Chickens eating less. ?

[proudmommie31]

Morning! I've noticed recently that my 18 chickens are eating less, I'm wondering if it's because they've finally seem to have stopped growing so rapidly? Background info: I have always fed this particular flock FF, they have grown quickly and are bright eyed, very active, free of lice/mites etc and looking good and healthy. They are let out of their coop in the am and put themselves back in around 9pm. They are 11ish weeks old and ginormous lol. Until now they seemed to be growing extremely fast (as compared to our last flock anyway) and were eating 6 cups in the am and 4 in the pm. Bowl pecked clean by morning.They also have AVC in the water. Lately they seem to have leveled off growth wise and needing less to none in the evening as there still plenty left. All other things remain the same and I don't feed treats, scraps are given from the kitchen maybe 1-2 times a week. Sometimes none. I have Light brown leghorns, Speckled Sussex, Light Brahmas, Rhode Island Reds, Golden Laced Wyandottes, Easter eggers and Buff Orphingtons.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

What do you mean "bowl pecked clean by morning"?

If you mean actual measured cups, that's an insane amount of food and I think a lot was being wasted and/or eaten by someone other than the chickens.

 

[proudmommie31]

Hmmm....well there wasn’t any on the ground and with the hardware cloth on all the openings and no sign of coop visitors I’m not positive but I would hesitate to say something else was coming and going all the time. And with FF being swollen from water, why would 3 cups dry food (making 6 when fermented) be insane for 18 chickens? (Given twice a day) how much should they be eating would you say?

 

[TwoCrows]

As they grow, they will need less food and will eat less food. Babies are voracious and need more feed to grow. Once they level off, stop molting all those baby feathers off, they will consume less. Then once they start laying, feed consumption will again rise. Non laying adults and molting hens do not eat as heavily as layers. Its all related to the bodies demands.

 

[TwoCrows]

My standard sized breeds eat something like a 1/4 pound a day each, which works out to about a half cup maybe? I've never paid huge attention to cups. I free feed so they eat what they wish.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I have twelve 12 week old chicks and they eat about 2 cups a day that I ferment. How much that is when it is fermented, I don't know. I measure before I ferment each day. They don't free range all day, just for 1-3 hours. I also feed a little bit of scratch and some scraps occasionally. So, if you are feeding 3 cups once a day, that would be about the same as what my chicks are eating since you have more chicks. If I understood you correctly, you are feeding that twice a day, which means your chicks are eating twice what mine are eating. That seems like a big difference. I have 2 BR, 2 BO, 2 EE, 2 GLW, 2 Delawares, and 2 Cuckoo Marans. So, are breeds are somewhat similar.

 

[proudmommie31]

That sounds about like the charts I looked up. 1/4 = about 3/4 cup according to the googling I did lol. So I multiplied 18 chickens by .75 and arrived at 6.75 cups a feeding. I started with just giving 6 cups out in the am. Until this week they were velociraptors by 4pm hunting down more lol. So I’d give out about 4 cups more. But like I said they were growing so fast. Now they are leveled off growth wise and the 6 cups seems plenty. I’ll go back to once a day feedings.

 

[TwoCrows]

I would just feed what they can consume in one day, not matter what that is. Sounds like you use bowls? I use bowls too, a large dog dish inside a larger dish, several of these set out. This way they can't knock it over and nothing gets wasted. Chickens love to scoop feed everywhere! LOL I have a general idea of what they will eat and put out enough to last one day. They each have their own schedule of eating, its always there.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

I do twice a day feedings, partly because then they like me! LOL They love seeing me come with food. Mine never seem really hungry, unless I have some of their favorite treats - mealworms, scrambled eggs, cracked corn. Ever since they have been free ranging regularly, veggies and bird seed and other "treats" aren't as interesting to them. I feed a bigger meal in the morning and then a smaller meal in the evening when they come in from being free. Makes me feel like they have something nice to look forward to before bed.

 

[Trux]

Two Crows pretty much summed it up right there, but I will add that hot weather also will have your flock eating less, and drinking more. I feed wet and dry, wet in the morning 16%layer and they also have access to a feeder of 20% to eat as they like. They self regulate so unlike some animals they don't over eat, they just take in what they need. They also get Black sunflower seeds and mealworms occasionally and have oyster shell and grit on hand