Average pounds of feed per month for 11 chickens?

[Blosing101]

I am going through about 50 lbs of crumbles a month ( give or take a few lbs ) and wondering if that is normal or what.

 

[mich9510]

How old at your chickens?

 

[Pyxis]

The quoted average is .25 pounds per chicken per day, but they'll eat more if it's cold and a lot of energy is being spent on staying warm, or if you have larger breeds that just need more feed. So the 'average' intake for 11 chickens in a month would be around 77 pounds going by the ballpark figure of .25 pounds per day. So you're not doing too bad at all with only 50 pounds a month. This is for adult chickens, not juveniles or chicks.

 

[woody1]

Are these layers and are they laying? Are they getting anything else? Frankly I'd be surprised if they're laying very well or at all with only 50# per month unless it's really hot stuff. My 9 layers (6 Rhodies and 3 easter eggers) + a banty rooster that has "adopted" they will go thru over half again what you say yours get. They get a couple handfulls of scratch daily also. The temps are ranging from lows in the low teens and highs in the 20's to 30's. They are laying at about 75-80%.

 

[mich9510]

I'm fairly new to chickens but 50 lbs sounds like not very much in a month. That's why I asked how old. I go through 5 lbs per day with fifteen 21 week old chickens and six 14 week old chickens. And two ducks. It is fermented and they free range.

 

[Pyxis]

I'm fairly new to chickens but 50 lbs sounds like not very much in a month. That's why I asked how old. I go through 5 lbs per day with fifteen 21 week old chickens and six 14 week old chickens. And two ducks. It is fermented and they free range.

This is probably your answer. The fermentation stretches the feed out as it makes more nutrients available and they are free ranging and finding other things to eat to supplement the feed.

 

[lazy gardener]

I am going through about 50 lbs of crumbles a month ( give or take a few lbs ) and wondering if that is normal or what.

Did you ever state how many birds? A lot of things will affect your feed consumption. Mainly: do they have access to free range? Quality of their run? (grass base or high quality DL where they can dig for goodies in a good DL compost) Other additions like kitchen scraps, scratch? Are they laying? How old are they? LF or Bantams? Production, leghorns or other breeds such as Barred rock, Orpington, etc.?

The written material I have from Blue Seal states that a LF bird typically eats .20 to .25#/day. Let's take an average of .23# per bird. If you have 10 birds, the math would look like this:

.23 x 10 = 2.3#/day. 2.3# x 7 days = 16.1#/week. or 2.3 x 30 = 69#/month. Or: 50/2.3 = 21.7 days per 50# bag for 10 hens.

Plug in your own numbers, and you will see how your bird's consumption works out. I find that my birds eat considerably less than the .23# suggested amount because they are on fermented feed. My birds consumed an average of .16# per bird in Nov. and .195 in Dec. I can rationalize the difference b/c the weather has been colder, and the birds are now laying. Any time you see a noticeable change in your feed consumption, it's a good idea to stop and think it through to see if you can figure out why the change. For example, if your feed consumption suddenly goes up, with out any weather change, or without any change in egg production, you need to look for an other reason. The first thing I'd look at is the possibility of rodents getting into the feed, either in the coop or in storage. Likewise, when spring arrives, and if I am able to let my birds out to free range, I would expect that their consumption would end up being even less than the .16#/bird recorded in November.

ETA: Duh! If I'd only read your thread title, I'd have seen that you have 11 birds. 11 x .23 = 2.53#/day 50/2.53= 19.76 days per bag of feed.

 

[Pyxis]

Did you ever state how many birds?  A lot of things will affect your feed consumption.  Mainly:  do they have access to free range?  Quality of their run?  (grass base or high quality DL where they can dig for goodies in a good DL compost)  Other additions like kitchen scraps, scratch?  Are they laying?  How old are they?  LF or Bantams?  Production, leghorns or other breeds such as Barred rock, Orpington, etc.?

The written material I have from Blue Seal states that a LF bird typically eats .20 to .25#/day.  Let's take an average of .23# per bird.  If you have 10 birds, the math would look like this:  

.23 x 10 = 2.3#/day.    2.3# x 7 days = 16.1#/week.  or 2.3 x 30 = 69#/month.  Or:  50/2.3 = 21.7 days per 50# bag for 10 hens.

Plug in your own numbers, and you will see how your bird's consumption works out.  I find that my birds eat considerably less than the .23# suggested amount because they are on fermented feed.  My birds consumed an average of .16# per bird in Nov. and .195 in Dec.   I can rationalize the difference b/c the weather has been colder, and the birds are now laying.  Any time you see a noticeable change in your feed consumption, it's a good idea to stop and think it through to see if you can figure out why the change.  For example, if your feed consumption suddenly goes up, with out any weather change, or without any change in egg production, you need to look for an other reason.  The first thing I'd look at is the possibility of rodents getting into the feed, either in the coop or in storage.  Likewise, when spring arrives, and if I am able to let my birds out to free range, I would expect that their consumption would end up being even less than the .16#/bird recorded in November. 

OP answered most of these - said 11 chickens in the title, said they are 21 weeks and 14 weeks in another reply so likely not laying, and also said that they free range and are fed fermented feed, so that seems to account for why they are not eating as much as they are 'supposed' to.

 

[lazy gardener]

OP was Blosing, with 11 birds. I did not see where she gave any further info. Later reply with age of birds and info re: FFand free ranging was by Mich9510 (She free ranges, has 21 chickens between 14 and 21 weeks old, and 2 ducks, and uses FF, feeding 5#/day.)

Both posters can easily do the math to figure out their daily feed consumption.

 

[Pyxis]

[COLOR=FF0000]OP was Blosing, with 11 birds.[/COLOR]  I did not see where she gave any further info.  Later reply with age of birds and info re: FFand free ranging was by [COLOR=0000FF]Mich9510 (She free ranges, has 21 chickens between 14 and 21 weeks old, and 2 ducks, and uses FF, feeding 5#/day.)  [/COLOR]

Both posters can easily do the math to figure out their daily feed consumption.  

My bad! I mixed them up! I gotta pay more attention to usernames. Sorry Lazy Gardener.