How much do I need to feed my chickens

[Gungfu45]

Hello!
With the rising cost of grain I’m trying to cut costs on grain. How much do I need to feed my laying hens per day and how can I cut costs? We feed them table scraps right now. Our bag of organic grain increased to $107 for a 50pd bag!!!

 

[All4Eggz]

What exactly are you feeding them on a daily basis?

Grain should NOT make up a hen's daily diet.
Do you feed them any layer pellets at all?

Grain should be a snack only. 1 tablespoon per bird per day max. It is not required for healthy eggs.

Do you free range your birds?

Do you have access to layer pellets?

 

[Gungfu45]

I feed them organic layer crumbles and they have access to an enclosed area to free range.

 

[Gungfu45]

And the food scraps….

 

[All4Eggz]

How many birds do you have?
How much grains are you feeding them per day?
How much layer crumble are you feeding them per day?
How much food scraps are you feeding them daily?

@JacinLarkwell @sourland

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Quality layers, on average, need between 100g and 120g of a nutritionally complete feed daily. (about 1/4# ea).

The first thing you can do to save costs is stop feeding organic. HUGE cost savings right there.

Scraps don't really count, and won't make a big dent in the chicken's feed bill, unless you have a very small number of chickens and generate a lot of scrap in your household (in which case, cutting that waste may help your budget more). Thay are also a potential source of dietary imbalance.

Where are you located? Feed alternatives are regional.

also, I'm uncertain what you mean by "an enclosed area to free range." The value of forage is dependent upon time on ground, area of the grounds, and variety/composition of the ground. Giving a few birds free access to a couple hundred sq feet of grass just isn't that helpful. Giving them access to the same sq footage of sunflower seeds in season may well be harmful. There's a lot of possibility and not much specificity in the terms you used.

 

[Gungfu45]

I have pvc food dispensers and they have access to the food all day. It has the layer crumbles. We want to eliminate that so we can monitor how much their eating. They used to free range on our property but we had to put them in an enclosed part of the yard. So I’m not sure what the term is. They have access to a large area of dirt and grass and a compost area but it’s not free range on our whole property. Once we enclosed them the food consumption went up dramatically. Having organic is important so we want to do our best to maintain that if possible. We’re located in Southwest Florida.

 

[Gungfu45]

We have 6 chickens. 4 are laying and 2 are about to start laying any day.

 

[Shadrach]

High production breeds need 100grams to 120grams of feed daily.
I read you are feeding layer crumble. One way to reduce waste is to make a wet mash. Add a little tepid water to the crumble and mix to a sloppy paste.
Organic feed seems like a good idea but for chickens (?)
Yup even in a nutrient poor environment it's surprising just how much less chickens eat of commercial feed.

 

[3KillerBs]

Another way to reduce feed waste is to use a really good feeder.

I'm fond of the traditional metal feeder with the deep pan with the rolled lip. I can use any feed in it with minimal spillage.

I have another that I can only feed pellets in unless I want to see half the feed thrown on the floor.