Heritage Breed Feed Consumption for 1 day through laying?

[DenverBird]

Hi all,

I've got chicken fever bad and I thinking of picking up some extra pullets to raise and sell when they start laying.

Can anyone give me an idea roughly how many pounds of feed it takes to raise a bird from day old to laying? I want to get an idea of the feed cost to before heading to the chick store.

Thanks in advance,

-DB

 

[DenverBird]

subscribing to thread.

 

[BWKatz]

If I remember correctly, I used 2 of the 7lb bags for 4 chicks and then went to layer pellets.Depends on breed. Some(leghorn) start at 17 wks. Easter eggers and Ameraucana can take up to 32 wks. Oldtimers will tell you 30 wks is average.

 

[DenverBird]

Thanks!

What age were they when you went to pellets?

I'm looking at a 20 - 24 week grow out time. If anyone's got feed consumption ratios that may work as well as they should be full grown by then and I can figure 5 - 6 lbs.

-DB

 

[ChickenPrnces]

Something about the last post sounds very wrong! 2 - 7lb bags would in no possible way last 4 birds 6 months! You are absolutely not suppose to give pullets, that aren't laying, layer pellet! It can kill them! I personally have about 150 chicks right now and I am going through a 50lb bag+ per week! At the very early stage of my chicken mania I got 6 chicks and they went throught a 7lb bag per week! Just be sure you do your calculations for whatever age you intend to sell them! Example: if you want them laying when you sell then you must feed chick starter for up to six months or so(depending on the breed)! Then layer pellet until they sell!

 

[xtapa]

I recently raised 5 chicks from 1-day old until the first one laid the first egg, and used 125 lbs of chick starter. It was 19 or 20 weeks.

 

[ChickenJerk]

Commercial brown egg layers will have eaten about 15 lbs of feed by the time they are 18 weeks old. These birds will never be as heavy as hatchery White Rocks or Reds, etc. You should expect that type bird to eat more.

 

[BWKatz]

Thank you. I was starting to feel like an idiot. My bags were actually 7.5 lbs and when I started giving them layer pellets at 17wks, one WAS laying and I had no idea when the others would start. I had a leghorn which will never be full bodied and 2 buff laced Polish also with very slight builds. My EE is the only full body and even she is not as lg as a orpington or jersey giant. My 10 chickens now eat 50 lbs of layer pellet /mo and 1 scoop BOSS /day (Approx 1.5 cups) BTW all my chickens are healthy and active.

Commercial brown egg layers will have eaten about 15 lbs of feed by the time they are 18 weeks old. These birds will never be as heavy as hatchery White Rocks or Reds, etc. You should expect that type bird to eat more.