are my pullets eating enough feed?

[blusea23]

Honestly, I don't know how much they are eating, but it doesn't seem like much lately. They are 10 weeks old, and I still give them med chick feed, but I let them range in the yard most days, and they seem to be finding lots of snails, insects, and grass to eat, but I don't refill the feeder as much as I used to. Will this slow their growth? Do I need to keep them in the run more?

 

[nelsonsflock]

Hello,

I notice the feed consumption slows down with our birds when they are roaming eating grasses, bugs, worms and such. It seems to me that not only is it good for them to eat the extras they find themselves it also seems to make them happy; have you ever watched a group of hens chase down grasshoppers? It's certainly entertaining to watch! We've also noticed that after a good snacking on the "wild side" the yolks in the eggs are a deep shade of yellow closer to orange and they taste good too.

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Growing slows down a bit at about that age, and they will naturally eat less. So, age plus access to all that natural protein and good forage will provide all the nutrition they need to grow to adults and produce fine eggs. As long as a chicken is not sick, they will eat until they are full, then stop. Mine are just now 10 weeks old and I have noticed that they get excited about treats, but they even leave some treats if they are full. That never happened a month ago.

 

[blusea23]

Excellent. I figured I could trust them to eat what they needed, but your reassuring comments put my mind at ease. And yes, it is SO much fun to watch them find their own food. They have learned to walk along the fence with their heads low and turned so they can look for snails under the ledge. And they have come to expect being let out in the morning, and are quite unhappy if I need to leave them in the run! So funny!