How much feed do you save by free ranging?

[ChickenJill]

Has anyone ever compared the amount of feed when chickens are in their pen full time vs. when they free range all day and eat in their pen at night only? Need to convince my wonderful husband that we sholuld let them out more often!

 

[maybejoey]

I use maybe 3/5 of a bag per month with free ranging, but they need a lot out there to eat. I have 13 hens and 1 rooster.

 

[rcentner]

oh, I try that tactic every now and again..but honey I am almost out of food

but I haven't noticed that much of a difference, they still come in and chow down before roosting. Atleast mine do. But it does decrease it a little. I only let mine free range when I can monitor them. Cause around here if they free range when I am not home I save a lot on food when my chickens get eaten.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

About half the feed for me.

 

[AngelaClassAct]

I get free produce from our local coop grocery store, which is "kind of" like free-ranging, except they don't have access to bugs. I find that when we have a good mix of stuff they like a 50# bag of layer crumbles will last about 1 month. I have 16 hens and one roo. Without the produce they eat a little more, but not much more. My neighbor who lets hers free-range all the time says they eat very little grain, and I'm sure that's b/c they have access to more bugs and insects (protein) that way.

 

[Ole rooster]

My birds stay out about 6 hours a day. I bought a bag of medicated grower feed 3 weeks a go. I still have half of it left. They go to the feeder and eat, but they don't eat nowhere what I had been led to believe they would. My next bag will be lay pellets. I'll see how that goes. OH, I have 7 pullet and one coc.

Yesterday one of my reds found herself a little snake. It was maybe 7 or 8 inches long. After eating that thing I don't know where she put anything else but she kept on scratching and pecking.

 

[TDM]

Pastured poultry, such as with my operation, will consume five to ten percent of their daily intake from foraging. If I took away all feed during the day, I'm sure the percentage from foraging would go up, but their egg production would suffer. Chickens aren't ruminants, and their digestive system is too short to derive much nutrition from grasses.