ok ok ok whats normal?

[BoostPsi]

hi I have three EE's, one Andalusian and one mixed unknown game hen that are all close to three months old.

They have been switched to growers feed from the chick mash.... how much should they eat each day? I had the silver feed trays with the rotating bar on top but they keep kicking lots of dirt and poop into it making me dump food out and refilling them....kind of wasteful but more sanitary at least to me.... yesterday I built one custom feeder(then a second one even taller once they ate from it) which I thought would consume less food in the long run since its harder for them to fill it with dirt.

to my surprise they ate all the feed in both feeders in less than 24hrs.......how much should five 3month old birds consume each day?....they also got some treats(tomatoes, parsley, grass) but not in large amounts


thanks

 

[Folly's place]

They need feed free choice; set up a feeder that they don't empty that fast! I just use the metal feeders from the store, I get the 11 lb. size and hang it in the coop with a cone cover over the top. I also try to not feed wildlife, which is why the feeders are in the coop, not outside. Mary

 

[evemfoster]

hi I have three EE's, one Andalusian and one mixed unknown game hen that are all close to three months old.

They have been switched to growers feed from the chick mash.... how much should they eat each day? I had the silver feed trays with the rotating bar on top but they keep kicking lots of dirt and poop into it making me dump food out and refilling them....kind of wasteful but more sanitary at least to me.... yesterday I built one custom feeder(then a second one even taller once they ate from it) which I thought would consume less food in the long run since its harder for them to fill it with dirt.

to my surprise they ate all the feed in both feeders in less than 24hrs.......how much should five 3month old birds consume each day?....they also got some treats(tomatoes, parsley, grass) but not in large amounts


thanks

Yes they need feed in front of them at all times. However 3 EE's at 12 weeks should only be eating about 8- 10 oz of food each day. The feed is bulky so takes up a lot more space than you would think.

It sound like you have something besides chickens eating the feed. There is a couple things you can do.

First raise the feeder up so that the opening is somewhere between the chickens chest and their backs. Adjust it up as the chickens get older. The closer to the ground the opening is the easier it is for the hens to toss food on the ground and for rodents to get into the feed.

Next if possible close up the feeders in the run overnight. The chickens won't be eating in the run at night so you will be able to see if there is more feed in the morning than there has been. If there is more food something is steeling the feed. With the PVC pipes all you have to do is put an end cap over the opening when you put the chickens up for the night and remove it in the morning. If their is a feeder inside the coop you can leave it open so they eat when they get up at the crack of dawn.

By the way the metal feeder is supposed to be placed on blocks and raised up to back level as the chickens get older too. Raising it helps keep litter out of the feeder but with that model the hens tend to toss the food sideways and a lot ends up on the ground.

 

[Cindy in PA]

The OP has 5 chickens. As adults they would eat between 1.25 & 1.65 pounds per day. As growing juveniles they could possibly eat more. Figure out how much feed you put out & then you can figure out how much they are really eating.

 

[petrel]

deleted

 

[evemfoster]

The OP has 5 chickens. As adults they would eat between 1.25 & 1.65 pounds per day. As growing juveniles they could possibly eat more. Figure out how much feed you put out & then you can figure out how much they are really eating.

You are right 5 chickens, forgive me. I blame my dyslexia it misses whole paragraphs some times.

I use a Cluck-ulator App to figure out about how much a chicken should be eating.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chickenwaterer.p5618jj&hl=en

My El-cheapo tablet is stuck today and will only calculate for EE sized chickens so a little extra will be needed for larger birds.

For 5 -12 week old birds - 11 oz. a day
For 5 - 20 week old birds - 14 oz a day

The app will only calculate up to 20 weeks old. I imagine they will eat quite a bit more per bird when they start laying.

I find the App fairly accurate my birds eat less feed than the App predicts because they get some free range and leftovers daily.

 

[evemfoster]

Sorry, I know very bad form answering yourself. I neglected to mention i feed Fermented Feed so i have a very good idea how much the chickens are getting every day.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them

I have almost no feed loss to rodents and birds. The rodents want to store dry food for the winter so don't bother it much. The only birds that i have seen eating it is California quail. A momma and 3 babies show up just before dusk and grab a quick bite between the time the chickens head into the coop for the night and the time it takes me to head out to close everything up.

I live up in the mountains so don't have any of the pesky small birds like sparrows and finches that get into feed in low country, so please take that into account. I do have mountain mice (chipmunks), deer mice, squirrels, gophers, marmots, rabbits and wild turkeys that have taken pride in eating up all the dry feed they can get in the past.

 

[BoostPsi]

thanks everyone. I don't have any feed loss since the coop and run are pretty secure and I can't leave it open to let them free range without supervision until they are just a little larger (3 cats). They just require more food than I expected. I'll raise the tin feeder up, I had already done that with the water containers to reduce the dirt they kick into them.

 

[BoostPsi]

You are right 5 chickens, forgive me. I blame my dyslexia it misses whole paragraphs some times.

I use a Cluck-ulator App to figure out about how much a chicken should be eating.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chickenwaterer.p5618jj&hl=en

My El-cheapo tablet is stuck today and will only calculate for EE sized chickens so a little extra will be needed for larger birds.

For 5 -12 week old birds - 11 oz. a day
For 5 - 20 week old birds - 14 oz a day

The app will only calculate up to 20 weeks old. I imagine they will eat quite a bit more per bird when they start laying.

I find the App fairly accurate my birds eat less feed than the App predicts because they get some free range and leftovers daily.

OMG sometimes misunderstanding is funny!!! like now

My flock is eating a little bit more than they should but not by a bunch... I was reading your reply as five to twelve weeks old 11oz a day...each.....they are nowhere close to that or I would probably be huge chickens that can't walk

Cluck U Lator cleared up my confusion and put me at ease on the upcoming cost of food.....I was thinking holy $%%^ chickens are much more expensive than I expected

I already have a 8lb cat that eats two five oz cans of wet food a day and dry food..... but she never gains weight(wish I could eat a tenth of my weight each day with no consequences)...being new I completely misunderstood the numbers(I'll blame it on the whiskey)

thanks again