how much feed do they need ?

[ryansmommy83]

So I dont want to over feed my little loves but I dont want to over feed either I have 6 hens and 1 roo how much do you think i should be offering them ? They arent free range yet only because i just added two new game hens and I dont trust them yet especially since i have alot of lose dogs and coyotes, and hawks. I feed them out of a dish.

i have prissy hens !

 

[ryansmommy83]

hello ????? anyone ??? a little help here?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Sometimes it just takes time for people to see messages and respond. I keep food available all the time. They only eat what they need.

 

[TXmom]

How old are they? My chicks (almost 8 wks old) eat way more food than I ever would have thought! I keep food in their feeder at all times, but I haven't monitored it enough to know exactly how much they're eating. I just add more when it starts getting low.

 

[Katy]

The only chickens you need to worry might over eat are meat birds. Others should have food available to them free choice.

 

[Portia]

I keep food available all the time and, as others have already said, they eat what they want. If you are going to free range them they will eat even less of the processed food; especially in the warmer months. I will warn your though, they will often go for the treats before they'll eat their regular food...just like kids.

 

[vbgarden]

I have a similar situation to Ryansmommy83 - because we're at war with field mice and possibly rats that have been stealing food from the coop, I am no longer leaving food out in a free-feeder.

We've always either ranged the chickens or let them free feed and, as a result, I'm not sure how much to toss about for them each morning. I want all the pellets cleared up by evening - but I want to make sure each hen is getting enough.

Right now, each morning I'm tossing a couple cups of laying mash pellets and a bit of corn around the run, supplemented by people scraps (if we have them) and green grass and weed cuttings. The greenery isn't a rodent problem, obviously, and I try to get the veggie scraps to the girls early so they are quite gone by mid -day. There's no info on the feed bags nor have I seen anything online other than free-feeding stations.

If anyone else is trying to monitor the feed needs of their flock, I'd really like to hear about it. Hopefully, warm spring weather will alleviate the rodent problem (they should have flooded out if they are below the coop this past two weeks) but it'd be nice to know for future reference.

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Vbgarden, I can understand you going to meals in an effort to control rodent problems.

They usually figure a 1/4 pound of layer feed a day for lightweight breed layers.

For heavy breeds, it's either 1/3 more than the lightweight breeds eat or 1/3 pound a day, depending on who you ask.

You're feeding a lot of different foods, so they would need less than that of the layer feed, but at least that's a starting point.

 

[vbgarden]

WW, Thank you so much for responding!

That info will give me a great reference point I can use - and I'll adapt it depending on what supplemental feeds they are receiving!

We've seen a complete stop to egglaying in the last couple of weeks and I'm concerned that the irregular feeding may be contributing to the problem. As a rule, the little chunkettes get too much, probably, because they can free-feed and have all the extra goodies but I'm suspecting that one of several contributing causes may be less laying mash.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

You're welcome and good luck figuring it out.