Feeding help

[chickendiva25]

Okay, so, this week, we are getting Austrolorps and White leghorns. So today my Dad wanted me to ask What kind of feed do we use, how much should we get, and how much feed would a flock of 20, to 25 chicks consume in about a week?

 

[homesteadapps]

Just found this last night for someone.


The University of California-Davis reports the following feed rates for feeding layer hens:
Chick starter, 20-29 lbs for the first 6 weeks for 10 chickens.
Pullet growing at 120-130 lbs. for the weeks 6 - 20.
Layer feed at 8 to 24 lbs./week.

For feeding meat chickens, the university says 10 chickens will eat 30 to 50 lbs. of broiler starter until six weeks of age, and 16 to 20 lbs. of broiler finish until slaughter.


Reference:
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/feedingchickens.pdf



Edited: 5/10/10 @3:47PM -- Added reference and corrected starter line which was written per week instead of for 6 weeks

 

[chickendiva25]

Thank you!!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Taking that further, for what will be a laying flock, you need to feed Starter for the first 4 to 8 weeks. Basically, when you run out after 4 weeks, switch to Grower. Then feed Grower until they are either 20 weeks old or they start to lay. Then switch to Layer.

I don't do broilers, so I can't say what the feed regimen is for them.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Chick starter, 20-29 lbs./week for 10 chickens.

This is very inaccurate but that doesn't surprise me coming from Davis...I grew up around that campus. We have 27 chicks. They will have been here a week tomorrow. I bought a 50lb bag of feed and they haven't even gone thru a 1/4 of it...one of those long, galvanized chick feeders, full of feed will last about 3 days. I top it off daily, but it is only a couple of cups worth. ....and they eat all day.​

 

[chickendiva25]

Thank you! This is all very helpful!

 

[lebentier]

i thought those amounts seemed high also. i have 18 chicks that are 8 weeks old and my 50# bag is still way more than half full.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Yea, I would not be surprised to know that each chick only maybe eats 1/8 to 1/4 cup of feed a day. I poured half the bag into a giant old bread enamelware can - still full, I have another gallon can full - still almost full..plus the bottom of the bag still has a foot of feed in it.

Here are some other answers I found and these make much more sense.



When using chick starter a day old chick will need about 1 ounce of feed available per day. This amount will increase as the bird gets older and larger to a maximum of 3 ounces per bird. Keep in mind that the young birds will kick and lose much of the feed among the bedding as they play and run through the feed dish.



A normally-maturing chick (i.e., breeds which mature in about 6 months, such as egg-layers) will eat about 2 pounds of starter feed in its first 6 weeks of life. = 2lb each x 27 chicks = 54 lb..as I thought...my bag should last me a month or more.

 

[tagra123]

I'm guessing they averaged it over the first 8 weeks and must have accounted for some wasted feed.

From our daily records the chicks eat a little less than this too but I'm thinking the numbers are close compared to our records of grow out.



We have a 8 -- 1 week old chicks right now and they are using between 1/2 & 3/4 pound per day (bared rocks) 5.25 pounds for the week

The first week it was a little under 1/2 pound per day. Our White rocks and buckeye eat more than these bird though. 3.5 pounds. for the week


Once mature a breed like a white rock or buckeye laying hen can easily consume 4 to 5 ounces or feed per day --especially in the winter when other sources of food are less available.

A lot of factors can go into the consumption too -- including temperature.

 

[homesteadapps]

Here's where the info came from.

It is also being added to my original post.

http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/avian/feedingchickens.pdf