10lbs. of food in one week?!

[Chickenmaven]

I have 15 five week olds and 8 four week old pheasants & just bought my 2nd 50lb. bag. Chickies are little eating machines.

 

[LauraM]

Go ahead, buy the 50 lb bag!!! You will use it up!

I have 4 hens, which I got when they were 4 weeks old on March 17. I have used almost 100lbs of food (there was just a bit left of the last bag when I went out this morning). That is all starter/grower. Our co-op guy said to keep them on that until switching to layer food, after 4 months. I haven't experienced hardly any wasting of the food, though. They eat out of a gallon milk jug with holes cut out of it. No mess at all.

 

[cybercat]

Ok I am feeding 24 chicks and have not used up 10lbs yet and they are over a week old.

Heres a good tip Do NOT feed it dry. All they do is kick out most and it is in the shavings. If you feed it wet most goes into the chiks not the bottom of the brooder. They like it more that way also. So save food and money and feed it wet. Your chicks will thank you and so will your pocket book.

 

[GAchick]

You want to be careful feeding wet food. It spoils fast. Especially in the heat.

My 50 lb. bag is 3/4 gone. I have 16 that are 4 weeks old, and 4 that are 2 weeks old.

 

[Akane]

Yea wet food isn't a good idea unless you are there to change it frequently. Then if they don't eat it all you've wasted just as much as giving it dry. I've only used it for small bantam chicks where I would have had to grind up the chick starter and now with button quail as well I just bought a magic bullet to grind up feed.

 

[gritsar]

Until my LF brahmas were almost a year old they went thru 50lbs. a week. There was 18 of them at the time and that's with free ranging. Mighty expensive eggs we eat.

 

[cybercat]

It all depends on what you are using to feed wet food in. I am using jar lids so it is not a big amount. With 3 large pickel lids they eat it all real fast. They also have the dry out all the time too. So I am not worried about them not getting enough but feeding wet has sure helped food waste.

 

[codybird]

My six 8 week old BSL's have eaten about 35 pounds so far.Purina Starter/Grower crumbles.