How long should a 50 lb. bag of feed last for 50 chickens?

[afieldssnowyegger]

Hi!
A few months ago I got three laying hens, and other than a few minimal issues, it's been really great. Now that I've had a taste of being a chicken mom, I'm thinking about getting somewhere around 30-50 more laying hens (and maybe a couple roosters too) to start selling and giving away some eggs to neighbors and friends. Of course, now I'm trying to figure out how much money I'll actually be spending. I know that it will be a lot more than what I'm spending now, even though I will be making some money off of the eggs.
So, with that being said, the only thing I'm very uncertain about is how long a 50 lb bag of feed will last with 50 hens. So if anyone has any idea, please let me know!!!

 

[afieldssnowyegger]

Also, I plan to free range all day if that makes any difference.

 

[FeatherLace]

I've no idea on how much weight each chicken eats a day, but I know that my 12 chickens go through a 50lb bag in about 2 months

 

[wamtazlady]

A chicken will eat about 1 1/2 pounds of food a week. That is about 75 pounds of food per week for 50 chickens. That is not counting the oyster shells and grit they need. Free ranging the flock means less food you have to buy but also means that you will probably lose chickens to predators.

I have 3 chickens. They are just now finishing a 40 pound bag I bought when I got them the first week of April. I do not free range at this time so all their food is supplied by me.

 

[NatJ]

A common estimate is that a hen eats 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound of feed each day.
50 pounds for 50 chickens is one pound per bird, and one bird should eat a pound in 3 or 4 days. So the whole bag will last 3 or 4 days for all 50 birds.

If they find a lot of food when free ranging, they will eat less feed--but unless you have a very large range indeed, that many chickens will quickly eat up what's available, and then they'll be back to eating mostly purchased feed.

 

[Country girl 5778]

Hi!
A few months ago I got three laying hens, and other than a few minimal issues, it's been really great. Now that I've had a taste of being a chicken mom, I'm thinking about getting somewhere around 30-50 more laying hens (and maybe a couple roosters too) to start selling and giving away some eggs to neighbors and friends. Of course, now I'm trying to figure out how much money I'll actually be spending. I know that it will be a lot more than what I'm spending now, even though I will be making some money off of the eggs.
So, with that being said, the only thing I'm very uncertain about is how long a 50 lb bag of feed will last with 50 hens. So if anyone has any idea, please let me know!!!

 

[alwaystj9]

I have approximately 30-something chickens from 4 months-2 years on 12 hours of free range/4 acres. They get 7lbs. of layer pellet per day. They clean it up. Free choice oyster shell. They are in good body condition. After the first killing frost, I bump up the amount.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Easy, quarter pound of food per day, 50 chickens is 12.5 pounds or four days for 50 birds.

Find the average eggs per year for that breed of hen too, at that age. That is going to whittle down the profit if you just compare the cost of a quarter pound of feed to the cost of one egg.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Depending on the size of your run or free range area, you could supplement with food scraps or compost piles, as well. I have found that when given access to food scraps and an active compost pile (with food scraps and carbon) plus some free range, commercial feed intake went down about 50%, maybe 75% in summer.

Friends, neighbors, and customers might even get a kick out of bringing you their "chicken snacks" when they come buy eggs.