How much to feed?

[eggboy]

How much should i be feeding my RIReds I have four and I had been feeding them about a pound a day but now it seems like they are still hungry after they have eaten so i have been feeding them more like a pound and a half a day and they still seem hungry but I hesitate to give them more than that because I think they might get fat if i fed them much more.

How much should i be feeding them?

 

[bigstack]

Im not sure. Sorry! But i'll give ya a BUMP

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[parrillofarms]

i just fill up the feeder and let them eat as much as they want. they dont' seem fat to me. during the winter they should be eating more anyways. we do the same with all of our livestock

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Mine are on free feed. Eat whenever they want. With the weather and all, not much to do but eat, just like humans.

 

[blueseal]

i keep my hanging feeders full 24/7 so they can eat when they want.

 

[Jim from Cincinnati]

Same here, mine have feeder filled at all times.

 

[BioBob]

As I understand it, and I read it somewhere, they will get fat on too much corn.

I think that is why we are advised to use scratch sparingly.

I freefeed 20% protein, and my birds are not fat

 

[team_realtree]

I feed free choice. If they want to eat they are going to eat.

Obviously you will notice that your feed costs will go through the roof in the winter because they will tend to stay inside depending on where you live.

 

[felidaet]

I feed mine free choice. It is available 24 x 7 in the coop. My feed bin holds more than 100 lbs of feed. I have seen a general guideline that they should get around 1/4 lb feed per day per bird. This would mean you should be going through about 1 lb feed per day. Since you are going through more, check to see if they are wasting a lot (spilling in on the ground or in their bedding). You did not mention what you are feeding them. Most people find more waste with crumbles than pellets. Are you feeding a good quality chicken feed? Is there a possibility the mice, rats, squirrels, etc might be eating some of the food?

 

[Intheswamp]

1/4 pound per day per bird is usually what is stated as "normal". Situations, environments, climate, individuals all can come into play. If the feed consumption was to suddenly double then you might suspect some free-loaders such as rats, wild birds, etc,. Going a little over the 1/4 pound per day # isn't necessarily a bad thing....too far over and it might be.

Free choice feeding is usually best, though it's definitely not a bad idea to monitor how much they're eating.

A recent discussion on an article regarding feeding chickens showed that during the winter that chickens eat more (no big suprise therer) but also pointed out that the percentage of protein can be reduced since the consumption is up....during the summer when they don't eat as much feed to keep their bodies heated then the protein percentage should be higher. Maybe something like 20% in the summertime (more expensive, but they eat less) and 16% in the winter (less expensive, but they eat more)....???

FWIW,
Ed