How much should I feed my chickens?

[Chikyboy]

I don't think my chickens need to eat as much as they do. Especially since they always get chia seeds, mealworms, and kitchen scraps. How many pellets should I feed them a day? (I would still feed them all of the other things I just mentioned as much as I currently do.) I feed my chickens 16% Layer Pellets. I have two standard sized mixes, a standard sized EE, a Maran, and a bantam buff brahma. The mixes are hens, and the last three were born at the end of March. I hope this is enough info. Thanks!

 

[HollowOfWisps]

How much are you currently feeding them? The average chicken needs around 4 oz. of feed each per day which is again average and can vary depending on the chickens size. With five chickens that would put you at an average of 20 oz. or 1.25lbs a day which would be 140 oz. per week or 8.75lbs per week. Using fillers like chia seeds, meal worms and scraps to fill them up will only take away from the nutritional value of the feed and greatly increase your chances of ending up with nutritional deficiencies. Extras besides formulated poultry feed should make up no more than 10% of their daily diet.

 

[WIchickMama]

I leave feed out all day long and let them eat what they want, at the end of the day what is left gets put in a metal trash can and then pulled out the next day. As long as it doesn't get wet, or poopy they can keep eating it

 

[JacinLarkwell]

As much as they want, especially if you're feed such a low protein and giving lots of other things too.

 

[NatJ]

How many pellets should I feed them a day?...I feed my chickens 16% Layer Pellets.

Layer Pellets are designed so a hen gets everything she needs, if she eats as many pellets as she wants and has nothing else but water.

If you limit the pellets, the hens will be short of something (maybe protein, maybe calcium or iron, maybe one vitamin or another-- I cannot predict it, because I don't know exactly how much of what they are getting from the other foods they eat.)

If you are trying to save money, skip the mealworms and chia seeds, and let the chickens have as many layer pellets as they want. Layer pellets are usually much cheaper than mealworms or chia seeds, AND are better balanced nutritionally for chickens.

If you are worried about the chickens getting fat, you should also skip the mealworms and chia seeds and just let the chickens have all the layer pellets they want.

Kitchen scraps vary a lot from one houshold to another, so I can't say whether you should limit them or not. It should be fine for chickens to have as much as they want of some things (like carrot peels), but they might have trouble with large amounts of other things (like the salty fat that drips out of a ham.)

As someone else already pointed out, each hen normally needs about 4 ounces (1/4 pound) of layer pellets each day, which would mean about 40 pounds per month for 5 hens. They may eat a bit more or less than that, but if your hens eat a lot more than that you should check whether they are spilling it, or whether something else is eating it too (like wild birds, squirrels, mice or rats, etc.)

 

[raingarden]

3.5% of their body weight per day in a complete commercial ration.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Quarter pound of feed per day assuming regular laying hens. Feed should be in front of them 24/7 if you want to maximize egg production or weight gain. Ditto on what the others have said, feed a proper balanced commercial pellet or crumbles.

 

[Meri Maura]

Layer Pellets are designed so a hen gets everything she needs, if she eats as many pellets as she wants and has nothing else but water.

If you limit the pellets, the hens will be short of something (maybe protein, maybe calcium or iron, maybe one vitamin or another-- I cannot predict it, because I don't know exactly how much of what they are getting from the other foods they eat.)

If you are trying to save money, skip the mealworms and chia seeds, and let the chickens have as many layer pellets as they want. Layer pellets are usually much cheaper than mealworms or chia seeds, AND are better balanced nutritionally for chickens.

If you are worried about the chickens getting fat, you should also skip the mealworms and chia seeds and just let the chickens have all the layer pellets they want.

Kitchen scraps vary a lot from one houshold to another, so I can't say whether you should limit them or not. It should be fine for chickens to have as much as they want of some things (like carrot peels), but they might have trouble with large amounts of other things (like the salty fat that drips out of a ham.)

As someone else already pointed out, each hen normally needs about 4 ounces (1/4 pound) of layer pellets each day, which would mean about 40 pounds per month for 5 hens. They may eat a bit more or less than that, but if your hens eat a lot more than that you should check whether they are spilling it, or whether something else is eating it too (like wild birds, squirrels, mice or rats, etc.)

I adopted some hens from someone who didn't care for them and food out for them all the time and kept them in a fenced off part of her her that had no grass or sun and the girls got obese.

 

[Meri Maura]

I used to throw 6 feed scoops of pellets out to my flock of 80 per day. They were free ranged

 

[Iluveggers]

I put out feed and leave all day every day. They never finish what’s in the bucket, but I want to make sure they have enough. I bring in at night and if low I add a few scoops before putting out in the morning.

My girls also get scraps, mostly veggies with occasional fruit or grain leftovers. A little before dark, they usually get a handful of cracked corn as they have some range time but come running back to the chicken run when they hear me shake the container.

I only give BOSS about once a week, again to help me reign everyone back in if they are out. I agree with limiting supplements. One handful is about 1 tbsp for my 10 pullets (I have tiny hands lol.)