Introduction
First, to clarify: this isn’t an article about treating chickens with Vitamin E, although I will touch on that at the end. This is about supplementing their feed to increase overall intake beyond what’s already provided.
Quick Summary
Vitamin E and Breeding
If you're a breeder, Vitamin E is one nutrient that plays an important role in fertility. According to Poultry DVM, breeding chickens should receive 50–100 IU/kg (35–70 IU/lb) of Vitamin E daily.
Additional E supplements can help with reproductive health in hens, and improve fertility, hatchability, and egg quality. Studies indicate that higher Vitamin E improves semen quality in roosters, increasing sperm count and motility.
I began to suspect my flock might be on the lower end of this range for Vitamin E for two reasons:
Evaluating My Feed
We currently feed Kalmbach’s Flock Maker, which contains 30 IU/lb of Vitamin E. This places us at the low end of the recommended range for breeding birds, depending on how much they consume.
This makes sense, since this feed is designed for a wide range of poultry and at various ages.
Why Not Switch Feeds?
You might wonder why I didn’t simply switch to a feed with higher Vitamin E.
I looked into that, but most feeds contained the same level (30 IU/lb) and often had lower protein. I prefer to keep Kalmbach’s 20% protein, as my flock is doing very well on it.
Switching would also mean going back to multiple feeds (layers, ducks, chicks), which I’ve intentionally avoided. Keeping everyone on an all-flock feed is simpler, and supplementing Vitamin E allows me to fine-tune nutrition without complicating feeding.
There are also several water additives that could significantly increase Vitamin E intake; however, managing them with multiple 5-gallon waterers presents practical challenges. Mixing a full batch would keep the birds on the supplement longer than intended, or require changing the water every other day to reintroduce plain water. In addition, these products typically contain a range of other vitamins and minerals, raising concerns about potential over-supplementation if left in the water continuously. Most manufacturers recommend these additives for short-term use only. For these reasons, increasing the base level of Vitamin E directly in the feed is the simplest and most practical solution.
My Adjustment
I decided to increase Vitamin E from 30 IU/lb to 40 IU/lb, which remains safely within the recommended range for breeders, chicks, and ducks.
I’m especially interested in whether this reduces neurological/hatching issues in chicks. Last year, out of 500+ Silkies, I saw:
Choosing a Supplement
Next, I needed a practical way to add Vitamin E to feed.
While gel caps are commonly used for treatment, I wanted something suitable for daily supplementation. I found a powdered product that works well.
Types of Vitamin E
There are two main forms of Vitamin E:
The powdered product I chose contains natural D-Alpha Tocopherol and is highly concentrated.
The synthetic form is commonly found in both chicken feed and human gel caps. Either is fine; however, the natural form is much more concentrated and is absorbed at roughly twice the rate.
Selenium Considerations
When using natural Vitamin E, its higher absorption rate reduces the need for additional selenium, provided your feed already contains adequate levels.
Kalmbach’s Flock Maker does include selenium (though the exact amount isn’t listed; it’s typically around 0.3 mg/kg in poultry feeds).
It’s important to be cautious here:
Dosage Calculation
The powdered Vitamin E I’m using contains 1,250 IU per gram, making it extremely concentrated.
To increase feed by 10 IU/lb, I only needed:
0.40 grams per 50 lb of feed
That’s a very small amount, essentially a pinch, so I purchased a gram scale capable of measuring very small weights.
How I Mix It:
Because the powder is so fine and used in such small amounts, thorough mixing is critical.
We use two 25 lb rolling bins (each holding half a 50 lb bag).
Process:
We keep one bin in the house for the chicks in brooders and growout pens, and the other goes out to the breeder coop. For approximately 30 adults, plus chicks, we mix 50 pounds of feed like this about once every week or two.
Vitamin E as a Treatment
Although this article focuses on supplementation, Vitamin E is also commonly used to treat neurological conditions such as wry neck.
Typical treatment:
Improvement can take a couple of weeks. In some cases, like Charlotte, we’ve seen reduced severity, though not complete resolution. For further information about wry neck treatment, see Wry Neck in a Chick, and for a more holistic approach for prevention, a list of herbs that contain calcium and selenium can be found in this article, Wry Neck - Causes, treatment, & prevention.
My sources/products used:
Vitamin E Recommendations for chickens - Poultry DVM
Powdered Vitamin E
Rolling bins
Scale
The photos are mine.
First, to clarify: this isn’t an article about treating chickens with Vitamin E, although I will touch on that at the end. This is about supplementing their feed to increase overall intake beyond what’s already provided.
Quick Summary• Target Vitamin E: 40 IU/lb
• Current feed: 30 IU/lb
• Added: 0.40g per 50 lb feed
• Form used: Natural (D-Alpha Tocopherol)
• Safe for: Chickens, chicks, ducks
Vitamin E and Breeding
If you're a breeder, Vitamin E is one nutrient that plays an important role in fertility. According to Poultry DVM, breeding chickens should receive 50–100 IU/kg (35–70 IU/lb) of Vitamin E daily.
