how much to feed?

[ssalstro]

Hi, I jus got four adult hens for the first time. How much food should I be feeding them. At this point they are getting chicken feed and some garden scraps. Should food always be available to them????Thanks for your help.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For yours, feed should be available during their waking hours. Chickens, other than the broilers, will self-regulate and not eat too much. They do not fill up once or twice a day, but rather eat some, rest, and then eat some more. Their crop is not big enough to store a days worth of food.

 

[ssalstro]

thanks a lot!

 

[greyhorsewoman]

I try to regulate feed to what they will finish up within a day. This gets adjusted slightly up and down depending on how much 'extras' they are getting or the time of year. Excess feed can draw rodents (mice & rats), sometimes wild birds (depending on the accessibility to the feeder). Personally, I'm not interested in feeding anybody but the chickens.