How much does feed cost to raise Hens?

[mwatro34]

Thinking about getting chickens - want to know what it costs to feed them for a month or year...(i.e what is the best brand, how long do the bags last, how much do the chickens eat...) THANKS

 

[Chicabee19]

I want to know too!

 

[AllChookUp]

Wow, is that a loaded question. It depends upon how many chickens you will have, what kinds (banty vs. standard), do you plan to free-range them, feed them table scraps, etc.

I have 14 standard sized chickens, and I go through about one 50-lb bag of feed every 4-5 weeks. And that's WITH free-ranging, table scraps & treats, etc.

 

[banter]

I must own pigs not poultry! Mine free range and go through lots of veggie scraps and about 20LB of pells and some other grain du jour each 4-5 weeks. They do slow down in the summer. I have 7 chickens, 2 ducks and 6 geese. I must say I don"t waste any food and get valuable poops and goose juice for the garden!

 

[mwatro34]

I was thinking 3 chickens in a small yard in a Urban area, some food scraps and scratch but I assume mostly feed. Sounds like a 50# bag could last 3 hens for a number of months...which is good

 

[moenmitz]

I may be imagining it...but I think I read somewhere that an adult hen will eat 1/3 lb feed per day...course, this would vary greatly if you allow grazing...

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have 75 (I think) bantam chickens that are all free rangers, except for broodies, mamas with chicks, and chicks with no mamas, and I feed about 100# a month. Now, on the other hand, my 8 ducks, which are also 'free range' eat about 100# a month also...

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
That figure is most likly based off your commercial leghorn layer. A thin light white bird who's adult weight is 3 lbs and lives in a climate controled cage it's whole life. Don't be surprised if your back yard type who weighs 6 lbs eats 2-3x more on a regular basis. I am curently going though 50lbs of feed a month with 8 standards (about 6 lbs each) and 6 banties (about 3 lbs each). However, they get to range as far as the eye can see from sun up to sun down. Cooped up they'd probably eat more than 2-3x that, plus the fact that it has only recently gotten colder. I anticipate feed consumpton to 2x for the winter. That said, with the average 14 birds eating 50 lbs a month, if you only wanted three, a 50 lb bag would probably last the urban 3 chicken user 3-4 months on a mix of standard and banty birds.

 

[freshegg]

when I only had 8 full grown hens a 50lb bag lasted about 6 weeks its abot 12 bucks a bag here

 

[MissPrissy]

I raise large fowl. I currently have 100+ chickens, 16 ducks, 15 geeese and 18 turkeys.

I use 500 pounds of feed every week.