Are supplements a necessary part of a healthy poultry diet?
The five welfare needs of chickens, as outlined in European legislation and adopted by animal charities, provide an excellent basis for making sure our flocks live a healthy, happy life. One of the most critical sections of those standards is:"Freedom from hunger and thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour".
The most important part of any chicken diet, of course, is a good quality feed, balanced to meet their needs at different times of life.
Those foods, chosen carefully, should give your flock everything they need in terms of vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients.
But it's important to know what additional vitamins and minerals can offer chickens, particularly at times when they may need extra to boost their system: after a predator attack, for example, or in times of extreme heat, or when they're moulting.
Remember, though: other foods, particularly treats, should be offered only after they have had their own.
The following tables summarise the main vitamins and minerals, explains what a lack might mean and how to watch for signs of deficiency, and gives examples of foods which contain that particular element.
And, in promoting healthy foods which can help fight disease, they also fulfill another welfare need: for chickens to be...
"Protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease."