It’s morning and few things are greater than fresh eggs for breakfast. From the crack of the shell to the point when you’re savoring the rich flavor, it’s nothing short of satisfying. Knowing that the eggs come from your own yard makes it even better.
If you believe the notion, “you are what you eat,” is true – and, we 100% do – then the same thing would apply to what you feed your chickens. Follow the path from your chickens diet to your recent breakfast. It doesn’t take much of a leap to realize that what you feed your chickens will proceed directly to their eggs and on to you.
So you have to ask yourself, “What kind of nutrition am I providing for my chickens?”
Formulated for the Chicken and the Egg
Your chickens love scratch. Fill your feeder or toss some out and they’ll have a hay day kicking it around. But, while they do love it, it isn't providing all of the nutrition your flock needs.
To properly develop, chickens require the right balance of protein and minerals at different stages in their life. At IFA, we’re not just providing scratch in a bag. Our exclusive Poultry Pack contains technology that's nutritionally superior to bagged individual ingredients. It’s expertly formulated to build good natural defenses, maximize performance and growth, and to promote good bacteria.
Benefits of IFA's Combination of Essential Minerals
- Improves bone and egg shell calcification
- Aids collagen synthesis and anemia prevention
- Promotes healthy overall growth
- Protects the cells and the integrity of the reproductive tract of your hens
A Happier, Healthier Flock
An improved diet will boost the health of your flock; helping them thrive and reach their full genetic potential. Healthy birds will eat and produce more efficiently, ensuring they are performing at their maximum ability. It doesn’t matter whether you live on a farm or own a backyard flock; maintaining happy, healthy chickens is essential.
Setting the stage for this balance soon after hatch, and maintaining it throughout the life of the animal, is the key to ensuring the conditions that will maximize the performance of your flock.
Want to know more about what to feed your chickens from chicks to egg-laying hens?
Benefits of Feeding a Nutrient-Rich Chicken Feed
- Feed efficiency, maximizing the most out of every bite
- Build natural defenses
- Maintain gut health and integrity
- Promote good bacteria and immune system response
- Improve growth and productivity
With different feeds at separate stages, we’re able to maintain maximum growth and performance for the duration of your chicken's life. You’ll receive better results for each individual chicken, and the flock as a whole.
Improving Chicken Health Naturally
On top of the added nutrients, we’ve supplemented our feeds with Omega-3 fatty acids. Why Omega-3s? They’re an essential ingredient lacking in many of our diets today. Our bodies can’t produce Omega-3 fatty acids by themselves. We can only get them through our food and they’re important to our overall health. Some of the other benefits of Omega-3s include:
Benefits of Omega-3s
- An integral part of the cell membranes throughout our body
- Affect the function of the cell receptors
- Provide a starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls and inflammation
- Bind to cell receptors that regulates genetic function
- Help to prevent heart disease and stroke
- Possibly aid the control of other diseases
Our exclusive Poultry Pack focuses on the DHA long-chain fatty acid. Not all Omega-3 fatty acids are created equal, and DHA provides a greater number of health benefits compared to EPA and ALA. DHA is important for brain and eye development, and cognitive function throughout life. It improves learning and behavior, and enhances bone metabolism and development. Our body can also store large quantities of DHA, while the majority of EPA and ALA will pass through the digestive track without receiving much benefit.
From Your Chickens to You
Our locally produced feed provides the most nutrients to your chickens – and in the long-run – you and your family. It’s packed with natural nutritional solutions, not individual ingredients. The reward is a happier, healthier flock, and enriched eggs and broiler meat from the yard to your table. We enjoy helping to grow the things you love. Get ready for an abundance of morning eggs. They’ll still be rich with flavor, and now … with so much more.
Information for this article was provided by Heidi Wayment, M.S., Nutritionist, Draper IFA Feed; Dennis Christensen, M.S., P.A.S., Feed & Nutrition Advisor, Draper IFA Feed; and Jill Singleton, Bagged Feed Category Manager, IFA.