ratio of crumbles to scratch

[chickeylady]

I have about 80 hens and 4 roosters and they are eating me broke. I am interested to know how much food and how much scratch should it take to keep these guys happy. I live in Texas and it's around 100 degrees. They prefer feeders to just throwing it on the ground. When I throw scratch on the ground some just lays there uneaten. What am I doing right and what am I doing wrong.

 

[nuthatched]

Holy moley that's a lot of chickens! A chicken eats roughly 1/4 (4ozs) cup of food a day, give or take, 4 ozs x 84 divided by 4 means you go through a 50lb bag and a half a day! That's like $30 a day! Sctratch is supposed to be treats, like a just a fingers full per chicken.
You could can sell/raise your egg prices to cover the feed bill or get rid of some chickens.

 

[Chicalina]

Scratch isn't really necessary. It's just carbs. I would ditch that and stick to plain chicken feed.

Not being funny, but what reason do you have for keeping such a huge flock? Do you sell eggs for eating or hatching, breed them, raise chickens for meat or to sell as layers or chicks...?

If you cannot afford to feed this large a flock, then perhaps look at downsizing.

 

[3KillerBs]

Scratch is chicken candy. They don't actually need it at all, though it can be useful as a training treat.

One thing you can do is to make sure your feeders are the sort that don't allow a lot of spillage and waste (when I have feed on the ground I don't refill until they've cleaned up what's on the ground). I like the traditional, metal hanging feeders.

Also, make sure you're only feeding your chickens rather than the local wild bird and rodent population.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

With a flock that size, STRONGLY recommend you find a local mill and buy there, rather than a farm store. You might also look at bulk buying for additional discounts. West Feeds, I believe, produces chicken feed locally and is widely distributed. There are others, of course, but I'm familiar with West. They used to be "local". Its also common to see a (small) discount at 500# or more at a time. Suspect you can get your bill under $0.25/lb and not risk having feed on hand so long that it goes moldy or stale.

Free ranging can also help reduce it somewhat (seasonally variable, I save between 20 and 35%) but those savings will be offset by upfront costs in fencing, preparing the land, initial seed investments, and then maintenance costs in watering, weeding, etc. I was int he Austin area till about two years ago, there were long stretches where that water bill would have been "significant". Whether or no that's economical for you isn't somethign I can answer

 

[Cindy in PA]

21 pounds a day is a lot of chicken feed! That's over 600 pounds a month, wow. That's how much they eat, so you haven't many choices.

 

[Brooks_]

Holy moley that's a lot of chickens! A chicken eats roughly 1/4 (4ozs) cup of food a day, give or take, 4 ozs x 84 divided by 4 means you go through a 50lb bag and a half a day! That's like $30 a day! Sctratch is supposed to be treats, like a just a fingers full per chicken.
You could can sell/raise your egg prices to cover the feed bill or get rid of some chickens.

Math is off.
.25 x 84=21 pounds per day. Still a lot, but brings the price down to 9-10 bucks a day.

 

[nuthatched]

Math is off.
.25 x 84=21 pounds per day. Still a lot, but brings the price down to 9-10 bucks a day.

I shouldn't do math first thing) after I get home. Still pricey though.

 

[3KillerBs]

My traditional, hanging, metal feeder -- almost completely waste-free. The hens can't spill it when it's hung at the level of their backs. (I hang it for the tallest hen and put a block under one side for the shorter birds to stand on).

I don't have a wild bird or rodent problem, but if you do then you can get a treadle style feeder to ensure that you're only feeding chickens and not wildlife/vermin.

 

[aart]

My traditional, hanging, metal feeder -- almost completely waste-free. The hens can't spill it when it's hung at the level of their backs.

Really?!
Crumbles or pellets?
Got pics?
Wonders if it has an adjustable gap and rolled inner edge to prevent billing out.