Chickens eating and drinking waaaaay more than I expected

[goldnchocolate]

digitS' :

My feed weighs about 1/3 pound per cup.

Your 3 chickens are eating 9 cups over 3 days or 3 cups each day. That is 1 cup or 1/3 pound for each chicken, daily.

One-third to one-half pound of food each day is about normal for dual-purpose birds.

Steve

I agree with this. When you break it down between the 3 days it sounds about right. I have to feed and water twice a day because I have so many chickens. Three gallons in the coop and 2 gallons on the outside, daily. When the weather gets warmer they will drink even more.

patman75: I've heard of raccoons reaching through and grabbing a chicken by the neck and killing them through the wire. Do your chickens roost within arms reach of a raccoon?​

 

[noitulover]

patman75: i'd re-wire with 1/4" hardware cloth... that means snakes can get in and eat your eggs, or even try to eat your chickens if they are hungry enough... people say that when chickens get too big they won't go after them, but they will try. they will at least bite them and kill them, and then leave them when they can't swallow them.

 

[patman75]

Quote:
patman75: I've heard of raccoons reaching through and grabbing a chicken by the neck and killing them through the wire. Do your chickens roost within arms reach of a raccoon?

No, the roost is secure. Only the bottom of the A-frame coop where the chicken hang out during the day has 2X3 welded wire. The floor has wire also to keep out tunnelers.

 

[dntd]

What King of snakes do you have in your area most snakes won't touch pray not to size.

 

[patman75]

Quote:
I live in Michigan. No egg eating snakes to worry about. Just gardener snakes.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Here is the answer to all of this they are pigs with feathers if yu leave the food bucket full they will eat it take it away ands put them on a timed feeding then your food will last longer as for the water I noticed with mine as it get's hotter they tend to drink more but the rule of thumb I use is "IF YOU FILL IT THEY WILL EAT IT" I let mine have their food for 1 hour 3 times a day the rest they need to scratch for this way they go outside and look for food and scratch before the next feeding.

 

[noitulover]

i mean, it was a black snake that killed some 8 week old chicks (big sized, one was RIR)

my aunt-in-law said one of her fully adult hens was killed by a black snake also, i believe.