baby chicks eating to MUCH!!!!!

[thowe]

Can 2 week old chicks eat to much? I have 13 chicks and they eat a quart sized feeder full of chick starter in less than 8 hours. Is this ok?

 

[gritsar]

Sounds fine. They do eat alot. They are growing at a tremendous rate. Unless they are meat birds, I would continue to have food available to them 24/7.

 

[Gazinga]

do you not want to provide food 24 hours a day to meat birds? why or why not?

 

[gumpsgirl]

Yep! Those little chicks eat like piggies! I never limit the amount of feed that they eat.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Meat birds can overeat:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=184769

 

[norcal]

We went through 50lbs in 6.5 weeks with 9 BR chicks.
Don't know how many quarts that is though.....

 

[thowe]

Mine have went through a 25 lb bag in 10 days

Just want to check with the pros. I'm new to this but loving it.

 

[poopdeck]

I am new to this site, forums (in general), and being a chicken mama. I have 24 chicks I am raising for meat and 24 beautiful pets/egg layers/brooders -etc. My egg and reproducing chicks (22 hens and 2 roosters) are free range on my 5 acres - they get locked (for security in a well ventilated coop) up at sundown and head out to where ever they want to go in the morning. - not at sunrise, but when I get up - 7:30 or so.
The meat chicks are in a 12 x 16 coop that is well ventilated, but they don't get out to range. I read that meat chickens are better if prevented from ranging - IS THIS TRUE? They seem to always be starving - should I suppliment their food? My husband wants me to let them range too, but I don't want tough stringy meat.
ANY AND ALL ADVISE APPRECIATED!

 

[sparkles2307]

we went thru a (I think 75 lb) bag for 100 chicks in 2 weeks, but we are gone all day so we pile the feeders full int he morning and refill them when we get home cause in 10 hours they eat almost everything.

 

[Sissy]

LoL ....I too asked the same question about my chix.
a while back and they do eat as tho it were their last supper.
so now I have a gal. feed and just fill it up .
and a 3 gal. waterer.
saves time.
they are 2months old.