How Much to Feed Per Bird?

[Allears]

Hi all, I really need help. Someone I know has 19 chickens, mainly Black Copper Marans and Maran crossed with an indigenous South African breed. There are 3 Silies and 2 Cochins. They were free range, now caged. 7 are roos. They are fed 120g laying pellets with mielirs. Birds 15 months. Are they getting enough food? They seem very hungry so I sneak them lettuce, lentil sprouts, brown bread soaked in apple cider vinegar. Once I've fed them, they settle, otherwise they are up and down in the cage. The bantam silkie is tiny compared to the other birds and the little cochin and they battle to reach the feed and water bowls. I trimmed the little silkies pompom do at least she can see better now. My heart aches for these birds but maybe I am being too emotional?

 

[nuthatched]

Each bird should eat 85 to 112 grams of feed each, but if it's highly nutritious, you can get away with less. giving them extras like the meilies and your treats is diluting any nutrition they get from their feed, actually.

 

[saysfaa]

...They seem very hungry ...

Mine will beg with exceedingly great expression - come running, jump up and down many times, fly up to look at us directly, look pointedly at their bowls, eat from our hands, knock food out of our hands, knock each other out of the way, chirp, coo, and other sounds with urgency, and so on...

All for food they already have in their bowls.

Food they've eaten happily for their entire lives. And that they always have available.

And they settle down when they know food time is over. I don't all the circumstances of those chickens but begging isn't a reliable sign of need.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Mine will beg with exceedingly great expression - come running, jump up and down many times, fly up to look at us directly, look pointedly at their bowls, eat from our hands, knock food out of our hands, knock each other out of the way, chirp, coo, and other sounds with urgency, and so on...

All for food they already have in their bowls.

Food they've eaten happily for their entire lives. And that they always have available.

And they settle down when they know food time is over. I don't all the circumstances of those chickens but begging isn't a reliable sign of need.

Mine beg too, especially a certain cockerel in my flock. As soon as they realize what you have is edible, it's game on. As soon as they realize what you have isn't food (usually), they decide they're too good to beg.

Mine flipped like a switch as soon as they realized that the celery I was passing out was something they could eat

 

[Al Gerhart]

Sounds like if they are getting 120 grams that ought to be enough per bird. Assuming it is a balanced pellet or mash/crumble. Might be that they are bored and have equated you visiting with food!

 

[Saaniya]

Hi all, I really need help. Someone I know has 19 chickens, mainly Black Copper Marans and Maran crossed with an indigenous South African breed. There are 3 Silies and 2 Cochins. They were free range, now caged. 7 are roos. They are fed 120g laying pellets with mielirs. Birds 15 months. Are they getting enough food? They seem very hungry so I sneak them lettuce, lentil sprouts, brown bread soaked in apple cider vinegar. Once I've fed them, they settle, otherwise they are up and down in the cage. The bantam silkie is tiny compared to the other birds and the little cochin and they battle to reach the feed and water bowls. I trimmed the little silkies pompom do at least she can see better now. My heart aches for these birds but maybe I am being too emotional?

Why don’t u use natural fermentation in feed?? It’s much helpful isn’t it apple cider vinegar cause dehydration in summer days

 

[farmerbrowne]

Ive always gone by the standard of hearing 1/4 cup of feed per bird per day. Mine free range and I supplement with fermented feed in the summer and mash in the winter months

 

[BastyPutt]

I just fill my feed buckets when they are empty and let them eat whatever they want. I have zero idea how much that is, until I gasp every few weeks at the feed store.

As soon as they realize what you have isn't food (usually), they decide they're too good to beg.

Incredibly accurate. I have a cockerel who looks to wish me dead if the scraps are skimpy that day.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I just fill my feed buckets when they are empty and let them eat whatever they want. I have zero idea how much that is, until I gasp every few weeks at the feed store.

This is how I do it in one coop...and yes..that feed bill

My other coop I fill their 3 bowls every other day.

Mainly bc they scratch it out and eat it off the ground

I need to get some buckets and make them feeders but bc i like to use what's on hand I haven't yet...but in this circumstance I feel like it'd save me some money

 

[BastyPutt]

This is how I do it in one coop...and yes..that feed bill

My other coop I fill their 3 bowls every other day.

Mainly bc they scratch it out and eat it off the ground

I need to get some buckets and make them feeders but bc i like to use what's on hand I haven't yet...but in this circumstance I feel like it'd save me some money

The Amazon feed ports are the absolute way to go. They are cheap, good quality and come with a hole saw. You can have 4 feeders with 16 total ports for about $50.

I don't use food safe buckets. you need time and or liquid to leach chemicals. I have so many birds that i fill
The buckets once a week. But if you wanted to use those, cost would go up significantly.