How much is too much feed?

[stitch81]

I have 14 chickens all around 20 weeks old. I have an 11 pound feeder in the coup, and a 2 gallon watering dispenser in there as well. They are draining both in a 2 day time period, and trying to get in there to refill the feeder is becoming a nightmare. They swarm the door and act like they are starving. We can't free range the chickens due to our dogs (they don't understand that they aren't allowed to eat the chickens). Is this a normal amount for these chickens to be eating? None of them are laying yet, no molting, and they all look to be fat and healthy.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

In my experience, most chickens at their growth peak will eat about 1/2 pound of food per day.
If you're losing more than that it's probably being cast into the bedding.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Agree. 14 chickens are not eating 11 pounds of feed in two days. They could, however, drink more than 2 gallons of water in two days.

 

[babyrnlc]

I have 18 chickens and we go through a 50 pound bag every 2 weeks if we dont get to free range (I have had surgery and cant let them out).

Since it has been getting colder we also give scratch each day. My girls can just eat scraps and food and scratch and still act like they are starving. They are fat healthy girls.

 

[Fierlin1182]

Do you know whether something else could be getting in there to eat the feed? We have that problem, birds in the garden steal the chicken mix all the time. Could you also be getting a little something of the four-legged kind?

 

[Cindy in PA]

1/3 of a pound per chicken/day. With 14 chickens that would be 9.33lbs. in 2 days and since they may be still growing or it may be cold, 11 lbs. is not that much! Chickens do eat food & this time of year they eat more.

 

[Fred's Hens]

It is time ask this.

What are you feeding? Brand, type, quality.

 

[stitch81]

The coup is tight, no four legged scavengers, just the chickens have access to the feed. We are feeding them Purina Layena Crumbles. We have a heat lamp in the coup as temp here have been around -5 degrees. We had been leaving the pop door open so they could go out into the run when they wanted to, but after the first snow fall, they refused to go out there, so the pop door has been closed.