How much should they eat?

[Ruth028]

I have 5 chickens to full grown hens and 3 bantams about what is the average amount of food should they be eating in a day??????

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Where are you located and do the birds free range at all? Location will factor into what sort of forage may or may not be available to them to supplement their feed intake - if you are in the part of the world currently in fall/winter, they are unlikely to have anything that would actually 'count' as intake available to them from ranging.
I would expect to feed a little over a pound a day to a flock of that size. A generally accepted feed intake for adult laying hens (large fowl) os 4 oz per day of commercial feed - so 8 oz for the two big ones and a little less than 4 oz. each for the bantams = a little over a pound of feed. Also, if you are in a fall/winter area you can expect to see an increase in consumption from the warmer seasons. Are you seeing a much larger consumption than that? If so, it may be a matter of finding the causes of food waste/loss - which we can help with.

 

[Ruth028]

I live in chicago and yes they free range for roughly a half hour to an hours a day, i just want to make sure i wasn't starving them or any thing thanks.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I live in chicago and yes they free range for roughly a half hour to an hours a day, i just want to make sure i wasn't starving them or any thing thanks.

Given your location and the amount of time they spend ranging, your flocks nutrition is solely dependent on the feed you provide, imo as the time and available forage this time of year means that ranging is contributing very little to their diet (great for their well being, though, don't think I am saying it is doing no good). Are you feeding in a controlled manner (ie 1-2 times a day giving feed) or free feeding (using a feeder that is filled and available for them to eat out of at will)