How much feed for 10 chickens?

[petro]

I have 10 adult hens and I am buying 50 lbs of food about every week and a half. The birds have plenty of free space to run.

I have 2 feeders that hold 25lbs each. I am having to refill them about every 8-10 days.

Could something else be eating the chicken food at night?

Or are they just hungry? lol

Thanks for your help.

Terry

 

[staceyj]

That’s way too much feed for 10 chickens In only a week and a half!

Put your feeders away at night in a galvanized metal trash can with a snug lid. Put it back out in the morning.

In a weeks time -maybe less- you’ll know if something else is feasting on your pocketbook at night.

Ps. Leaving feed out at night is an invitation for rats.

 

[fastfrank]

i have 9 Jersey giants, they go thru 50# in 4 or 5 weeks or so...

 

[lazy gardener]

Absolutely. When your numbers don't add up, the first thing to consider is that some one else is eating on your dime. I go through 50#/week to feed 27 birds. My feed is 16% layer feed, fermented.

Your conversion rate is .48#/bird/day.

My conversion rate is .26.

 

[petro]

i have 9 Jersey giants, they go thru 50# in 4 or 5 weeks or so...

how do you feed them?
do you give them a certain amount of food each day? If so how much?

 

[petro]

Absolutely. When your numbers don't add up, the first thing to consider is that some one else is eating on your dime. I go through 50#/week to feed 27 birds. My feed is 16% layer feed, fermented.

Your conversion rate is .48#/bird/day.

My conversion rate is .26.

How are you distributing or giving them the food?

 

[fastfrank]

how do you feed them?
do you give them a certain amount of food each day? If so how much?

i have a 5 gal feeder inside the coup. ( sparrows were stealing to much when the feeder was outside the coup.)

 

[staceyj]

I have a small urban flock and do everything on a small scale.
My feeder hangs from the center roofing beam inside a covered run. It attaches to a rope with a carabiner.
The girls don’t stay in the run most days. They’re in there for an hour or two in the am til I see they’ve eaten, and then they free range in a 12x90 uncovered run for the rest of the day although I leave the door to the covered run which is attached to their coop open.
At sundown I unhook the feeder and close it up in a trashcan for the night.

 

[petro]

I have a small urban flock and do everything on a small scale.
My feeder hangs from the center roofing beam inside a covered run. It attaches to a rope with a carabiner.
The girls don’t stay in the run most days. They’re in there for an hour or two in the am til I see they’ve eaten, and then they free range in a 12x90 uncovered run for the rest of the day although I leave the door to the covered run which is attached to their coop open.
At sundown I unhook the feeder and close it up in a trashcan for the night.

I can see that working. I was hoping for a set it and forget system.

Currently I leave their door to the coop open so they can come and go as they please.

 

[petro]

i have a 5 gal feeder inside the coup. ( sparrows were stealing to much when the feeder was outside the coup.)

Yes I have seen them in my feeding area but didn't release how much they could be eating.