how much food?

[cwenbass]

my chickens have been eating a lot this winter. However, I has been costing me a lot. Anyone have a good measurement amount they use for giving their hens food for the feeder as well as measuring how much scratch they throw on the ground?
I have 4 hens

 

[matt44644]

Average feed per chicken is about 1.5-2 lbs per week.Scratch shouldn't be more than 10% of their diet.

 

[archer1964]

How much feed if they free range

 

[Percheron chick]

In the winter months, a free range hen can eat 4-8 oz of feed a day. In the summer it's half that.

 

[Sidhe13]

What do you class as "feed"? or "scratch"? and do you add greens to this diet?

 

[matt44644]

What do you class as "feed"? or "scratch"? and do you add greens to this diet?

Feed is a complete balanced food with vitamins ,minerals,amino acids,etc.Scratch is just mixed grains.

 

[Chris09]

How much feed if they free range

It doesn't matter if there free ranging or not.
There feed comes first then treats, like the low nutrient grasses that grow in a yard.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! Chickens must eat more balanced feed in winter to stay warm and because there's not much else to find . Feed free choice layer or grower with free choice oyster shell and grit separately, and then less that 10% scratch grains and stuff. Pelleted feeds aren't wasted as much, and some feeders also manage waste better than others. Buy a 50lb. bag of feed and store it properly; it will keep well in winter, or split a bag with another tiny flock owner to save some cost. Otherwise, I think the cost per day per bird for feed is really small. Mary

 

[Sidhe13]

What is the best way to store pellets? We have always mixed it with wheat and the whole lot sits in an old oil drum. It is mouse proof and mostly weather proof. This is the way my partner has done it since his parents days....i am open to improving on it...

 

[Folly's place]

I store my feed in metal covered garbage cans; for my larger flock 100 lbs. fits very well and gets used up in a fairly short time. I would never mix a complete feed with anything else, as it only unbalances the nutritional quality of the base feed. Mary