feed for free-range???

[wpage1979]

I am new to raising chickens, and I am using an old camper as a coop. I have a 50 x 50 area around the camper fenced in with chicken wire, and let them roam the whole back yard sometimes. I have scratch grains and cracked corn spread all around the 50 x 50 area they live in. Do I need to feed them chicken feed very often, or should I let them forage they yard and their area more than they eat feed? I have been feeding them about a pound of feed every morning and every afternoon. BTW, I have 8 chickens that are roughly 11 weeks old.

 

[jallny]

do you have a feeder. Fill a feeder up and let them eat what however much they want. Feed has good nutrients for them

 

[SkyeSchazade]

 

[Den in Penn]

Definitely get them some regular feed. The grains don't give them a balanced diet. And even if you free range them all the time, there will be times the pasture doesn't have enough for them.

 

[wpage1979]

I do have chicken feed, I just do not know if 2 pounds a day is too much or not enough. Plus they get vegetable scraps, bread, and anything else that gets thrown into their pen.

 

[Den in Penn]

A chicken eats 1/4 to 1/3 lbs a day. So what you are giving is in line.

 

[jallny]

you should give them unlimited and let them have the choice of how much they want to eat

 

[CluckyJay]

My gals/guys freeranged over about two-ish acres. In spring, summer, and fall, I didn't feed them anything but the occasional scraps from our table. When the bugs and good greens started dying off for winter, I fed them scraps and then my own feed mix. We have good pasture though. I never leave my food out 24/7. They like to sit around and just gorge and get fat. That is just too wasteful for my tastes. There are some I let get super fat though, they are the ones I am gonna bake and I like all that yummy fat cooked in the oven.

 

[wpage1979]

Thanks! I tohught it should be fine, with all the ants and bugs on my lil acre of yard they roam. I just wanted to make sure I was feeding them enough.