How many times/day do you feed your chickens?

[adgcountrygirl]

I leave 2 feeders full hanging in the coop. On days that they free-range, they only eat from them in the morning before we let them out and in the evening before they go to roost. I have 18 hens with 1 rooster in that coop.

 

[MaPa26]

Typically, we feed our six hens twice a day; not EARLY in the morning, as DH works second-shift. He feeds them in the morning (when he gets up), a couple cups of layer pellets, wetted down and topped with plain Greek yogurt. When I get home in the early evening, I make sure they have enough food for dinner and enough to tide them over, in the morning, until DH feeds them. With the extreme cold weather, they also get some cracked corn or scratch a couple of hours before they roost for the night. For occasional treats, their favorite is dried mealworms and thawed, frozen peas. They free-range all day, but I see them all make a bee-line to the pen, sometimes, to have a bit of feed. Of course, during the summer they ate a lot less feed. The only time they were confined in the pen was when we received six inches of snow. They did not like walking in it, so, although we opened the door, they chose to stay in. We started bringing wheat straw and leaves into their pen for them to have something to do. THAT is when sparrows starting sneaking in.

 

[MaPa26]

With the weather being so cold, I've been filling up feeders full and feeding warm wet beet pulp. along with whatever scraps and letting them out to forage. It's been so cold, tonight in NC 17*. They need warm tummies just like we do. I think the warm beet pulp in the afternoon really helps for night time. Weather is so strange this winter,
Wow, Global Warming??? What gives man!!! I'm so confused! Susie Q

It IS confusing! How can it be fifties and sixties for a few days and then twenties (negative figures at night) OVER and OVER. OUR January normal temps are supposed to be the forties, back when the Jet Stream was stronger, like it was SUPPOSED to be, in the winter.
I'm not trying to start a debate, here, so I am posting the link for an unbiased article that explains the Jet Stream a little. This article doesn't make any claims, either way. It only gives an overview. If you are at all interested in the weather, or the subject of climate change, it is a good article to begin with.

http://geography.about.com/od/climate/a/jetstream.htm

If you are interested in science, you may decide to do a little more research. It may convince a few people to make warmer chicken coops, since there is a pretty good chance that winter weather may linger longer (alternating with warm weather) and those flucuations become the norm, lasting longer into the year. We were still wearing winter coats, in May, here in Kansas, last Spring. Shorts for a few days and then back to winter coats, until mid-May. Our "safe to plant" time is supposed to be April 20th. I may be getting a greenhouse and planning it to accommodate my chickens. Have you seen the movie "The Day After Tomorrow"? It doesn't seem too far-fetched, to me. lol!

 

[sumrfun65]

We have three ladies. I keep their feeder full all the time and they eat when they want. I give them cracked corn for a treat or for extra calories when it is cold. If we have leftover veggies, bread etc they get that. They also like a cabbage put in the metal hanging basket, keeps them busy. They are healthy and still laying all winter.

 

[BunnyLover44]

I feed my 5 chickens about 3 cups of feed, once a day ( uaually in the morning) IS this toos much or too less?

Quote:
Thanks Beekissed!

 

[Davey G]

We have goats so when I give them corn in the morning whatever is left I throw to my free range chickens. They are all strong and healthy looking with a slight exception of a young mutt cockerel who is bullied by the leader of the herd, his father. Still he is quite the beautiful chicken.

 

[bananakaygirl]

I feed my chickens whenever I notice their food is getting low.
I have 2 feeders, 9 hens, 3 roosters.

 

[Nana D]

My girls love cabbage..

 

[dannicorth]

I am still new to this but I feed twice a day and in the winter I give a little extra. And supplement with lots of fresh Veggies!! I have very happy birds that have not stopped laying in the winter.

 

[AmericanMom]

Mine have access to the pellets all day, each morning I take out whatever scraps we have had from the previous day and they get 2 cups of 5 grain scratch tossed out... My hens and two roosters seem fine, they free range throughout the day.