Brood of 5 eating and drinking volume

[yelkenli]

Curious as to the eating and drinking volume of 5 chicks in the first 2.5 days in the brooder. Here is a picture of the water and feed dishes.

You can see most of the feed bottle is empty. Maybe 75% of the water bottle is emty. One chick did not eat or drink for the first day, but it seems to be doing so now.

The chicks seem healthy and active so I assume this is par for the course.

side note: they scratched away some of the bedding and are pecking at the cardboard floor. I suppose that is instinct.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

I can't believe you posted pics without the chicks in them!

How old were the chicks when you got them? As long as they aren't Cornish cross they should be fine eating as much as they want to. Chicks under a lamp are active throughout the night and will eat a little more than chicks brooded under a hen or heating pad. But it has never been a problem.

5 is actually my favorite size brood! They just seem more content. And it's easy to manage.

A link that shows general feed guidelines and it has a consumption rate as well...
http://ucanr.edu/sites/poultry/files/186894.pdf

 

[yelkenli]

We hatched these in an incubator. Here is a pic of the chicks:
Thanks for the link on feeding.

 

[Den in Penn]

That type of feeder can waste a lot of feed, by the chicks billing and scratching the feed out. Put it on a tray or shallow dish to catch that feed. I put a cardboard collar around the base that sticks up around a third of an inch over the outer edge. Just having that higher edge saves a lot.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We hatched these in an incubator. Here is a pic of the chicks:
Thanks for the link on feeding.