Am I supposed to let my chicks free feed 24/7?

[YaksChicks]

New to the chick world and might I say im in love! We have 2 mallard ducks about 3-4 weeks old and 4 chicks. 1 RIR and 2 Austrolarps and 1 well thats green. Haha. My daughters picked her! I let them free feed with chick grower all day and night is that ok?

 

[ASUJp4x4]

from everything ive read and heard, as chicks you should never let them run out of food. Adults, im not sure about. Still pretty new to this chicken stuff myself!

 

[YaksChicks]

Awesome. Thank you! I keep their feed and water filled! Learning still. Hoping they learn to go to the coop at night soon. They run from me when I try to put them to bed!

 

[mortie]

I let mine free feed 24 hrs a day as long as they had heat at night. When they have light on 24 hrs a day they don't really have a day/night schedule. When they were in the brooder and the light was off, they didn't eat at night even though food was available. If it's dark they don't really eat or anything, they stay pretty still. Once they went in the coop at 5 weeks or so, I didn't put the food in the coop, it was out in the run. Once they went in for the night they didn't eat again until morning but it was fine since they don't eat in the dark anyway.

I will probably have to give them access to food in the coop in the winter but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

 

[donrae]

I always free feed all my birds except Cornish cross meat birds.

 

[mortie]

Mine are totally free fed when they're awake, there is always food in the feeder...I'm not always the best communicator lol.

 

[claytonjoyner15]

New to the chick world and might I say im in love! We have 2 mallard ducks about 3-4 weeks old and 4 chicks. 1 RIR and 2 Austrolarps and 1 well thats green. Haha. My daughters picked her! I let them free feed with chick grower all day and night is that ok?

yes. always make sure they have plenty of food and water, and they will eat a LOT. but they can self regulate how much they eat so make sure they always have plenty of food and water