How much crumble feed should I buy????

[Anianna]

Quote:
x2

We store ours in a tightly sealing metal trash can designed to keep bird seed in. If you can't find a locking one, you can get a bungee to slide through the lid handle and attach it to the can handles to discourage critters from getting into the food.

 

[Waddling_Wamplers]

I have 4 pullets(7 weeks) and 3 chicks(1 week), I am still giving the older ones medicated crumbles. They do eat a lot, so i invest in the larger bags, so i don't end up paying more by buying several 5# bags. hope this helps.

 

[Nambroth]

Are some of you feeding meaties? I have 7 chicks (LF dual purpose) and they are 2 weeks old now and I haven't gone through more than half of a 5lb bag. They always have food available.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Nope. Just wait. You'll see. Even 7 full sized birds will consume 50# in a month.

 

[Anianna]

No meaties here, just Delawares, RIRs, and Orpintons (all dual purp). The older they get, the more they eat. It didn't seem like so much at first, and then all of the sudden they just got piggy.

 

[Nambroth]

Fred's Hens :

Quote:
Nope. Just wait. You'll see. Even 7 full sized birds will consume 50# in a month.

Oh for sure! I was just confused. It sounded as if some folks thought that new, baby chicks would eat that much.​

 

[Fred's Hens]

A chicken would out eat a pig any day, pound for pound.

 

[GiddyMoon]

When my initial 11 chicks hit about 1 week old, they went through the 5 lb bag in one and a half weeks

You just made my point. There is no way 3 chicks are going to use 5lb of food the first week.



I have 27, if 3 chicks used 5lb in one week that would mean my 27 chicks would go thru 9 times that = 45 lb in the first week.

I used maybe 1 the first week on 27 chicks. I know, becuase the feeder holds 10 ounces = 3 cups of feed. Then the next week it went up to about 3 lb, next maybe 5, they are finally at a point where they now eat about 1lb a day and we now have 19 chicks because we sold some.​

 

[Mommysongbird]

Ours are 6 weeks and we are on our 3rd 25# bag. Bought 2 bags last time I went to the feed store this past Saturday, so I won't have to go back for a while, I hope.

I am sure a lot of ours gets knocked out of the brooder, so when they are in the coop/run maybe there won't be so much waste. They will have hanging troughs then for both feed and water.

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
You just made my point. There is no way 3 chicks are going to use 5lb of food the first week.

You said 27 couldn't have eaten 5lbs, not that 3 chicks couldn't have eaten 5lbs. I don't see anywhere that anybody said 3 chicks would eat 5 lbs in a week, so I'm really not sure what you are referring to.