Is this an unusual amount of feed eaten in 2 weeks?

[blessedmamato3]

We have 20, 8 week old chicks and they went through 50lbs of feed in 2 weeks. We have a homemade feeder with a 3" deep pan around it and their floor is sand, so I don't think waste is an issue. It was my understanding that they would do 50 pounds in a month. We buy organic feed from our coop, so this is really expensive. We're fixin to cull 5 that we got for meat birds, so that ought to help. Oh, and, they are in a run all day eating whatever comes their way.

Do they really *need* that much food or will they just eat it because it's there?

 

[HEChicken]

That sounds about right - they are growing very quickly at that age and need a lot of calories, especially the meat birds. I've never had more than 12 and go through 50lb in a month or slightly less, so for 20 birds, that sounds about right.

 

[WalkerH]

If they are meat birds they eat like the dickens in general. Culling them may very well help, but I have four meat birds and nine layers and a rooster, then the two ducks, and we go through fifty pounds in about 12 or 13 days.

 

[southerndesert]

We have around 38 chickens currently and go through around 100 pounds of pellets a month, give or take a few pounds depending on time of year.... They eat less when over 100 here all summer and eat more in the 60 to 90 degree temps the rest of the year

They also free range....



add info edit....

 

[JusticeFamilyFarm]

My 13 chickens (15-18 weeks old) go through about that! (50 lbs of pellets in 2 weeks) Maybe mine are piggies.

 

[atomic_chicken]

I have 6 pullets that are 4months old. They are eating about 50lb a month.(also feeding lots of kitchen scraps)
Sound like your meat birds are going to be tasty!

 

[blessedmamato3]

Thanks, everyone!

And, Adam, I'm counting on it! LOL