My girls should weigh 20 pounds!

[kklowell]

At the rate these babies are eating they should weigh 20 pounds each soon! I'm using a 1-quart jar feeder and filling it 2 or 3 times a day. We have had 6 of them a week and 2 days, and the other six since this past Saturday evening, so they aren't old at all. I think they are all eating their fair share for sure! Not much of it appears to be getting wasted either. I think tomorrow will see me picking up another bag of food for them at TSC.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chicks are notorious for dishing out all the feed and scattering it into the bedding. I bet that's what they are doing. I put my feeder inside a plant tray used to catch water under pots so it catches the feed and they eventually eat it. I still get some waste, but nothing like I used to.

 

[kklowell]

They could be, but I'm not seeing it in the bedding, and I'm not seeing them scratching it out of the feeder, though they do like to scratch in the bedding and toss that stuff up into their water. I will pick up one of those plant trays tomorrow though as it sounds like a good way to slow them down if they are wasting food kicking it around. How much larger than the feeder is your plant tray?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They could be, but I'm not seeing it in the bedding, and I'm not seeing them scratching it out of the feeder, though they do like to scratch in the bedding and toss that stuff up into their water. I will pick up one of those plant trays tomorrow though as it sounds like a good way to slow them down if they are wasting food kicking it around. How much larger than the feeder is your plant tray?

1/2 to 1 inch around the feeder. Either it needs to be not too deep so the chicks can still reach the feed or deep enough for them to stand in. 6 chicks shouldn't eat more than 1/2 to 1 quart a day. I used to use those quart jar feeders and they were terrible for waste.

 

[kklowell]

Thanks, I'll get one tomorrow. There's not six chicks eating from it, there's 12.

 

[junebuggena]

12 chicks will definitely burn through the feed. They are doubling in size every week, and need a lot of feed to fuel that growth.

 

[moniquem]

Piggies! Mine are doing the same. Last night their crops were so full, I had a moment thinking they were like goldfish, they would literally keep eating until they combusted!

 

[Folly's place]

For twelve, buy a much bigger feeder! I use the ten (eleven?) pound size instead. If it's too big for your brooder, get a slightly smaller one for now. Hope your waterer is big enough too!
What breeds? Cornishx meat birds will be huge in no time!
Dual purpose chicks grow fast, just not that fast! But they all eat a lot; figure three pounds of feed per pound of body weight. For twelve six pound birds, that's about 220 pounds of feed.
Mary