Unlike other domestic pets, chickens aren’t given the attention and care they need by many animal lovers.
But, that might have something to do with the fact that chickens love to eat everything and anything and that free-ranging isn’t a bad practice for your chicken.
Not to mention, everyone knows that when it comes to hardy pets, chickens make it to the top of the list.
However, many chicken owners are always on the lookout for ways to provide their fowl with the most nutritional diet possible.
Hence, you will often find chicken owners asking Can chickens eat millet?
More importantly, chicken pet parents wonder if it is safe for chickens to eat millet.
Well, wonder no more.
Yes, chickens eat millet; your chicken will happily munch on more or less everything that you put before them. But, feeding your chickens millet can have a lot of health benefits for your beloved pets.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the subject of what millet is and whether or not millet should be a part of your chicken’s diet.
Before we dive into the health benefits of chickens eating millet
Let’s look at exactly what is millet so you get an idea
What Is Millet?
Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses.
In other words, millet is a cereal grain that belongs to the Poaceae family and consists of more than 500 varieties.
There are two categories of millet – minor and major millet-based upon color, appearances, and species.
Fundamentally millet is small; round grain is grown mainly in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Now, millet is an ancient grain that is pest-resistant and drought-resistant.
Millet can thrive in harsh environments with little water, less fertile soil, and zero fertilizers.
Millet is as healthy for you as it is for your chicken.
Moreover, millet is a whole grain – bran (seed’s outer skin), germ (nutrient-dense embryo of the seed, and endosperm (germ’s food supply and primary source of carbs).
Whole grain is healthier as the seed contains the bran, the germ, and the endosperm.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Feeding Millet To Chickens?
Millet is a whole grain, and as such, millet is considered a wholesome food source for humans and animals.
As mentioned earlier, millet isn’t like other grains, where the hull is removed.
Let’s take a good look at some of these health gains to be had from feeding your chickens millet.
- High In Phosphorus – Phosphorus is vital for the proper skeletal development of chickens.
- High In Magnesium – Chickens need magnesium for cellular metabolism and bone development.
- Rich In Phytonutrients – Phytonutrients contain antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory activities. It can enhance immunity, intracellular communication, repair damaged DNA, detoxify carcinogens and alter estrogen metabolism.
- High In Fiber – Pearl millet is famous for being high in insoluble fiber and aiding digestion
- Provide more essential amino acids than other cereals
- High In Calcium – Finger millet provides the most amount of calcium that helps with bone health, blood vessels, muscular contractions, proper nerve function, and the production of eggshells.
- Additionally, the omega-3 fatty acids in the eggs produced by chickens taking pearl millet are increased.
As you can see there are plenty of health benefits
Interested to learn about how you can feed it to your chickens?
Carry on reading..
How Can You Give Your Chickens Millet?
There are many different varieties in millet, such as the finger, foxtail, proso, pearl millet.
You can serve millet to your chickens either raw or cooked.
You see, when you cook millet, millet tends to expand more than rice. And, it does become a very tasty treat for fowl.
But, many chicken owners grow a patch of grain such as wheat, rye, barley, and millet in their backyard.
And, often, millet is given as a part of a mix of grains.
On the other hand, some chicken owners feed their flock millet separately, whereas others add it to the chicken feed.
How Much Millet Can You Feed Your Chicken Per Day?
An adult, egg-laying chicken can eat about 1.75 lbs per week. And, an average chicken eats about 3.5 – 4 ounces or about ½ a cup of feed per day.
Now, many chicken owners use regular commercial chicken feed for their flock.
But, chicken pet parents also work to provide their chickens with a more varied and nutritious diet.
You can decide how much millet your chicken should eat based on how your chicken responds to eating millet.
In general, chickens don’t mind eating whatever you put before them.
But, even chickens have a preference for one grain or the other.
Hence, you will find that chicken farmers serve a mix of millet and other grains thrice a week and regular chicken feed on different days.
If you feel that your chicken is having digestion problems and want to enhance your fowl’s bone health, you should consider increasing your chicken’s millet intake.
Millet would also be your grain of choice if you want your chicken to enjoy a meal that is full of minerals as well as antioxidant properties.
Also, millet is a whole grain that is high in protein.
But, your chicks need more protein than adult chickens.
So, you can give your chick millet as a treat when it comes to a chick.
And restrict your chicks to properly balanced chick feed known as chick crumb or starter feed regularly.
Wrapping Up
It’s pretty amazing to keep creatures as intelligent as chickens as pets.
And, any pet parent of a chicken will vouch how easy-going and fun chickens can be.
Moreover, chickens are low-maintenance pets that don’t need much of their human’s attention. Chickens relish pretty much everything you put in front of them.
But, if you happen to be a proud chicken owner, then you must keep in mind your chicken’s diet for raising healthy, happy chickens.
Millet is a highly nutritious whole grain that chickens love to eat.
Millet can do much good for your fowl when consumed on a regular basis.
But, you should remember that free-ranging is also a healthy option for your chickens, and you should consider providing a balanced meal of chicken feed as well as a mix of whole grain to your chickens.
