This week, were talking all about chicken feed. This is a common question for new backyard chicken owners. There are so many options to choose from, so I will share what I use as well as how often I use it. Lets start there.
How Much to Feed Chickens Each Day
Finding the right amount of chicken feed for your flock each day will take some time and observation, as every breed and flock is unique. To give you a good starting point, here’s a simple calculation: 1/4 of a pound per fully grown chicken per day. This means each chicken will eat approximately 1. 5 pounds of feed in a week.
The age and size of your birds will determine how much this is. Checking the feeders after your flock has finished eating is the best method to ascertain what it needs. Simply observe if any feed remains and modify the quantity the following day. Generally speaking, overfeeding is preferable to underfeeding because the wasted product is better for the chickens.
Different Types of Chicken Feed
Okay, lets talk about different types of chicken food. I feed my chicks a non-medicated chick crumble when they first hatch. Since my Baby Chick Care Kit contains First Peep, which gives them such a great start, and natural ingredients that can accomplish the same tasks as medicated food, I prefer non-medicated food. Using Strong Animals Chicken Essentials may or may not align with your personal preferences, but you probably want to proceed as naturally as possible.
It is a good idea to transition your chickens from non-medicated starter feed to grower feed once they reach about 8 weeks of age. This is the stage at which your chickens will develop into fully grown hens, capable of laying eggs. At this point, switching from starter to grower feed will provide them with what they need to develop and flourish.
I go from layer feed to pellets when I switch my hens over to that. They are much less disorganized and wasteful, in my experience. The chickens initially objected, but they now appear to enjoy the pellets as much.
For the duration of their brief lives, meat bird food must be given to chickens raised for meat. As a result, they will grow quickly and begin to produce meat in about six weeks.
How Much Feed Per Chicken
In order to preserve the health and optimize the productivity of your hens, you should take into account their nutritional requirements when determining the appropriate amount to feed them. A healthy adult chicken will typically eat 1/4 to 1/2 pound of feed each day.
But this amount can change based on things like breed, age, weight, and degree of activity. For instance, because young chicks develop quickly, their diet needs to contain higher levels of protein, phosphorus, and amino acids to support their growth. Your hens have reached sexual maturity when they begin to lay eggs, at which point they should be switched to layer feed. They might also require more calcium to help with the development of their eggshells. To support eggshell quality, I use Chicken E-lixir as an additional calcium supplement.
FAQ
How much chicken feed per bird per day?
How much food do 12 chickens eat?
Can you overfeed your chickens?
How many cups of food should I feed my chickens per day?