How much feed?

Probably the reason your hens seem to "choke" is because they are HUNGRY and scarfing the food down as fast as they can before someone else eats it and they have to go without. You said you think they should eat less than 1/2 cup a day each. Even at 6 cups, (Which is what your sister thinks they should have it seems) that is STILL less than 1/2 a cup per hen per day. 3 cups is less than 1/4 of a cup each. And when rationing feed like that, there is a very good chance that some birds are eating MORE than their alloted amount and others are getting less. (Maybe even far less.)
 
My sister and I have been having disputes over this. I believe that our 13 hens should eat less than 1/2 cup per hen because they have a ton of grass and free range. So I usually feed around 3-4 cups and add water to it to ferment for a few minutes. I have tried fermenting directly, but sifting it everyday has grown tiresome and if I don’t soften it with water, my hens seem to choke a little on it. My sister thinks we should feed 4-5 cups and sometimes 6. So I am wondering what we SHOULD feed. Open to ideas!
What did you end up deciding to feed them?
 
I keep the feeders in the run stocked. But on days they free range, they barely touch their feed. They’ll come back to the coop to lay and spend all day grazing. When they head in for the night they take a couple nibbles of feed then head to bed.
I’ve never seen my chickens choke on feed though. A lot of bugs and worms I’ve seen them eat are much bigger than their pellets. But if it’s a concern, try and find a crumble for them. I started using Tucker Milling company feed and my chickens have been happy and healthy on it for a year now. And there’s a good variety of options. And I’ve actually used several.
 

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