and buckwheat have the largest amount of useful substances, but this is not true.

There are some cereals that are much cheaper and more healthy:
This, however, does not mean that the entire diet of birds can consist of such food.

Ideal: at lunchtime, add a little porridge to vegetables, herbs or other main food.

So, it’s definitely possible to feed chickens buckwheat and rice. However, it is important to follow two simple rules: cereals are suitable for feeding only in boiled form, and an excess of such food can seriously harm the bird’s health.

Types of feed

There are currently three types of chicken feed:

Wet food includes mash for chickens. It is prepared at home. It may include various types of vegetables, grains, bran, herbal flour, flour, meal, sunflower cake, etc. All these products are used boiled with the addition of water or whey. If the birds are kept in cages, chopped greens must be added to the mash. If they can move freely around the coop, you just need to scatter the grass clippings.

Wet food option for chickens

Dry food includes compound feed. Compound feed for chickens is a feed mixture consisting of various types of nutrients necessary for the nutrition of birds. It is sold in crushed form. The crushed state makes it possible to get enough of only the required amount of product. One bird per day should eat 120 - 130 g of dry feed.

Dry food for chickens

Feed for chickens may include:

• Substances of animal origin;
• Plant products;
• Vitamins;
• Microelements.

Each type of feed mixture contains different amounts of nutrients. The composition of the feed depends on the time of year for which it is intended; the main components are:

Feeding chickens with buckwheat: raw green or steamed fried?

Good afternoon, experienced and novice poultry farmers. Is buckwheat good for chickens? How to give, cook or steam. Which buckwheat is better for chickens – green or fried? You will find answers to all questions in our material.

Both experienced and novice poultry breeders are constantly searching for local, non-traditional feed for poultry farming, which allows them to reduce the cost of meat and egg products by reducing the share or eliminating expensive factory feed from diets. Many people consider buckwheat as a promising food for chickens.

What is the best way to feed birds in bird feeders?

Experts recommend buying food rich in vegetable fat, such as rapeseed and flax . More budget-friendly options include raw, clean sunflower seeds (seeds). The birds will eat them without leaving a trace and will be satisfied.

Sample “healthy eating menu” for street birds:

1. Lard (visceral fat). It must be raw, and in no case smoked, salted or peppered. Raw lard helps birds stay full for a long time due to its caloric and nutritional content. It is not necessary to chop it, just hang a piece by a wire. Then it will be convenient for the birds to sit on it and peck in small portions.
2. Coconut and unsalted butter are very good food for insectivorous birds (great tits, nuthatches, blue tits, blackbirds, etc.). You can add a mixture of various grains and seeds to butter, freeze it, make a hole in the prepared form and thread it through a rope.
3. Dried berries of red and black rowan, serviceberry, elderberry, hawthorn, blueberry, etc.
4. Dried fruits (apples, pears). They are popular with starlings, waxwings and thrushes.
5. Unroasted melon, watermelon, and pumpkin seeds.
6. Woodpeckers and nuthatches prefer chopped nuts (walnuts, peanuts).
7. Lightly salted cheese, cut into small cubes.
8. Dry crumbs of white bread are a real treat for sparrows.
9. Ready-made mixtures for birds from the pet store.

About the species diversity of cereals

Before answering the question – can buckwheat be given to chickens, it is useful to understand its options.

Regardless of the type, cereals are obtained from the same raw material. The factor that determines the classification of buckwheat as one or another species is the processing technology.

Brown whole grains are more common on grocery store shelves. The technological process for obtaining such a product includes the following stages: removing impurities from the harvested crop, steam treatment, which, unfortunately, negatively affects the vitamin and mineral composition.

Pictured are buckwheat greens that will make your chickens go crazy! By the way, plant buckwheat for the birds. If space on the site allows.

More benefits lie in green buckwheat, since there is no thermal effect in its processing technology. By the way, if you germinate cereals, then only green ones, since its brown version is devoid of germs - they are destroyed by high temperature.

Important: after frying, buckwheat for poultry, as for humans, becomes a “dummy”, that is, a food poor in minerals and many vitamins.

The cereal in question is sold in the form of:

• Whole grain, called kernel;
• chops;
• Smolensk grain, represented by the smallest fraction.

Just interesting: the volume of the core increases five times by the end of cooking.

