How much feed?

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16 Chickens. 15 hens, one rooster
7 Partridge Plymoth Rocks (1 is a roo), 5 Dominiques, and 4 rose comb brown leghorns
About a bag and a half (50 lb bags) a month. They weren't as hungry over the summer, I just switched to layer feed.
I keep them locked up (in the run but out of the coop) until around noon, when someone lets them out to free range. I live in the woods, and they love pecking and scratching around in the pine needles and oak leaves. Mucho bugs and clover! But also hawks, eagles, owls, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, etc. So they only free range when someone's home.

They aren't laying yet. This saturday is their 18 week birthday, so I hope they start soon.

I came up with about 4.7 lb of feed per chicken per month for your data. They eat less than what the average of 8.5 lb of feed per chicken per month that I calculated from the replies above yours. I think this is contributed to the free ranging that yours do...and your number is right at half of what the others are and considering that you let them out at noon until time for them to roost makes sense why yours is pretty much half of the consumption as the others. Thanks!
 
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I've noticed that my chickens don't go through as much food as other people on this forum have stated. To be honest, it makes me a little nervous. Even as chicks, they didn't go through as much chick starter. But they always seem healthy and happy- no signs of worms, mites, or other diseases. They always looked like chickens should, I guess. Not skinny but not like broilers. I have 3 different breeds, and they all have different body types.

I make sure varmints can't get in my feed (usually), and I use a hanging feeder to keep the waste under control. I am really curious now, though. I went from chick starter to flock raiser (crumbles). Then when they were 14 weeks old I started putting oyster shell on the side in case my leghorns started laying early, but they hardly picked at it. I wonder if the higher protein made them consume less feed? They are now on Blue Seal Eggmaker crumbles. They seem to really like it. When I open my next bag of feed I'm going to mark it on the calendar. I want to know how much they're eating.

Oh, and I didn't check your math. I don't really care since I never kept track myself.
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Quote:
16 Chickens. 15 hens, one rooster
7 Partridge Plymoth Rocks (1 is a roo), 5 Dominiques, and 4 rose comb brown leghorns
About a bag and a half (50 lb bags) a month. They weren't as hungry over the summer, I just switched to layer feed.
I keep them locked up (in the run but out of the coop) until around noon, when someone lets them out to free range. I live in the woods, and they love pecking and scratching around in the pine needles and oak leaves. Mucho bugs and clover! But also hawks, eagles, owls, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, etc. So they only free range when someone's home.

They aren't laying yet. This saturday is their 18 week birthday, so I hope they start soon.

I came up with about 4.7 lb of feed per chicken per month for your data. They eat less than what the average of 8.5 lb of feed per chicken per month that I calculated from the replies above yours. I think this is contributed to the free ranging that yours do...and your number is right at half of what the others are and considering that you let them out at noon until time for them to roost makes sense why yours is pretty much half of the consumption as the others. Thanks!

read and participated in an interesting thread awhile back that talked about calculating feed per dozen eggs. Gail Damerow says a good feed conversion ratio is 4 pounds of feed per dozen eggs. It's from Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. If her numbers are right---it would be easy to extrapolate how much feed the free-range chickens are getting from free ranging based on their egg out put. -- Some grass is greener...some pastures have more bugs.
 
Quote:
I came up with about 4.7 lb of feed per chicken per month for your data. They eat less than what the average of 8.5 lb of feed per chicken per month that I calculated from the replies above yours. I think this is contributed to the free ranging that yours do...and your number is right at half of what the others are and considering that you let them out at noon until time for them to roost makes sense why yours is pretty much half of the consumption as the others. Thanks!

read and participated in an interesting thread awhile back that talked about calculating feed per dozen eggs. Gail Damerow says a good feed conversion ratio is 4 pounds of feed per dozen eggs. It's from Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. If her numbers are right---it would be easy to extrapolate how much feed the free-range chickens are getting from free ranging based on their egg out put. -- Some grass is greener...some pastures have more bugs.

Awsome! I like numbers...gonna run some.
 
My chicks are 10 weeks old. I have 16 chicks. 12 are black sex link, 3 are white and 1 is grey. 6 of the black sex links are cockerels and 6 are pullets. 2 out of 3 of the whites are cockerels. And the grey one is a cockerel. So I have 9 cockerels and 7 pullets.

So far they've gone through almost 100 pounds of starter/grower feed. They get to free range 5 or more days a week now. I started free ranging them at 8 weeks. The weather has been cool so they haven't had many bugs yet. Mostly grass. In 8 more weeks, they should be fully grown. Then I'll harvest the cockerels. But in the mean time I'll probably go through another 100 pounds of starter/grower feed. Then I'll switch the pullets over to layer feed.

200 pounds of feed will have cost $52.00 since they hatched. They are eating more than I figured. But 200 pounds divided by 16 equals 12.5 pounds per chick. Then divide 12.5 by 18 weeks, that's less than a pound per chick per week. (.6944444 pounds)
 
Okay, all this sounds too complicated for me. I'm not one for calculations, but I'm really concerned now that my pullets aren't eating enough. I have 12 pullets, 2 are 8 wks. and 10 are 6 wks. old. They are confined to a 10x20ft run and a 8x10ft coop. I do give them kitchen scraps each day and in the heat we've been having I give them watermelon as well. I'm only going through a 5 lb. bag of starter food per week. And nearly a 1/3 of that gets thrown out because they'll only eat the top half. The bottom half is powder (probably from them pecking at it) and they won't eat that. When I fill the feeder (once per day) they come flying and eat with a frenzy, but only halfway like I said. They go crazy for the kitchen scraps too. They all look and act healthy. Should I stop the scraps so they'll eat more starter feed?
 
Okay, all this sounds too complicated for me. I'm not one for calculations, but I'm really concerned now that my pullets aren't eating enough. I have 12 pullets, 2 are 8 wks. and 10 are 6 wks. old. They are confined to a 10x20ft run and a 8x10ft coop. I do give them kitchen scraps each day and in the heat we've been having I give them watermelon as well. I'm only going through a 5 lb. bag of starter food per week. And nearly a 1/3 of that gets thrown out because they'll only eat the top half. The bottom half is powder (probably from them pecking at it) and they won't eat that. When I fill the feeder (once per day) they come flying and eat with a frenzy, but only halfway like I said. They go crazy for the kitchen scraps too. They all look and act healthy. Should I stop the scraps so they'll eat more starter feed?
Yes only give them a few scraps until they are grown. A balanced diet is important. Either give them a little more than they eat each day or leave it till it is near empty. You can take the remaining feed left in the feeder and mix it with water in another dish to make a wet feed, most think that is a treat.
 
Okay thanks. I thought I might be feeding them too many scraps. I never heard of mixing water with the powder they leave, good idea!

Well, I tried the 'mash' today and they loved it! Thanks again. Now I can still give them their 'treat' and not have to worry about how much I give them.
 
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