over feeding

[Teila]

Howdy BSFman

As my chicks have all been raised by a broody, they start eating ‘bugs’ as soon as mumma takes them from the nest.

I thoroughly enjoy watching her teach the little ones how to catch flies and when the meal worms are being doled out, she is more than happy to give hers to the little ones and they are even happier to eat them.

Having said that, this is a broody hen, digging and scratching up what she can and calling over her chicks to watch and learn and also get a snack.

I would be a little concerned if the chicks were in a bin with lots and lots of insects on which they could gorge themselves.

The same goes for my adult gals, while I am sure they could all empty out the container of live meal worms we have for them in one session, they only need and get a few a day.

So no, it is not too early but be careful with the amount.

 

[rIrs roost]

Howdy BSFman
 
As my chicks have all been raised by a broody, they start eating ‘bugs’ as soon as mumma takes them from the nest.

I thoroughly enjoy watching her teach the little ones how to catch flies and when the meal worms are being doled out, she is more than happy to give hers to the little ones and they are even happier to eat them.

Having said that, this is a broody hen, digging and scratching up what she can and calling over her chicks to watch and learn and also get a snack.

I would be a little concerned if the chicks were in a bin with lots and lots of insects on which they could gorge themselves.

The same goes for my adult gals, while I am sure they could all empty out the container of live meal worms we have for them in one session, they only need and get a few a day.

So no, it is not too early but be careful with the amount.

Thank you. That's kinda what I was thinking but I didn't want to answer since I'm so new.

 

[PouleNoire]

You can never overfeed a chicken. As long as you supply them with food 24/7 they will eat when they are hungry.

 

[Nupe]

Thank you. That's kinda what I was thinking but I didn't want to answer since I'm so new.

I also want to point out that if you are offering your chicks (or any chicken for that matter) anything other than a commercial feed, they need access to grit. TSC usually sells the small grit for babies as well as the coarser stuff for adults. You could also offer them a chunk of outside dirt or day trips to the yard when its warm and they'll instinctively pick and eat what they need.

 

[rIrs roost]

I also want to point out that if  you are offering your chicks (or any chicken for that matter) anything other than a commercial feed, they need access to grit. TSC usually sells the small grit for babies as well as the coarser stuff for adults. You could also offer them a chunk of outside dirt or day trips to the yard when its warm and they'll instinctively pick and eat what they need.

Thanks nupe.

 

[LizThumm]

There are a lot of different kinds of chickens. Some have been developed by selective breeding to lay a whole lot of Grade A large eggs for the commercial egg industry. These are kind of small and real good at converting what they eat to eggs, not body weight. In the commercial setting, what they eat is carefully controlled to get the most efficient pounds of feed to Grade A large egg ratio.

Some have been developed to grow real fast and be really good at converting what they eat to meat without a lot of waste. These meat birds have been developed by selective breeding to grow so fast that they can outgrow their skeleton’s ability to support them or their heart’s ability to pump enough blood. Some grow so fast their feathers can’t even keep up and they have bald spots. If you get some of these, you might need to restrict how much they eat just to keep them alive.

Then you have all the chickens we normally have, anywhere from those cute sometimes tiny decorative chickens to the dual purpose breeds which are pretty good for eggs and OK for meat. I suspect that is what you have. These chickens generally won’t overeat.

There are several different kinds of chicken feed. Layer has extra calcium for the egg shells and should only fed to grown chickens. That excess calcium can damage growing chicks.

There are a lot of other chicken feeds; Starter, Grower, Finisher, Developer, Flock Raiser, Combined Starter/Grower and some things called something else. The significant difference in these is the percent protein. Basically any of these can be fed to any chicken of any age. If they are laying just offer oyster shell on the side for those that need the extra calcium for egg production. Just like the names for these can vary depending in who makes it the percent protein can vary a bit. Starter is usually around 20% to 24%, Grower maybe 16%, Finisher and Developer maybe 15%, Layer 16% to 18%, and Flock Raiser or the combined Starter/Grower maybe 20%.

