growing your own feed

[hermiesbirdies]

I am just getting started. (dont even have chickens yet) but taking algebra in school got me thinking.

how much feed do ten chickens consume. I am rounding to ten, but any multiple of ten.

I want to see how much they would consume in a year and how much land would be needed to grow that much grain.

does anybody have a good guess on how much full size chickens eat in a day/month/year?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

If I had to give an average. Ten birds can eat 50 pounds of feed in a month.

 

[Big C]

From our Excel data:
Average for the last 4 months is .3377

This will likely decrease more since the flocks (since the first of the month) have been released to pasture. No available data yet for this month, but feed purchases are down.

As far a growing feed... Our pastures are native grasses and planted legumes nurtured over several years. The pastures provide a supplement to feeding. There is no real economical way to "grow all your own" feed. Economical being the key word.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Ok, just for the sake of it...

Lets say you are a mediocre corn farmer, have one acre (208' x 208' ) for corn crop, and your chickens only eat corn.

100 bushels to the acre = 5600 lbs of corn a year

5600 lbs / 365 days = 15.3 lbs per day to support your birds

4 lb layer hens with a controlled environment eat .25 lbs per day. If they run around a lot or get a little cool because of the weather (as most of our backyard birds do) you could probably assume .35 lbs per day.

15.3 lbs / .35 = ~ 44 hens

If you mixed that half and half with a good layer concentrate to provide the needed protein, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals, then one acre of corn would support twice that many.

 

[Big C]

Quote:
So is this a Texas dry land corn formula?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

So is this a Texas dry land corn formula?

Just round numbers...

Last year the national average was 155 bushels. Let's say you are a mediocre corn farmer and the deer ate a good part of your crop since it was the only stand around...​

 

[Big C]

Quote:
Just round numbers...

Last year the national average was 155 bushels. Let's say you are a mediocre corn farmer and the deer ate a good part of your crop since it was the only stand around...

Yep,
Even a mediocre corn farmer has to deal with the weather and predators, after prices for planting and harvesting. Most any formula for growing all the nutritional needs of a flock is not economically viable for most anyone.