I have 52 chicks that were 4 weeks on Monday. They polished off a 7lb feeder in one day for the past 4 days is that normal? My big girls have the same feeder and I only need to fill that every 2-3 days.
You didn't say how many big girls you have but my chicks went through a lot of feed. I was buying it 2-50 Lb bags at a time. I'm still buying 2-50 Lb bags but now everyone is on Layer pellets. My feeders hold 25 Lbs. (a five gal bucket fills a feeder). I get two five gal buckets per bag. I pertty much go through a bag + a week. My birds free range and also get vegies and scratch.
I have 35 big girls. The babies have emptied the 7lb feeder every day for the past 4 days. Not a crumb left.
That seems to be about twice the amount 50 4-week-old chicks should consume. Typical consumption would be - 1/2 lb per week per 4-week-old bird - or 25 lbs per week for ALL 50 of them - or 3 1/2 lbs per day for all of them. Is there excessive waste, a lot of feed on the floor? If so, raise the feeder to reduce waste. Is something else able to eat from the feeder? wild birds, adult chickens, rodents, other livestock like a goat? ETA: 35 adult chicks would consume 1/4 lb per bird per day or 8.75 lbs per day for ALL of them if they are eating solely from the feeders (reduce for free ranging, treats, etc)
Even my 2 wk old chicks waste a good bit of food by getting into the feeder and scratching. That could be the problem.
1/2 lb per week per chick is low for this time of the year. With cold weather coming raising chicks will double their consumption of feed. They are not only eating to stay alive they are doing what nature intended - eating to build fat to make it through the winter. A 7 lb feeder for 50 birds is about right. I might would even guess if you are getting into the 30's at night they might even eat 10lbs a day. I always feed out my birds with all they can eat every day for at least 3 - 4 months and I offer them plenty of extras if I am raising them out of season. The cooler the weather the more they are going to eat. Remember as they grow every week they will eat more and more.
