Am I feeding my girls enough...

[Abrios]

That's good! Of course, if you feed them in the afternoon/evening, their crops will be full.

Is there a reason you aren't offering free choice? Just curious how others manage their flocks.

They just pick out what they like and knock the rest on the ground. That is why I started fermenting the feed. I give half and half because of the bowls I use to feed. I have 4 bowls and about half fits perfect inbvb the 4 bowls. The feed is expensive and we really can't afford to miss waist. We feed corn and soy free and all organic.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

The bag suggests 1/4 cup per bird.

For what size of a bird? I mean something like a Jersey giant is going to eat more than a bantam of some sort.

 

[Abrios]

For what size of a bird? I mean something like a Jersey giant is going to eat more than a bantam of some I

I have a mix but the largest breed is a RIR. I have 3 RIR.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I have a mix but the largest breed is a RIR. I have 3 RIR.

While it is hard to calculate for someone else's birds - This really doesn't sound like enough food. Why don't you free feed them for a few weeks and weigh the food and see how much more they eat than you're feeding them. Let them tell you how much they need. Also, during this time, only feed layer feed so as to not cloud the results with low-calorie weight.

 

[Ryan A]

I feed mine scratch too but recently going out it is unhealthy for our girls As for feeding, how much do u good them?

 

[Aunt Angus]

They just pick out what they like and knock the rest on the ground. That is why I started fermenting the feed. I give half and half because of the bowls I use to feed. I have 4 bowls and about half fits perfect inbvb the 4 bowls. The feed is expensive and we really can't afford to miss waist. We feed corn and soy free and all organic.

I feed all organic, too. I ferment Scratch & Peck grower and free feed Bar Ale pellets. I'm switching the pellets, though, to Scratch & Pecks new pellets. The seed feeds do tend to cause waste. Pellets don't (not as much, anyway). You might consider adding pellets, too, if you're concerned about how much they eat.

 

[Ryan A]

I feed mine scratch too but recently going out it is unhealthy for our girls As for feeding, how much do u good them?

Give

 

[Ebony Rose]

Anything you feed your flock that is not in their professionally balanced feed will alter the BALANCE of their diet. All the extras that you listed as giving your birds as supplemental food/treats is low in protein. Low protein translates into low, and improperly balanced, amino acids in their diet; this in turn translates into improperly balanced amino acid ratios in their eggs, which would affect the hatch rate and the health of the birds that hatch from these eggs. In addition to the protein problem, fat hens tend to have more reproductive disorders simply by virtue of being obese, reducing their life expectancy dramatically. These are my reasons on why you need to limit those extras to 10% or less of their overall diet.

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

I would get a different kind of feed. We've never had a problem with it, but I know that chickens LOVE to pick out the morsels that taste the best. I would give them a pellet kind of food so they don't pick and choose. This should make it easier to free-feed them. While they act starving, unlike some mammals, chickens know when to stop, and will rarely overeat.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

I feed mine scratch too but recently going out it is unhealthy for our girls As for feeding, how much do u good them?

Scratch and Peck isn't "scratch" It is a brand of feed.