How often should I feed my chickens ?

[wolftracks]

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from California!

 

[Auntcoco]

I have been feeding mine once a day in the middle of the afternoon around 3 pm when I get home from work. This is because I do not like going out there in the dark. I have 6 chickens and I give the 4 cups of mesh and sprinkle it around on the ground so that they all can get some. and top off their waterer the sits on a stump. Every once in a while I will give the left over from what I ate or throw a cabbage head in to the pin.

 

[Dharmachick]

I guess I have a close, personal relationship with my flock of hens. I have 20, they answer to their names, they come when I call, (except when they have found a way into the veggie garden) and I'm outside a lot with them. I work on furniture, have many gardens, keep, or try to keep a chicken garden, and have 19 chicks who don't know their names, and 22 more on the way. The hens are loose in the 1/4 acre back yard, chicks in a coop and run. I feed them weeds from the gardens, spent broccoli stalks with leaves, various other things from the garden, they have layer feed all day, chicks have chick feed all day, they get mealworms and scratch and black oil sunflower seeds. They are friendly, healthy, and try to come in the dog door. As soon as I move to 2 1/2 acres, I will raise meat birds, they will not have names and I will probably feed them twice a day.

 

[anvia]

We feed fermented food, so it’s wet & like most others have said it’s constantly available - if it runs out the hens will break into the garden & tap on the house windows! They’ve got us so well trained....
Ours eat ants... but they also follow the ants to try to discover the nest - they love ants eggs and yes I’ve seen mine eat bees when they’ve come across them crawling in the grass. They are omnivorous and mine will generally attempt to eat most things they come across!

 

[RebeccaRN]

I just started feeding fermented feed once daily, but keep dry food in the feeder at all times. I toss down scratch and black sunflower seeds and also let them out for 3-4 hrs in the evening to free range. Cold fruit and veges during the hot summer days.