How to give yeast to chickens: feeding rules and how to do it at home
Food sold in retail outlets does not always increase the productivity of birds. The owners of the poultry farmstead try to enrich the diet of their pets with a variety of nutritional supplements. One of the most used additives is yeast. They are included in compound feed and regular food consumed by laying hens. To avoid unpleasant consequences, you should know how to properly give yeast to chickens, in what volume.
What is yeast?
Yeasting - saturation of feed with useful substances, which improves the appetite of birds, increase their productivity. Yeast mushrooms are added to the main food mixture, then the fermentation process takes place.The result is food with increased nutritional value, rich in vitamins and phytoinsulin.
Feed obtained as a result of yeast bran, grain mass, meat and bone meal, in winter provides chickens with the necessary amount of protein, mineral elements.
Birds receiving such food actively and fully grow, and the volume of muscle tissue and tendons corresponds to the size of the body.
Pros and cons
Yeast is a rich source of proteins, fatty acids, trace elements necessary for the body - both chicken and adult birds. With the regular inclusion of yeast feeding in the diet of chickens:
- fertility increases (hens produce 23% more eggs during the winter months);
- pets' appetite improves;
- immunity is strengthened;
- body weight grows;
- the diameter of the eggs is getting bigger.
However, some hens develop a negative reaction to feed with yeast:
- diarrhea;
- inflammation of the cloaca;
- pack cannibalism;
- inflammatory pathologies of the joints.
A host who notices these symptoms should stop feeding yeast or reduce the concentration of the product in the feed by 50%.
Yeasting Methods
First, the food mass should be crushed. And the better, the smaller the resulting fraction. Yeasting is carried out by three methods:
- dry;
- safe;
- starter.
The optimum temperature of the water used is 36-38 °C.It is impossible to warm up above, otherwise the fungus will die. Cooking utensils should be taken more than half the volume of the prepared food, as it will swell during fermentation. Yeast must be dissolved well so that no lumps remain. You can speed up the dissolution by adding a spoonful of sugar.
Dough method
Step-by-step preparation of feed: first the dough is mixed, then yeast is produced.
For dough, take 200 g of grain base, 10 g of yeast (they are diluted in 0.5 liters of slightly warmed water). The mixture is set aside for 4 hours. Add another 800 g of grain, pour in a liter of water. After 4 hours of infusion, the food is used.
No dough
For cooking, take 1 kg of grain base, 0.2 g of yeast, 1.5 liters of heated water. Make a mixture of grain and yeast, set aside for 6 hours of fermentation. During this time, stir regularly. If the food is swollen so that it has absorbed all the liquid, then you need to pour a glass of water.
Sourdough method
Combine 10 g of yeast and 0.5 liters of warm water. The mixture is poured into 0.5 kg of grain. Leave to swell for 6 hours. Pour another 0.5 kg of grain, pour in 0.8 liters of water, stir well. A day later, the food is used for its intended purpose.
What's in yeast mash?
A mixture of just a grain with yeast does not provide the bird's body with the necessary amount of useful compounds.
Grain base is a source of carbohydrates. Whole grains are less nutritious and are best ground or flattened. During the winter months, sprouting grains is the best option, so the birds get the maximum amount of vitamins.
To make the food more nutritious, chopped hay, vegetables, berries, low-fat milk and dairy products, bran, vegetable oil, meat are added to it.
For broilers
For the full growth of muscle mass, it is necessary that the amount of protein in the feed be from 22%.
Option for a daily menu for a 2-month-old broiler:
- crushed wheat, barley, corn grain (100 g);
- sunflower cake (15 g);
- boiled potatoes (40 g);
- yeast (20g);
- s alt (1g).
For laying hens
The diet of laying hens is less saturated with proteins, but more fortified.
Option for the winter daily ration of laying hens:
- crushed wheat, barley, corn grain (70 g);
- wheat bran (20g);
- a mixture of boiled potatoes, fresh carrots, pumpkins in equal proportions (20 g);
- powdered grass (5g);
- yeast (20g);
- s alt (1g).
In the winter months it is advisable to enrich the feed with chalk. This substance supplies the body with calcium, which is important for the formation of eggs with strong shells.
For turkeys
Broilers are actively growing, their body requires food rich in protein and carbohydrates. It is impossible to prepare food suitable for such breeds on your own. Young birds consume high-quality store-bought food suitable for them. To make the meat tastier, you can add fresh grass, fermented milk products to the main food.
Light and medium weight birds are less picky about their diet. For them, you can prepare a mixture:
- crushed wheat, corn, pea mass (60%);
- grass, vegetables (20%);
- yeast (20%).
How to feed feed yeast to chickens?
Give every day or every other day. The optimal daily amount is 20 g of the product per individual.
Fodder yeast should be included in the diet of birds from mid-autumn to mid-spring. During the warmer months, chickens eat a lot of fresh food, so they do not need yeast feeding.
The shelf life of home-cooked food does not exceed a day. If you have cooked a lot and feel sorry for throwing away, then you can freeze the unused part, but after defrosting it will be less useful.
How much baker's yeast should be given to reared birds?
Baker's yeast is suitable for feeding chickens. They are not included in the dry food mass, but are yeasted using the methods described above.
The daily portion of food for one individual is 20 g. It is advisable to give the first dose no more than 12 g. Then it is increased to the norm in two weeks. The frequency of feeding with baker's yeast is 2 or 3 times a week.
When can yeast be added to chicken feed?
Chickens can eat yeast-rich feed from the 18th day of life. Daily portion - 3-4 g.
Broilers are more in need of protein food. They can consume yeast as early as day 15. The initial portion is 3 g, then it increases to 10 g.
Special feed preparations
In order for yeast to be more effective, the grain must be prepared for the process:
- Chop. Cereal grains with a diameter of up to 3 mm are better absorbed, give more useful substances. The fermentation process of crushed grain is faster.
- Pour boiling water over. The starch in the grains is converted into sugar - a nutritional basis for the fungus.
To make your food more nutritious, you can use the following recommendations:
- add cereal sprouts rich in beneficial compounds (5 g per individual);
- use warm whey rich in minerals and protein instead of water;
- add chopped zucchini, potatoes, beets as sources of vitamins.
Feed yeast is a good way to increase the nutritional value and digestibility of grain for chickens. Such feed during the winter months helps laying hens to improve performance, and broilers to gain weight. Yeasting is more beneficial than buying artificial vitamin supplements, fish and meat meal.
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