The importance of chicken feed in chicken farming
Feeding chickens helps increase resistance, prevent disease effectively, improve productivity and quality in chicken farming.
Nutrition plays a very important role in the development and maintenance of chicken farming performance. A reasonable diet helps chickens to be healthy, grow quickly, have less diseases, lay many eggs and bring high profits. Therefore, building a reasonable chicken coop is a prerequisite for successful farmers.
A deficient or unbalanced diet can cause chickens to be stunted, slow to grow, susceptible to disease and significantly reduce farming performance.
Nutritional requirements of chickens at each stage
Each stage of chicken development has different nutritional needs. Farmers need to adjust the chicken’s diet accordingly to achieve maximum efficiency.
Table 1: Nutritional needs of chickens by stage
StageEnergy (kcal/kg)Protein (%)Calcium (%)Phosphorus (%)Chicks (1–4 weeks)3000–310020–220.9–1.00.5–0.6Broiler chicken (5–12 weeks)2900–300018–200.8–0.90.45–0.55Egg laying hen2700–280016–183.5–4.00.5–0.6
Major nutrients in chicken feed
1. Energy : Provided from corn, wheat, rice bran, etc. to help chickens move and grow. Lack of energy makes chickens grow slowly and tired.
2. Protein : Necessary for muscle, hair and organ development. Protein sources include soybeans, fish meal, and oil cake.
3. Vitamins : Especially A, D, E and group B help increase resistance, develop bones, and improve egg quality.
4. Minerals : Calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron… help strengthen bones and support reproduction.
5. Fat : Additional source of energy, helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
Building the optimal diet
A good chicken ration must ensure a balance between energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. Here is an example of a feed mix formula.
Chick Ration (1–4 weeks old)
- Corn: 45%
- Soybeans: 25%
- Fish meal: 5%
- Vegetable oil: 2%
- Bone meal + shell: 4%
- Vitamin — mineral premix: 2%
- Other bran: 17%
Ration for egg laying hens
- Corn: 50%
- Soybeans: 20%
- Dry oil: 10%
- Shell: 4%
- Premix: 2%
- Other by-products: 14%
- Chickens grow fast, good FCR coefficient (1.7–1.9).
- Egg laying rate can reach 90% if chickens are provided with proper bedding.
- The quality of meat and eggs is improved.
- Reduce mortality and morbidity.
- Probiotics : Aid digestion, increase nutrient absorption.
- Digestive enzymes : Help chickens absorb phosphorus and protein well.
- Organic acids : Help reduce intestinal pH, kill harmful bacteria.
- Plant essential oils : Antibacterial, stimulates digestion.
Farmers need to monitor periodically to adjust the ration if necessary.
- Weigh chickens weekly.
- Track food intake.
- Check stool, eggs, health status.
- Send food samples for periodic analysis.
1. Expensive raw materials
→ Solution: Buy seasonal raw materials, combine many sources.
2. Lack of standard formula
→ Solution: Use nutrition software, consult an expert.
3. Not tracking regularly
→ Solution: Set up a weekly tracking chart.
Nutrition is the key factor in determining the effectiveness of chicken farming. Building a reasonable chicken coop helps:
- Chickens grow fast and healthy.
- Improve egg production and meat quality.
- Save on food costs.
- Reduce disease risk and increase profits.
Farmers should constantly update their knowledge and apply technology to optimize their chickens’ nutrition and improve sustainable farming efficiency.
FAQWhy is chicken feeding important in chicken farming?Because chicken nutrition determines growth rate, health, egg/meat productivity and disease resistance of chickens.
No. Each stage (chick, broiler, laying hen) has different nutritional needs for chickens in terms of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Digestive enzymes, probiotics, organic acids and herbal essential oils can be supplemented to increase absorption and aid digestion.