how much feed per chicken per day??

[crzychknluvr]

Obviosly a NEW egg! So can anyone tell me how much feed to give per chicken per day?

I was just keeping the feeder full all the time. My chickens are 6mos now all hens are laying very well! But I think theyre PIGS I am going through a 50lb bag of feed per week for thirteen chickens, and they free range most evenings too!
They also started pecking a little. I had read another post about boerdom, so I have started spreading thier feed so that they are scratching and forageing. The peckin has stopped! Yay. And yes the coop is plenty big enough. We like to refer to it as the chicken fortress!

Any advise would be appriciated

to the more expierienced!

 

[chookchick]

They do need to have feed available at all times. But you are going through a LOT of food. I figured out recently that my hens eat about 2.6-3 ounces of food per day--that's a bit more than a pound per week! Are they spilling/billing a lot of food on the ground and wasting it? Are you sure you don't have any midnight visitors (like rats)? Any possibility they have worms? Are you feeding a high quality food with enough protein? I also throw in weeds, kitchen scraps, leaves, fruit, grass clippings etc... for them to go through (mine are penned all the time) keeps them busy and out of trouble, and makes their yolks nice and orange. ETA--also make sure they have access to grit and oystershell at all times.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

my 10 hens will go through 50 lbs of feed in two weeks in the winter (I use layer crumble). In the spring/summer/fall they go through maybe one 50 lb bag total! FREE RANGING is great! Anyway...yes, do keep feed available to them at all times. What kind of birds do you have? Some free range better than others.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Ya that seems like too much food to go through so my guess is that something else is getting to it too. Chippys' getting ready for winter? Rats/mice?

 

[Mimir]

Wow everyone seems to feed their hens so much. I buy 20KG of mixed corn every month or two. I give my dozen hens a few handfulls of mixed corn in the morning, sometimes a hand full of layers pellets but I only get this in 2KG bags every now and them. They free range all day in a large garden. In the morning they fill up on grass, weeds and bugs, mostly worms but I often see them jumping and catching butterflys. In the evening they get table scraps (peelings, crusts, old food), never any more than 500g I would say. They all lay perfectly fine and are in good condition. I think letting them free range makes all the difference.

 

[cnj-tx50]

I would agree that someone else is visiting your feed!!! I hung my feeder and that seemed to stop. They also get garden left overs and dinner scraps and grass. I also give the yogurt once or twice a week and a little cat as a treat now and then. That does seem like alot of feed!!!

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I've seen my chickens eat some big mice, but a whole cat? Even a little one might take them awhile to finish

meri

 

[Sissy]

50 # sounds riight but I cut back do to their messin it all over and too much waste so i knew they wearnt as hungry .. I have 18 hens and make sure
they have about a 1/4 lb for each and never worry they make sure they get their share.

 

[cnj-tx50]

Sorry!!!! left out "feed". Wow that would be funny. Don't think the cat would like it very much!!!

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I can just picture the poor cat trying to get away from my chickens.

meri