A tale about the composition, calorie content and beneficial properties of buckwheat

An integral product of Russian cuisine, buckwheat for laying hens can be both beneficial and harmful. It all depends on how it is used in the diet.

The first thing I would like to note is the rich amino acid composition of buckwheat. It contains 18 vital amino acids. The vitamin part of the cereal consists mainly of vitamins c. B, folic and nicotinic acid, tocopherol. The dominant minerals are Ca, Fe, K, Cu, I, P, Zn, F, Co and Mo.

The grain of the crop in question contains a lot of starch, sugar, protein compounds, fats, and thiamine.

Buckwheat for laying hens and broilers

is a rich source of oxalic, malic, maleic and citric acid.

Buckwheat is recommended for birds lacking lysine and methionine. By the way, these amino acids balance the diets of all domestic animals. Properly prepared buckwheat helps obese birds regain the fatness characteristic of productive layers.

Folic acid culture is positively associated with hematology and immune status.

I must admit, buckwheat is a fairly high-calorie product - 326 kcal per 100-gram serving.

The inclusion of buckwheat in the chicken diet is a preventive measure aimed at preventing liver pathologies and edema. Moreover, buckwheat porridge for chickens is an ingredient that promotes wound healing and makes blood vessels more elastic, which is important in terms of preventing cardiovascular diseases.

Just interesting: due to its unpretentiousness, buckwheat is grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, it is of particular interest to fans of organic farming, livestock and poultry farming.

Green buckwheat for chickens

Let's remember the green version of the cereal. It is invaluable for pathologies of the limbs and vascular system and helps rid the body of harmful compounds that exhibit the properties of poisons. Other positive effects from feeding such cereals: promotes digestion, improves the absorption of substances from other feeds, helps with gastrointestinal diseases and problematic metabolism.

Advice: if your charges have lost their appetite, for example, due to some illness, diversify their diet with green buckwheat.

Buckwheat is good as food because excess moisture does not lead to mold damage. By the way, not a single type of grain can boast of this.

Traditional medicine to protect the health of chickens

The following remedy will help a valuable breeding bird suffering from a respiratory disease: flowers (40 g) + water (1 l). Can be added to drinking water.

Large daily doses of buckwheat worsen the condition of gastritis, ulcerative lesions of the intestinal mucosa and lead to overflow of the goiter, which can lead to the death of chickens.

As you can see, buckwheat for laying hens can be both beneficial and harmful.

Recipe! 5 liters of water, 1 kg of buckwheat and 1 tablespoon of red hot pepper.

Next, about the nuances of using cereals in the chicken diet.

What to give to laying hens?

The chicken should eat 120 g of feed per day. This portion is divided into morning and evening feeding. In the morning, an hour after waking up, the mash is prepared. Wet food stimulates egg production. The mash consists of cereals, vegetables, herbs, and mineral fillers. In the evening they give grain: a mixture of crushed and whole.

• Wheat and barley are useful cereals for birds. Rye is rich in protein, but not much is given to birds.
• Carrots are a useful vegetable. It is ground on a grater. It contains carotene, which improves reproductive function. Cabbage is rich in fiber. It contains many vitamins and mineral salts. The birds are given zucchini, pumpkin, and boiled potatoes.
• Chickens need grass. This is a source of vitamins. Green onions, dill, and parsley are added to the mixture. Nettle, dandelions, clover, and alfalfa are useful.
• Shell rock is installed in the chicken coop as mineral fillers. The food is mixed with eggshells and crushed shells. A little table salt is given, no more than 1 g per individual per day. It can provoke intoxication of the body.
• It is worth taking care of animal products. They are administered in the form of bone or meat meal, but not more than 5 g per day. Larger amounts of the additive cause aggression in chickens and can provoke pecking.
• Laying hens benefit from fish and fish oil. The fat is usually mixed with the feed. The fish is served as minced meat.
• For better grinding of food, birds need small pebbles. It is purchased from the manufacturer. The diameter of the stones is no more than 4 mm.

When creating a diet and amount of food, it is necessary to take into account the egg production of birds. If a laying hen has just started laying eggs, then a forecast is made depending on the breed of bird. On average, an egg-producing hen can produce more than 300 eggs per year. This means that in addition to the norm, 120 g, she should receive an additional 30 g of food.

