Just how much do we feed our chickens?

[Dotty Chick]

Hi Everyone
Had a good day?
Well, my chickens seem to to ravenous ALL the time. Have been worming them over the past couple of days but they are starved!!!
Today they have had bread (4 slices), brown with bits in of course, pasta (sprinkled with spice and cod liver Oil), cabbage, bit of let over broccoli and cauliflower. Their mash, corn and some noodles!
I have 10 of them and I don't want to over feed them but in the same breath, I don't want to starve them either.
Am I feeding them too much or do I just have greedy chickens?
Thanks for reading
Dotty

[yoanbob]

are they free ranging or in a run? if they are free ranging they'll just eat as much as they need if they are in a run then i would cut back on the treats, when we had 7 birds we went through a bag of feed a month and 1/4 bag of corn they were free ranging.

[Sue]

Dotty
Being new to chickens I was absolutely amazed at their capacity for eating (and the amount of "end product")
It's hard to know what's right, I given them cabbage and apple every day which they love and as it's hanging up, keeps them occupied. I also give them a small amount of pasta, rice or crushed cooked potatoes in the morning, a big pile of grass and slugs at lunchtime and then a little corn before bedtime.
And depending on what's available they get a few strawberries, raspberries, blackberries etc.
I don't know if this is right, they seem to be laying really well and if they get hungry they've always got their layers pellets ad lib. Mine don't free range
Sue

[Dotty Chick]

Thanks for that
They are not completely free range, but they have 25m of run, which has grass, trees and 'stuff' for them to forage in.
Laying is ok as not all of them lay as yet, but the ones that do are great.
My OH is convinced that they are not having enough, but I'll get him to read your thoughts and tips.
Thanks again for your help
Dotty

[witch-1]

Mine are a bit the opposite Mine seem to hardly get through anything. I give them their pellets during the day and a handful for each bird each of corn mix later in the afternoons. Mine are completely free range and are seen pecking around so they must be getting their extras from the garden.

I have given up with apples and veg - its left alone?? One quick peck then they ignore it.

They did love the readybrek I prepared for them with their poultry spice when I thought my bluebell was abit under the weather!

Got told they adore marmite too - so they do get the odd tread of marmite on toast (holding off the butter!).

They look bigger so I'm not to bothered - wouldn't know actually how much they ate unless I weighed the pellets each day!

(Might do that over a few days)
Jan
x

no eggs today either

[terrier]

I don't know how much food ours eat, they're free range and all they do is eat and lay, eat and lay, all the day.

[OverWyreGrower]

With regards to feeding amounts, I was advised to feed 100g of layers pellets per bird per day. It looks about right, and about 80% of the time is totally gone by lunchtime!

Mine don't seem too bothered by fruit and veg, but love slugs and snails and they can strip their run of grass in no time at all.

In the evening they get a couple of handfuls of corn scattered near their house doorway.

I too was surprised by the amount of poop they produce.

We're getting 2 or 3 eggs a day. All varying sizes and colours. Think maybe one of them isn't laying, but since they don't seem to all lay every day anyway, haven't got a clue which one!

[witch-1]

I have weighed my chooks pellets this morning - they really don't look like they go down much! So shall report back later to let you know how much has gone.

I was also told approx. 100g per bird.

I didn't put corn down last night either - another advice given to me was 'no dinner (pellets)' 'no pudding (corn)'

Jan
x

[Birdie Wife]

That's about right I think, I was told 125g of pellets a day but if you are feeding treats then you should take it out of the allowance - but not more than a small handful of corn each, in the aftenoon only.

[witch-1]

4 oz of pellets eaten so far - thats about 1 birds allowance, not 3?

Also, got worried as no eggs for 2 days now, then found a squished one in the back of their hutch.

They are pecking around the garden ok, but know that they need their pellets to make good eggs.

Will have to do some reading again to see what I can do.

So some have greedy beggars, mine have put themselves on a diet??

Jan
x

[Dotty Chick]

Hi Everyone
My 'ladies' are still ravenous. Have really watched what they eat and cut down on 'treats'.They look at me when I walk in or around their pen and I really feel like they are eyeing me up for the next meal... and I'm a really big bird!!!
They have just the pellets in the morning; ad lib and some greens in the afternoon, forage around for bits and grubs etc and a hand full of corn each in the evening.
What else could you need eh!
Anyway thanks for your thoughts, always really useful
Dotty
P.S Samson is feeling a little better but still snotty so he and Delilah still sleeping in my hall at night and in a pen during the day. Going off to the chemist to get some wound powder as he has made his vent sore with pecking.

[Sue]

Dotty Chick
I have to keep all the grain and pellets in a metal dustbin in my shed as otherwise the mice families come calling. Yesterday the grain bag split and spilled into the pellets. So they got bits of corn and grain in their pellets. and when I fed them in the morning and topped up the pellets there were three chickens eating like mad. They didn't seem to scatter it out of the feeder and when they'd finished, they'd obviously eaten a lot more of the pellets than usual as well as picking out the grain.
Might be worth a try?
Sue

[TPeers]

Witch-1, if your birds are not laying the books I have recommend reducing the quantity of treats, pasta, corn what-have-you, so as to 'force' the birds into eating their layers pellet. The reasoning give for this is that 'treats' do not contain the correct balance of proteins and minerals necessary for laying.

Having said that I have a hen of 35 weeks or there abouts who has never laid an egg..... so what to do?

[TPeers]

You could try mixing the oyster grit into their food ration....

[Dotty Chick]

Hi Everyone
Great tips and will try all suggested. Still 'starving' but they'll cope.
But will I?
Dotty