Good supplements

[Erinnlyn]

Hi,
Nutrition gurus:
I have read about vitamin deficiencies in chickens despite being fed a complete feed. That doesn't seem right if the feed is supposed to have all the right stuff for them. So I try to make it a habit to give my flock the vitamins and probiotics for their water every now and then. I also occasionally mix in their food a tiny bit of an omega/vit E oil that I have for my horses. I figured the omegas would be great for their eggs. I have sooo many supplements for my horses and my dog, I was wondering if the chickens could just have a little bit of what I have for the other animals. The supplements I have -Horses: Tri-Amino (3 diff amino acids), Remission (a magnesium, probiotic, and flax blend), the oil mentioned above, and trace minerals. -Dog: soft vitamin chews with omegas, probiotics, and glucosamine.
Does anybody else give other species supplements to their chickens, and if so, how did you figure out how much they need?
Thanks!

 

[Perris]

If you add stuff to their water or their food and you confine them, you are forcing them to consume whatever you're giving them, so you should be very careful about what you add and how much.

If you provide them with a range of foods and let them choose, their instincts will guide them individually to select what they need.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119562289

 

[Erinnlyn]

If you add stuff to their water or their food and you confine them, you are forcing them to consume whatever you're giving them, so you should be very careful about what you add and how much.

If you provide them with a range of foods and let them choose, their instincts will guide them individually to select what they need.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119562289

Yes, I only add a small amount for 11 chickens maybe every 3 to 4 weeks and they are free range on 4 acres. I suppose they're getting good nutrition, probably better than myself. Lol

 

[Penpal]

If they free range I don't know why they would need supplements in the summer.