• Crushed and whole grains form the basis of the diet. It is given in 100 g. Crushed pieces are 10% more. It is part of the mash.
• The chicken receives fresh greens in summer, spring and autumn, but not more than 30 g per day. Otherwise, she may develop gastrointestinal upset. In winter, give silage or grass flour: 5 g of flour.
• In autumn and spring, birds are given carrots and pumpkin. The amount of feed is 20 g/head. In summer, the individual receives all its vitamins from green grass. Carrots can be excluded from the diet. The volume of the root crop increases in winter to 40 g.
• In winter, sunflower cake or soybean pulp, 12 g, is added to food. In summer, protein supplements are introduced if egg production decreases.
• Feed yeast is useful. For 1 head 4 g.
• More bran is given up to 10 g/bird.
• Meat and bone meal should be 5 g, but it can be replaced with minced fish, no more than 15 g/bird.
• If a shell rock is not installed in the chicken coop, then an additive containing calcium is added to the mash, at least 5 g. In the summer - 7 g/bird.
• Mashboards are made using fermented milk products, 30 g.
• Jackdaws are prescribed 1 g every 10 days.

What products don't work?

Farmers note that chickens are omnivores. They can eat whatever they find in the yard or in feeders. Sometimes they are given food from the table. Experts do not advise doing this. Products can provoke various intestinal diseases. On forums they often discuss whether it is possible to feed chickens bread, rye and oats, buckwheat and rice. Foods and cereals contain large amounts of plant protein.

Bread is undesirable for birds. This is a finished product made from wheat, rye or bran. All grains are good for chickens, but they swell in the crop. Intestinal function is disrupted. The bread may settle in the goiter in a lump, causing a blockage. The pathology will affect the bird's breathing. She might suffocate. Rye bread is especially harmful. It has high acidity, which will negatively affect the process of digesting food.

Excessive amounts of yeast can cause increased fermentation in chickens, which will lead to bloating. The chicken needs urgent help. Bread is given in the form of crackers and crumbs in very small quantities.

Limit the supply of oats. It contains a lot of fiber, which is difficult for birds to handle. It spends a lot of energy digesting grain. Her egg production and immunity decrease. It is recommended to introduce grains in sprouted form in winter. It contains a large amount of protein and vitamins “E” and “B”. You can feed chickens oats, but it is given in the form of porridge, which is made from flakes. The share of oats in the total diet should not exceed 20%.

Do not give birds buckwheat and rice. The grains can swell in the crop, causing respiratory arrest. Buckwheat and rice can be added boiled, but without milk. Porridge is included in mash. Cereals should not occupy more than 20% of the diet.

Rye is given to chickens in limited quantities. The grain contains polysaccharides that are difficult for the intestines of birds. In combination with starch and high acidity, they can promote foaming. You can feed with grain, but in sprouted form in winter, if there is no other protein supplement, sunflower or soybean cake. The volume of rye should not exceed 1 g per 1 kg of wheat grain.

Peas are good for chickens, but only in boiled form. It is introduced into the diet gradually, starting from 10 g. The cereal must be subjected to heat treatment. It is not given as a separate food. It is part of the mash. Peas stimulate egg laying. It is useful to introduce it into the winter diet. The volume of cereal should not be more than 20% of the total feed table.

Poultry are not given raw potatoes or peelings. This is a heavy food that disrupts intestinal motility. Potatoes are definitely included in the diet of laying hens, but in boiled form. It can be used as an ingredient for mash. A chicken can receive no more than 10 g of potatoes per day. It is also used to feed chickens. Potatoes improve digestion. It has an acidic environment, which kills pathological microflora in the intestines.

It is strictly forbidden to give any farm birds sausages, meat, or mushrooms. Sweets are contraindicated: sweet pies, buns, jam, sweets. Whole milk and cheese are bad for the health of birds. It is recommended to include only fermented milk products, skim milk, and cottage cheese in the diet. It is especially useful to feed chickens with cottage cheese.

In the summer, you need to monitor what kind of grass your chicken eats. Pastures are carefully checked. If a bird eats poisonous herbs, the outcome will be fatal. Birds should not be allowed into the garden. They can reach potato beds or tomatoes. The tops of nightshade crops and the fruits themselves are poisonous to chickens.