The reason there are so many different percent proteins in these feeds is that they are best for specific times in their life. A general progression in chicks that will be a laying flock is to start them off with a fairly high percent protein to get them off to a good start in life, then after 4 to 8 weeks cut the percent protein back as they mature. It’s not that the higher protein level hurts them, just that they don’t need it. They need to grow but their body also needs to mature. Last time I checked there was a $2 difference in the price of a bag of Starter/Grower and Grower/Developer.

When raising dual purpose breeds for meat you are not worried about them growing too fast so there is no need to give them extra time to mature. You normally feed them a higher percent protein to get them to butcher size faster. The faster they reach butcher age the more tender the meat.

A lot of people feed the 20% Flock Raiser to a pure laying flock with oyster shell on the side. This does not hurt the chickens and is just personal preference. The basic purpose of the Flock Raiser is for a flock where some are going to be layers and some are going to be for meat. It’s a compromise.

I’m doing a lot like you are talking about except I eat a lot of my pullets too. Not all pullets become members of my laying/breeding flock. Mine forage for some of their feed so I’m not as concerned about getting them to butcher weight as fast plus I like the extra flavor in an older bird. We’ve all got different conditions and different goals. I generally start them off with a 20% Starter/Grower. Whenever that bag runs out after 4 weeks, I switch to a 15% Developer. I often have mixed age chicks in my flock so I seldom feed Layer. I just stay with the 15% Developer and offer oyster shell on the side. Since mine forage for some of their food I don’t have precise control over everything they eat anyway. The quality of forage is good enough that they manage well.

Some people really get hung up on how they are feeding their chickens. In my opinion for a lot of people that concern is way over the top. Relax and enjoy your chickens. Some people have legitimate concerns about this stuff. We all have different conditions and goal. But for most of us, there is such a wide range of things that work it’s not worth getting all stressed about it.

As for your specific original question about them overeating. Don’t sweat it. As long as you stay somewhere reasonable in what you are feeding them, it’s not a concern at all. If you feed an extremely high percent protein feed, yeah, you could have a problem. But I’m talking about a really high percent protein, not what we normally feed.

Is it possible to over feed your chickens?

My three girls have been going through two gallons of pellets the past two days plus their morning and evening snacks I’m worried

 

[Folly's place]

You might be feeding visitors too; is that possible? Last summer we had a visiting ground hog, who was a real disaster, until finally we got her. Rodents are possible too, and rats are really bad to have out there.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

My three girls have been going through two gallons of pellets the past two days plus their morning and evening snacks I’m worried

Two gallons in two days for three chickens. Nope, their crop is not that big, they can't physically eat that much a day. Three possibilities come to mind, it may be a combination.

Tops on the list is what Mary said, visitors. Probably something big. Mice and rats aren't that big either, they can't physically hold that much so it would take a lot of them. They poop all the time too so you'd see a lot of their poop, small black pellets. It doesn't have to be a groundhog or wild animal. Goats are my first thought but sheep, cattle, or horses are possible. Maybe a flock of wild birds? And Mary, groundhogs aren't always easy. Congrats on getting that one.

This one is unlikely the sole cause, but may contribute. Waste. Unless you have one really weird feeding set-up you should see a big pile of feed if they are scraping it out. What does your feeding set-up look like?

The last is a human. It doesn't have to be a thief, it could be someone playing a practical joke. Humans usually leave no clues.

 

[0die]

mine have feed and water 24/7....they seem happy and no one looks fat...I guess the are watching their weight so they don't end up on the plate...

 

[LizThumm]

You might be feeding visitors too; is that possible? Last summer we had a visiting ground hog, who was a real disaster, until finally we got her. Rodents are possible too, and rats are really bad to have out there.
Mary

No visitors my dogs would eat them lol. It’s funny my Nell helped raise the chickens they are her babies though now the hens only like her through the fence.