Are chickens eating to much?

[wildroofer]

I have 7 one year old Rhode island reds and 4 five month old Rhode island reds.
I have been getting 3 eggs a day. But they have been eating 50 lbs of laying pellets a week. I give them 3.5 lbs at 6:00 am then free range all day. I give them 3.5 lbs at 5:00 pm. By 7:00 all feed is gone.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Half a dozen chickens should go through maybe 50 lbs a month in feed, if they are also getting some grass intake (free ranging over grass), from my experience, in good weather (not winter).

Look for squirrels, rats, mice, songbirds, etc. as a source of feed disappearance.

There is a treadle feeder that you can make or purchase, which would eliminate songbirds eating the feed.

Some people put out feed a couple times a day in small quantities if they are worried about the chickens not getting it. A lighter weight hen will eat about 4 oz. of feed per day.

 

[wildroofer]

Thanks. I will keep an eye out. You may be right. My kids tell me that the was a bird in the coop on day. But I never thought about it.

Thanks again

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thanks. I will keep an eye out. You may be right. My kids tell me that the was a bird in the coop on day. But I never thought about it.

Thanks again

Wild birds carry in lice, mites, and diseases. What I do is have a bird feeder very far away from the coop to draw my songbirds over that way. For me that works well since I don't have a huge number of them to deal with.

You don't want the songbirds drinking from the same water either so I offer a birdbath near the birdfeeder.

You are welcome!

I have read on BYC about using a clear vinyl strips across the door (like they do in the doorway of walk in freezers) to keep the songbirds out. You could use a clear shower curtain liner or something. You would have to train your chickens to walk through it though.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/402670/plastic-strips-in-coop-door/10
see post #14

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Half a dozen chickens should go through maybe 50 lbs a month in feed, if they are also getting some grass intake (free ranging over grass), from my experience, in good weather (not winter).

Look for squirrels, rats, mice, songbirds, etc. as a source of feed disappearance.

There is a treadle feeder that you can make or purchase, which would eliminate songbirds eating the feed.

Some people put out feed a couple times a day in small quantities if they are worried about the chickens not getting it. A lighter weight hen will eat about 4 oz. of feed per day.

X2 - either you are operating an all-you-can-eat buffet for some unintended visitors and/or you are losing a lot of feed to waste courtesy of your own flock billing/digging the feed out of the feeder.