How to calculate food for a baby chick

[mrchaos101]

I need to do some math here. 1 chick eats how much per day/ week/ month. (chick starter)

I was thinking of trying to breed Buff O's as they seem in demand in my area. They are going from 10 to 20 per bird depending on if it is laying or not. It seems that most people sell checks at 10 weeks +. I figured I could get 10 -12 per hen. BUT I need to figure out food cost.

I don't want do this for a living, but would like to make enough to cover cost of my own flock etc. I have 3 out buildings and 1 acre of land for the birds.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They will eat all they can and one should keep feed available all the time for non-broilers.

All chicks will eat more each week. Heavy breeds may eat 0.2 lbs per week up to about 5 weeks. Much less the first week or so. 0.25 up to 10 weeks. That's what they eat but overall use will depend largely on how much they waste.

 

[csaylorchickens]

And don't forget spillage. My chicks love to scratch at the feed and get it everywhere despite my efforts with feeders lol

 

[lazy gardener]

Switch to fermented feed and you'll see your feed bill go WAY down. They utilize the nutrient in the feed better and there is absolutely no waste. You'll also see them feather out better and reach POL faster. Allow them frequent grazing opportunities, and you'll see even more savings.

 

[MonicainAZ]

Switch to fermented feed and you'll see your feed bill go WAY down. They utilize the nutrient in the feed better and there is absolutely no waste. You'll also see them feather out better and reach POL faster. Allow them frequent grazing opportunities, and you'll see even more savings.

I have been thinking about switching to fermented feed, but what kind of feeder do you use for this with baby chicks? Many chick feeders are gravity fed with little holes, but I'm not sure how that works with a wet feed?

 

[lazy gardener]

When they're just getting started, in the first week, I may put a scoop on a piece of cardboard or paper plate. Then, I'll put some in a very shallow bowl, or put it in the little chick feeder with the holes. Just put it in the bottom, not fill up the attached jar. What you want to do is be sure that it's not deep enough, or in a big enough container for them to fall into or get stuck in. They are prone to drowning accidents. While fermented feed is thick... (kind of like cooked oatmeal... It holds it's shape when dropped from a spoon, depending on how much water you like to put in it.) it would be possible for a baby to fall into it and get stuck, or perhaps if a feeding frenzy was going on, baby could get trampled into the feed. A very wise woman said that chicks come out of the egg looking for ways to kill themselves. That pretty much sums it up. Get down at chick level, and look at their environment, and ask yourself what's there that a chick could use to commit suicide!!!

 

[MonicainAZ]

Thanks! Yeah, if they are not committing suicide, they are mysteriously dying for no apparent reason it seems!