How often do you feed your chickens?

[brittanys22]

Was wondering how often do you feed your chickens? Mine are free range and up at night so I leave 2 buckets out of feed and water daily for them and 1 in chicken run. I also have a 30 pound goose that eats the same food. I feel like I’m going through sooo much food a bag every week and half and it’s little on the expensive side.. do I cut back on feeding? Or should I only feed mornings and evenings?

 

[ladyfarmer00]

I feed mine all flock in the morning in their coops with runs open, feed spread throughout so everyone gets to eat. I wait a couple hours for them to lay their eggs then i let them out to free range. Just before dusk, i put scratch feed out in the coops and runs to gather everyone back inside and shut them up for the night.

 

[21hens-incharge]

How many chickens do you have?
Are the feeders placed where wild critters have access?

I feed mine every day. I keep my feeders where wild birds, squirrels, bunnies etc are not likely to go....in my coop and run.

 

[RoosterML]

You don’t cut back on food for chickens. It’s not like an overweight human. LoL,They eat what they need. Mine have access to feeders day an night. Like @21hens-incharge said make sure other pests are eating your feed.

 

[David61]

Look at other things besides how much they eat.
Your feeders and how much is wasted by the chickens scratch it about. Wild birds , rodents and other critters having a free meal.

 

[Mtnboomer]

I have between 10-22 free range birds (4-18mos) at a time that roam in woods, fields, and our yard. There are water sources around the yard but I also keep a 3 gal gravity fed waterer (meant for cat style) in the coop. They have a free choice feed station (5lb gravity feeder also style used for cats) inside their coop. In the warmer months, I go through about 50-60lbs a month. In winter, as much as 200lbs a month if I have all 20 adults.

In addition to the adults, i also keep between 12-20 chicks (4mos or less) at any given time. These guys also have free choice feed but are kept in a 8x32' run. By the time they are 3 months old, they are eating about half the rations of their parents.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Was wondering how often do you feed your chickens? Mine are free range and up at night so I leave 2 buckets out of feed and water daily for them and 1 in chicken run. I also have a 30 pound goose that eats the same food. I feel like I’m going through sooo much food a bag every week and half and it’s little on the expensive side.. do I cut back on feeding? Or should I only feed mornings and evenings?

Its probably the goose! She eats and wastes a lot of feed. My ducks (3) eat me out of house and home and most of the feed is wasted in their water or pool when they rinse their beaks. This weekend, "Breakfast" "Lunch" & "Dinner" are going to live up to their names.
Any feed left outside within reach of wildlife is like ringing the dinner bell. Once discovered every critter that walks or crawls won't pass up the free meal.

 

[Shadrach]

I feed the free range chickens here 3 times a day during winter and twice a day in the summer unless the ground is baked solid, then 3 times.
I can't leave feed down 24/7; everything eats it including rats and mice. It takes about 20 minutes for each group to eat. I pick the bowls up after.

 

[brittanys22]

How many chickens do you have?
Are the feeders placed where wild critters have access?

I feed mine every day. I keep my feeders where wild birds, squirrels, bunnies etc are not likely to go....in my coop and run.

We have 7 chickens. And I keep my feed in chicken run but the squirrels go in my coop because I leave the door open so they have access all throughout the day.

 

[brittanys22]

Thank you guys, I think what I’m going to start doing is feed in morning, lunch and dinner. I have 3 buckets of food out there daily and I agree the goose will waste most of it and the dang squirrels!