8 Layer Chicken Nutrition Needs by Growth Stage

You need to meet your layer chickens' nutritional needs. Those nutrients have to be in the layer feed to support the birds' growth and development. Meeting these needs every day is essential, because chickens need more than just a full stomach; their feed must contain enough nutrients. Layers that do not get enough nutrition become unproductive and lay lower-quality eggs. The nutrition you provide should match each growth stage; for example, the starter stage needs different nutrients from the grower stage. Here are the layer chicken nutrition needs you should meet:

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Starter

In this stage, the chicks are less than 4 weeks old, so they need nutrients that support healthy growth and development. Complete nutrition gives chickens a strong immune system and resistance to many diseases. If you do not provide the right nutrition, their immunity drops and they cannot fight off disease. The first nutrient starter-stage chickens need is water, and they must never run short of it. At the same time, water should not be given in excess, as that can harm the chickens you raise.

Another layer chicken nutrition need you must meet is energy; starter chickens need more energy than birds in the grower stage. Starter chickens also need crude protein, and they need more of it than chickens in grower 1 and grower 2. You should also give starter chickens crude fiber, but only in adequate amounts, never in excess, because chickens at this stage cannot yet digest crude fiber well. Fat is also needed, as it serves as an energy reserve, and the amount of fat is the same for starter, grower 1 and grower 2. Ash, calcium and phosphorus must be supplied in sufficient amounts as well.

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Grower 1

Grower 1 covers layer chickens aged 4 to 10 weeks. The nutrients you should give grower 1 chickens include water, plus energy at a lower level than in the starter stage but a higher level than in grower 2. You can get this energy from corn, rice and many other sources. For starters, you can give it as a special meal, while for grower 1 and 2 it can be a mix. Grower chickens also need crude protein, though not as much as starters. Grower 1 chickens need the same amount of crude fiber as starters. Other nutrients layers need in the grower 1 stage are crude fat, ash, calcium (which plays a key role in bone density) and phosphorus. Grower 1 chickens need less phosphorus than starters.

Grower 2

In this stage, grower 2 chickens are entering their productive period, so their nutritional needs require close attention. Chickens in this stage are 10 to 16 weeks old, and layers will be laying by the time they reach 18 weeks. They need water, energy and crude protein, with less crude protein than in the two earlier stages. Their crude fiber percentage is higher than in the two earlier stages. Nutrients such as ash, crude fat, calcium and phosphorus must also be included in the feed ration you provide.

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Those are the layer chicken nutrition needs to keep in mind. We hope this information is useful.