Fresh, clean water and feed are always available and the chickens eat whenever they want. After each flock, the barn and equipment are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Barns are then left empty a week before a new flock arrives. This concern for cleanliness is unique to Canada. The main ingredient in chicken food is grain, usually a blend of wheat, corn and barley.
Grain provides calories and protein.
Other feed ingredients are soybean or canola meal, fat and protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The amount of each ingredient in the feed is changed slightly as the chicken gets older. Clean barns, healthy chicks, good feed and clean water are important for preventing illness. If medication is needed, chicken farmers must follow very strict guidelines. Only the safest and most effective medications are used and they are used only when necessary.