Additional E supplements can help with reproductive health in hens, and improve fertility, hatchability, and egg quality. Studies indicate that higher Vitamin E improves semen quality in roosters, increasing sperm count and motility.
I began to suspect my flock might be on the lower end of this range for Vitamin E for two reasons:
- I raise and breed Silkie chickens.
- Silkies are more prone to vitamin deficiencies.
Evaluating My Feed
We currently feed Kalmbach’s Flock Maker, which contains 30 IU/lb of Vitamin E. This places us at the low end of the recommended range for breeding birds, depending on how much they consume.
This makes sense, since this feed is designed for a wide range of poultry and at various ages.
Why Not Switch Feeds?
You might wonder why I didn’t simply switch to a feed with higher Vitamin E.
I looked into that, but most feeds contained the same level (30 IU/lb) and often had lower protein. I prefer to keep Kalmbach’s 20% protein, as my flock is doing very well on it.
Switching would also mean going back to multiple feeds (layers, ducks, chicks), which I’ve intentionally avoided. Keeping everyone on an all-flock feed is simpler, and supplementing Vitamin E allows me to fine-tune nutrition without complicating feeding.
There are also several water additives that could significantly increase Vitamin E intake; however, managing them with multiple 5-gallon waterers presents practical challenges. Mixing a full batch would keep the birds on the supplement longer than intended, or require changing the water every other day to reintroduce plain water. In addition, these products typically contain a range of other vitamins and minerals, raising concerns about potential over-supplementation if left in the water continuously. Most manufacturers recommend these additives for short-term use only. For these reasons, increasing the base level of Vitamin E directly in the feed is the simplest and most practical solution.
My Adjustment
I decided to increase Vitamin E from 30 IU/lb to 40 IU/lb, which remains safely within the recommended range for breeders, chicks, and ducks.
I’m especially interested in whether this reduces neurological/hatching issues in chicks. Last year, out of 500+ Silkies, I saw:
- 8 cases of splayed legs (How to Fix Splayed Legs).
- 1 case of curled toes (How to Fix Curled Toes).
- 3 cases of head shaking/tremors
Choosing a Supplement
Next, I needed a practical way to add Vitamin E to feed.
While gel caps are commonly used for treatment, I wanted something suitable for daily supplementation. I found a powdered product that works well.
Types of Vitamin E
There are two main forms of Vitamin E:
- D-Alpha Tocopherol (natural)
- DL-Alpha Tocopherol (synthetic)
The powdered product I chose contains natural D-Alpha Tocopherol and is highly concentrated.
The synthetic form is commonly found in both chicken feed and human gel caps. Either is fine; however, the natural form is much more concentrated and is absorbed at roughly twice the rate.
Selenium Considerations
When using natural Vitamin E, its higher absorption rate reduces the need for additional selenium, provided your feed already contains adequate levels.
Kalmbach’s Flock Maker does include selenium (though the exact amount isn’t listed; it’s typically around 0.3 mg/kg in poultry feeds).
It’s important to be cautious here:
- Chickens can overdose on selenium above ~0.40 mg/day
- Recommended intake is roughly 0.15–0.35 mg/day
Dosage Calculation
The powdered Vitamin E I’m using contains 1,250 IU per gram, making it extremely concentrated.
To increase feed by 10 IU/lb, I only needed:
0.40 grams per 50 lb of feed
That’s a very small amount, essentially a pinch, so I purchased a gram scale capable of measuring very small weights.
How I Mix It:
Because the powder is so fine and used in such small amounts, thorough mixing is critical.
We use two 25 lb rolling bins (each holding half a 50 lb bag).
Process:
- Weigh the additive using a gram scale.
- Mix it with a small amount of chick feed to evenly coat particles.
- Divide the mixture into four containers.
- Add feed to the bins in layers: 1/4 of the bag at a time, mixing in one portion of the additive to each 1/4 portion of feed.
- Stir thoroughly after each addition.
We keep one bin in the house for the chicks in brooders and growout pens, and the other goes out to the breeder coop. For approximately 30 adults, plus chicks, we mix 50 pounds of feed like this about once every week or two.
Vitamin E as a Treatment
Although this article focuses on supplementation, Vitamin E is also commonly used to treat neurological conditions such as wry neck.
Typical treatment:
- 400 IU Vitamin E (synthetic) gel caps
- Paired with a selenium source for absorption
Improvement can take a couple of weeks. In some cases, like Charlotte, we’ve seen reduced severity, though not complete resolution. For further information about wry neck treatment, see Wry Neck in a Chick, and for a more holistic approach for prevention, a list of herbs that contain calcium and selenium can be found in this article, Wry Neck - Causes, treatment, & prevention.
Vitamin E Recommendations for chickens - Poultry DVM
Powdered Vitamin E
Rolling bins
Scale
The photos are mine.
