How much food...

[Namble]

Should I feed my 34 8 week old chicks? I feed them about a gallon of chick starter every day. Every time I give it to them they are like starving! I mean I know they are growing but, wow. I want to start feeding them about half a gallon every other day. That way my food will last longer. Is this a better plan?

 

[farmin'chick]

The best guess I can give you is to say...it takes 2 pounds of feed to grow 1 pound of weight on the chicken from the time they're babies until they're 12 - 16 weeks old (After that it takes more feed for each pound they put on.) ....The stuff I read before I got my chicks said to fill feeders about 2/3 full if you use the long tray feeders, so they don't waste too much, since you should clean them out every day or so. I feed my chicks morning and evening, and when I find the feeders emptier than usual at unexpected times, I increase the amount I'm feeding them.

BTW -- a pint is about a pound, and a gallon is 8 pints, or 8 pounds. So for 34 chickens, you are giving them each about 1/4 pound, which would be a 2 oz weight gain per day...

 

[elmo]

Do you see a lot of wasted food on the ground? Or are your chicks gobbling it all up?

If they're eating, they're hungry because they're growing and they need the food. You surely don't want to starve your chicks by not feeding them enough.

 

[ranchhand]

Chicken food should never be rationed. They need to have food available 24/7.

 

[sjkids]

i agree, clean food and water day and night

 

[ChickieNikki]

my 24 8 weekers eat 2-3lbs a day, and they get 1lb of kitchen scraps on top of that--a half gallon a day won't do it, i'm afraid. plus, they need food available all day--you can''t feed them "meals" 2 or 3 times a day like dogs or cats. you're probably going to go through a LOT more food than you thought. i'm shocked at how fast mine gobble through their 35 lb bag--2-2.5 weeks!!!