Food

Chickens and other poultry are very special when you look at their digestion. In most creatures, digestion begins with the chewing process. In poultry, the teeth are missing, so the mechanical part of digesting food does not begin in the beak. Nature has compensated for this anatomical "flaw" by creating a gizzard.
Very important for good digestion is clean water and high quality feed.
Chickens feed mainly on grains (wheat and maize). They also find fresh plants and insects in their enclosure. Green waste such as peelings, stalks of fruit and vegetables or lettuce leaves are wonderful for chickens. A hen consumes about 12 to 150 kg of green waste per year.

Daily menu

• 25 cl clean water, especially in summer
• 100 to 150 g of cereals (wheat, maize) and protein crops (peas, beans), whole or ground
• Pasture, insects and green waste
• Minerals for solid eggs

Find out here about suitable troughs and feeders as well as sustainable organic feeders:

Supplementary feed for chickens is essential to ensure optimum care. Ida Plus feed supplements in particular play a key role in this by strengthening the chickens' immune system. Targeted nutrients intensify cell protection, while vitamin D ensures strong bones and vitamin A supports the immune defence. This targeted support is essential in various phases of the chickens' lives, be it during the laying phase, moulting or during growth. Ida Plus therefore offers a comprehensive solution to ensure the health and vitality of chickens, especially during the demanding winter months.

Find our entire range of poultry feed supplements from Ida Plus here.

Your chicken is healthy if:
 

• the eyes are clean, without discharge and not inflamed
• the nose is dry and the animal does not sneeze
• the plumage is shiny, clean and not smeared with dirt
• the buttocks are clean and not sticky
• the claws and beak are not too long and the toes are not malpositioned
• no bumps, swellings or incrustations are visible or felt on the body or can be felt
• the chicken is lively and alert and has a good appetite.