Premixes for chickens: composition and rules of use, types and best brands

Every farmer knows that the he alth and productivity of birds depends on the quality of food. Feed - both for laying hens and for broiler chicks - must be balanced, contain the optimal set of useful substances. The best way to enrich the feed with vitamins and minerals is to use chicken premixes. But in order not to harm the birds, the dosage indicated in the instructions should be observed.

What are premixes and what are they for?

The diet of chickens is approximately 70% based on cereal grains, so it needs to be enriched with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids.It is difficult to add these substances in free form to the feed due to their low concentration. The best option is to use premixes

Premix - a homogeneous mass, including bioactive substances combined in the filler. Diet supplement needed for:

improve chicken metabolism;
normalize the absorption of food in the digestive tract;
full development and functioning of internal organs;
increasing egg production and hatchability of chickens;
reducing the likelihood of bone and joint pathologies;
preventing baldness and intraspecific cannibalism;
maintaining immunity during molting;
reducing susceptibility to infectious pathologies.

Advantages and disadvantages

Positive moments when feeding layers with premixes:

increased fertility (up to 280 eggs per year);
reducing feed costs (premixes have high nutritional value);
increasing the nutritional value of eggs;
maintaining normal reproductive capacity of chickens;
Improve the presentation of eggs.

Benefits of Broiler Feeding:

significant annual weight gain;
reduction of the fattening period;
prevention of skeletal pathologies in young animals.

The disadvantages of using premixes are few, but poultry farmers consider them significant. This is:

relatively high cost;
the need for careful calculation of the dosage (overfeeding is harmful);
difficulty in choosing a quality product (many fakes);
same composition (hens accustomed to food variety often refuse to feed).

Types of additives

Producers are constantly working to improve the composition of premixes. Today, the following types of additives are sold by composition:

Vitamin - to eliminate hypovitaminosis in chickens during the winter months.
Mineral - includes minerals that are important for the proper functioning of the digestive system, the formation of egg shells.
Complex - a combination of vitamins and minerals.
Therapeutic - intended to eliminate and prevent pathologies of chickens.
Protein - supplement carbohydrate foods.

What should be included?

Premixes differ in application for chickens of different purposes and age categories. Preparations are available for laying hens, broilers, week-old chickens, young hens, meat breeds.

For laying hens

Supplement intended for laying hens must include:

vitamin E (necessary for the formation of egg white);
group B (to maintain the he alth of the nervous system);
selenium (to improve the functioning of the reproductive organs);
iodine (to maintain the hormonal system);
copper (for the full formation of the chick in the egg);
amino acids lysine and methionine.

For broilers

The composition of the premix for broilers must include:

vitamin A (for active growth);
D (for skeletal development);
group B (to normalize digestion and metabolism);
zinc (to support heart function);
iron (to prevent anemia);
manganese (to prevent leg joint pathologies).

How to choose a quality product?

The quality of the premix is determined by its composition written on the package:

If the composition does not contain components of animal origin, then amino acids must be contained.
Quality preparation contains antioxidants that prevent the oxidation of vitamins.
From vitamins A, E, D, K, group B.
The mineral composition should include zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, iron, calcium, phosphorus. It is desirable that the sources of minerals be natural ingredients.

Product quality declines over time.

Vitamins and minerals are quickly destroyed, so after the expiration date, the drug is useless to use.

Top brands and manufacturers

A large number of domestic and imported premixes for chickens are being sold. They practically do not differ in composition, but the difference in price can be significant.

Ryabushka, Agrovit LLC

One of the most popular domestic brands. The composition includes 12 vitamins, 7 minerals. There are no hormones. The product is suitable not only for chickens, but also for other types of poultry, it helps to prevent premature molting, cannibalism, rickets, dystrophic changes.

Zdravur Layer

Composed of 11 vitamins, 7 minerals, enzymes, amino acids, non-GMO. The product normalizes digestion, promotes the full development of birds, increases the fertility of laying hens.

TechKorm by Trouw Nutrition International

Imported food based on 8 vitamins, contains calcium and phosphorus, methionine, lysine, choline, crude protein. The best option for large poultry farms. The product promotes rapid weight gain in broilers, normalizes digestion, and increases the hatchability of chickens.

Country yard

Designed for feeding meat chickens and broilers, promotes active weight gain, and also prevents anemia, hypovitaminosis, cannibalism, rickets, eye and hormonal pathologies.

Components are selected taking into account the metabolism in the bird's body, so the premix allows you to reduce the amount of feed consumed and save money.

Megamix

Premix can be used both in large farms and in private backyards. Improves the overall he alth of chickens, promotes rapid growth in body weight, increases the number of surviving chicks.Contains 12 vitamins, essential nutrients, mineral springs (limestone, diatomaceous earth).

How to feed chickens with premix?

Feeding instructions are written on premix packages. The standard daily amount is 0.5 or 1% of the weight of feed consumed per day (5 or 10 g per 1 kg of feed mass).

Egg direction

Premix is added to feed at the rate of 0.5-1 gram per laying hen. But for most manufacturers, the recommended ratio of additive and feed is 1 to 100.

Meat direction

The dose of the drug is calculated based on the total daily amount of feed. For most manufacturers, the recommended amount of premix is 1% of the mass of food (10 g of the drug is consumed per 1 kg of feed).

DIY premix

You can make your own nutritional supplements, but their effectiveness will be lower than store-bought products. As ingredients use:

shell rock - a source of calcium and iodine (about 8% of the feed weight);
a mixture of limestone, chalk, eggshell - to replenish calcium, iron (1-3%);
cereal sprouts (up to 30%);
greens - clover, root leaves, nettle (1-3%);
edible s alt is a source of chlorine, sodium (no more than 2 g per individual per day).

Using premixes, the farmer not only provides the chickens with the necessary nutrients, but also saves on feed. With such a diet, the birds remain he althy and active, their susceptibility to infectious diseases decreases, and productivity increases.