Cheapest way to feed free range laying hens?

[corvinuscrow]

@digitS' They are production hens, and do eat quite a bit. I don't see 1/2 a lb. per chicken per day as a stretch at all. But could it really be possible that I'm losing 3.5 lbs. per day to birds? They are the only pests in my yard (in broad daylight anyways).

 

[digitS']

Quote:
I think the 1st step is to get or make a feeder. Chickens will usually show some excitement about "new" feed. This is true even if "old" feed is still available underfoot and what is "new" is exactly the same

.

What I have done in my feeding of a high-protein feed + treats + garden veggies + backyard foraging is to weigh the feeder when I refill. That way, I know how much the hens are eating each day. I try to not over-load them with treats (scratch counts as a treat).

They are dual-purpose birds (Barred Rock & Australorp) and they can really eat, especially during cold weather. I just make sure that they are eating 1/4 pound of their commercial feed each day and try to adjust everything else to that standard. It is kind of like my mom telling me that I had to "clean my plate" before I could get anything else at the dinner table. I'm just practicing what I have been taught

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Steve

 

[geebs]

what else is eating your feed???

 

[deanawo]

I have 25 hens & a roo and go through a bag of feed every two weeks right now. They are not free range but do get lots of garden excess, grass, bugs, worms, kitchen scraps. I would give mine less if they could free range. You are using a lot of feed. Are they spilling at the feeder?

 

[hipeatall]

I caught a deer snacking at the chicken feeder a few days ago...

 

[bigdaddyabc]

We throw weeds and lawn clippings into the run too. I purposely mow my lawn just a bit ( we mow over an acre total) every coupla days. One huge rakeful of grass offsets a bunch of feed I have to buy. Great idea on the store produce extras!! I betcha if you just check the dumpster behind them you would find TONS of veggies, etc. My 50 pullets and cockerals eat about a coffee can of feed a day, based on my refill rate. they get fed in the coop only so there is no sharing with other animals. Oncve a week or so it takess two cans to fill up.

 

[kristen2678]

I have 4 hens that free range on less ground and eat about 1/3 of the feed you're going through. There has to be mice, birds, something eating it. I throw them a handfull or two of BOSS each day and end up with cast off greens from the local Whole Foods weekly but even that doesn't account for the difference......

 

[Crysta919]

cracked corn and scratch are not the same thing, but cracked corn is also a treat. I used to feed mine a mix of corn and laying crumbles but I found they actually eat less now that I've taken the corn away. They would only eat the corn and spread the more expensive laying crumbles all over the place.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

I would get a feeder, chickens are smart creatures but when you throw the food on the ground they can miss a lot of it. What doesn't get eaten by them goes to waste or is eaten by some other animal.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

cracked corn and scratch are not the same thing, but cracked corn is also a treat. I used to feed mine a mix of corn and laying crumbles but I found they actually eat less now that I've taken the corn away. They would only eat the corn and spread the more expensive laying crumbles all over the place.