How much layers pellets should you allow per day per chicken ?

[josie555]

Hi, Nicki from England wants to know, do you measure out how much layers pellets each chicken should have each day to prevent overfeeding or do you just make sure that its full each day so they eat what they want? My bantams are in a static run and coop, I have 6 bantams altogether.
Any advice from experience from chicken keepers (especially bantams) would be great!..

 

[sourland]

For non heavy layers I have always fed twice a day - as much as they can clean up in a 15 minute period. Production birds I have always fed ad lib.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A 50 pound bag of 15% to 18% protein laying pellets should feed 200 + or - White Leghorn size layers for 24 hours with a scratch feed or shelled corn snack thrown in.

Lard bottomed hens like duel purpose birds eat more food and produce fewer eggs so the same 50 pound bag will only feed 150 + or - duel purpose birds for the same 24 hour period.

Otherwise 4 to 5 ounces of laying pellets per bird per day is the median consumption per hen.

Laying pellets are not an ingredient in hen fruits. Lay pellets are merely a complete chicken food formulated for maximum hen health and egg production in a closed environment.

The rule sourland mentioned of feeding what they will clean up in an hour or less is a good rule. If your birds are on deep litter a dab of scratch feed spread thinly over the entire litter surface will help keep your birds occupied and give them some exercise.

Scratch feed is intended to be scratched, hunted, and looked for, that's why it's called s-c-r-a-t-c-h feed. Hunt feed or look-for food just doesn't have the same panache as scratch feed.

 

[bevis]

rule of thumb i have been told is 1/2 pound of food per bird per day.
thats for egg layers. don't know if that true or not.

 

[itskels]

My girl eats about 3-4 oz. a day, but she also free ranges for the better part of the day. She lays an egg per day consistently and seems healthy!

 

[Weston N]

My girl eats about 3-4 oz. a day, but she also free ranges for the better part of the day. She lays an egg per day consistently and seems healthy!

Just a question what do you feed your hen? That's really good to get one egg a day consistently

 

[itskels]

She is on Dumor layer crumble from Tractor Supply, though I assume they carry it other places too. She free ranges most of the day. She does also get some sort of treat at least every other day. When we first got her, she did not lay for a few days and then was on and off for about two weeks (though she wasn't very healthy when we found her so I'm assuming that had something to do with the inconsistent laying). Since then, she has never missed a day.

 

[Weston N]

Wow Itskels that's pretty impressive

 

[itskels]

Wow Itskels that's pretty impressive

I'm just hoping it means she's happy and healthy, haha!

 

[Weston N]

I'm just hoping it means she's happy and healthy, haha!

Well if she lays so good she probably is healthy and happy