How much do you feed your chickens?

[Shadrach]

There are a lot of factors that determine the amount of feed a particular chicken needs; the size of the chicken, the sex of the chicken (laying hens need more than a rooster for example) their keeping conditions and their access to foraged food and the quality of that forage, the quality a composition of the provided feed, to cite a few.
My advice would be to scrap all the extras and just feed a good quality commercial feed with a protein content of 18% to 20% for a while.
Check each fowls crop at roost time to make sure that all your chickens are roosting with a full crop and all are getting equal feeding opportunities. Adjust feeding routines as necessary. I would do this for a month.
At the end of a month of this regime you will know how much feed your chickens consume on average.
After this if you wish to reintroduce treats, moderation is good and good quality treat food such as fish or meat make an excellent supplement.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Mine do have access to a grain/crumble mix all day. I give them feed in the morning with a little bit of a mix of oats, cinnamon, raisin, coconut and cayenne powder.

I give them veggies in the afternoon, sometimes with worms, or fish.

Then fruit treat a few hours before bed. (Blueberries, or watermelon)

All of my girls have good size crops toward the evening, but their breast bone feels like it is protruding. They are all happy and laying almost everyday.

Should I be concerned about their weight? I have debated on getting their poop tested for parasites.

Thanks all for your comments. Very helpful.

If you are concerned.....running a fecal is not a bad idea.

To get a whole flock result with just one year take drag droppings from several or all birds and mix well then have that tested.

It doesn't hurt the birds to do that. Worms on the other hand DO hurt the birds.

 

[Haleyrbloom]

What is the protein content of your base feed? Its possible the treats are causing a dilution of their overall nutritional intake, resulting in constantly fed, yet malnourished, birds. Well balanced ration should be their primary intake, other food items should be a treat, not meals

I use a mix of scratch and peck grower grain, (protein 20%) and modesto milling layer pellets (protein 18%)

 

[GC-Raptor]

I give my Hens and Pullets unlimited access to feed and water in their coops 24/7.
I have three 3 year old Golden Comet hens and seven 7 month old Barred Rocks.
During the past 2 months a 50 pound bag of feed lasts between 18 to 20 days.
So between .25 and .28 pounds of feed per chicken.
I feed all a Non-medicated Starter Grower or All-Flock/Flock Raiser 18 to 20%.
They do get 2 Tablespoons of Scratch Grains daily per chicken, 4 Tablespoons if temps stay below freezing.
They also get a flake of Alfalfa hay once or twice a week.
My Hens free range an hour before sunset daily, weather permitting.
My hens eat less in the summer than winter. GC

 

[Cindy in PA]

The actual amount is around 1/3 of a pound for a dual purpose bird, not 1/3 of a cup. The ranges as given above are .25 -.33 of a pound. I give feed available 24/7.

 

[BantyChooks]

Right now, I have... oh, roughly 21 birds in the main coop that are big enough to count as a portion of food consumption. They eat about a gallon pan full of feed every day. In summers, 50 birds will eat the same amount. I feed them kitchen scraps as they become available.

I don't restrict access to food. They free range, so they stay fit.

 

[Mychicks56]

i have 13 chickens and I was wondering how much everyone feeds their flock.

I have read 1/3 cup of feed per chicken, unlimited greens, and 10% treats.

I am always worried I will over feed, or not feed enough.

How much do you feed your chickens? A bucket of scrapes, a bowl of veggies?

I have a 2 troffs I fill with crumble and scratch once a day as well I let my free range in my yard for worms, 2?wk I give them ground up greens as treat watermelon

 

[kerbotx]

I have 37 hens & 2 roosters; on a monthly basis, I use about 4 bags of layer pellets (200lbs) plus 2 bags of layer crumble (40-50 lbs each, depending on which brand I buy). I only give about 1 cup of scratch a day, if that much, if that often. I feed a wet mash (or fermented) in the morning, they have 2 hanging feeders for free-choice, then I might give more wet mash in the late afternoon - or eggs. I have too many eggs now, so I often feed them back to the flock as boiled eggs, 2-3 times a week. Special once-a-week or two treats include live mealworms, cauliflower, melon in summer, or veggie scraps from the kitchen/garden.

 

[Mlancas104]

I keep the feeder full of organic layer feed. I cook oatmeal once a week with berries and nuts and seed. If it's hot out watermelon, canalope and frozen squash. I don't feed pellets I have a silky roo.

 

[AmyJane725]

They get as many crumbles as they want, and mealworms as I see fit to dole them out

I'm planning on offering them some fresh foods eventually. Tried strawberry but they were completely uninterested. I wouldn't free feed fruits/veggies though. Not gonna get proper nutrition that way.