Ok silly feed question but I my feed bill is getting huge due to the visiting birds that tend to fly in coop. How much should you feed 8 chickens in one pen verses 3 chickens in another.. Ok I use a horse feed scoop filling it up full each day and scatter it for the 8 chickens (2) pens and half for the 3 chickens pens(5). I know they cant be eating all that and I cant use the feeders right now due to the migrating birds... SO here is the question..
How much feed should a chicken get a day??
Silly Feed Question
I'd think they would eat that much at least. Are they leaving it? I'm loosing a lot of feed to something too..
I started feeding in the late afternoon to cut down on the visiting birds they seem to leave in the afternoon. The feed scoop is about 8 or more cups of feed.
Hi Roseane, you have just asked one of the most contriversal questions of which I don't think any two people would agree on. There are so many things one would have to factor into that question in order to be even somewhat accurate. Even then no one would agree. Some choose to limit the amount they allow, and some provide free choice having food available any time the birds choose to eat. Chickens a huge wasters of food sources and that is why some choose to trim their top beak, also some will choose pellets over crumbles to keep waste to a minimum. I have asked myself this question many, many times. Feed is not cheap so I decided to watch my birds to see if they were as wasteful as I thought they were. I have concluded after much observation that they are very good about going back and finding the food I thought was wasted. I fill their feeders now, and when they are empty I don't fill them for two full days. When they are really hungry I have watched them go back and find the food in the ground or in the pen either one. They can see what you and I cannot and they will find the food and seperate it from the ground and the shavings both. What I have noticed is that the two days inbetween feedings they still lay the same amount of eggs. I am fortunate enough that I can spend a lot of time that others cannot. This method has really reduced my food bill. Out of every month there is six to eight days I feed them nothing and they do just fine. It's just what works for me...Hay
Good to know Mr Haystack. The ones in the small cages I am not concerned about so much as the ones in the big pen. There are a bunch of birds that hang out in the big pens and in the goose pen as well. I do throw it on the ground, but the buff's always act like they are starving there are 8 buffs and Billy Bob the Turkey.. As for trimming the beaks...I am thinking that is so not an option for me. I tried pellets once, they were not happy with them, so I went back to crumbles.
It would be great if you could find some natural sources in your area to feed them with, seeds or grasses or something. The grocery store throws out so much produce, they might even be a good source.
My chickens will eat anything. They love my leftovers or old things from the fridge. About the only thing they don't eat are the citris rinds. In the summer the ones in the backyard that free range eat the grass and bugs and my feed bill here isn't bad at all. In the winter I try to keep chicken scratch in the dog house for them all the time. They prefer the things in the yard though.
For my roosters in the pens, I cut plastic water jugs and try to keep feed in there. It usually doesn't spill that way. I throw some inside too, but then they scratch and kick it outside their pens, so really the containers are best.
I know what you mean though, seems I just bought feed, and am out already. Time to go to the feed store. Maybe I'll see if they have alfalfa hay, I've heard that has seed in there they enjoy.
I've also been putting grass hay in the rooster pens. Where it goes, I don't know, but it's always missing when I return. Do they eat it?
I was doing 9 2-cup scoops for my 30 birds, but now that it's gotten cold, they're plowing through the food. AND, they've got from 2 dozen eggs a day down to 5-9. Kinda sucks, but I understand that's how it goes.
My birds absolutly eat grass clippings, and though I line their coop with straw, I imagine if there was hay that tasted good, they'd go for that too. Right now, their only greens are the ones still hanging on in my garden. They need to share those with the pigs though!
I was interested to see that some chicken food contains animal byproducts rather than protein from plant sources. I had a customer ask about it. What would be the problem with that from an organic-y point of view? I'm not buying organic feed (no local resource). Anyway, fascinating convo!
The breed of chicken can make a big difference also. Some breeds are much better at foraging than others. Some breed are just fat and lazy and won't make any effort if they don't have to. Miss Jester I would do my best at feeding where the wild birds can't get to the feed, wild birds are highly diseased and can infect a good flock of chickens very quickly. I seldom see any wild birds around my coops but I use some small amount of netting that seems to keep them away...
Those migrating birds can get thru chicken wire, not quite sure how they do it and then get trapped in the pen. I am getting very few eggs at this time but I have suffered loss and trauma so I am looking to add a light after christmas to a few coops to extend the day for them and also thinking that the red pepper may do the trick. I just know that my feed bill is getting horrible...
I know several of you say their chickens don't like pellets, but the chickens do spill them less and the wild birds don't like pellets and quit swarming around. I'd give pellets another try.
My problem is rats, cats and possum.. I KNOW they are emptying the feeders... Except for in one pen.. My favorite playhouse coop where nothing can get in.. I can fill that feeder and it will last weeks with no waste. If I were able, I'd have 10 of them!!
I have recently separated a roo and am feeding him daily.. no mess, he cleans it up cause he is hungry! But I know he is getting enough.. no reason to over feed..
Yep, rats and possums would probably think pellets were just fine too.
rats are terrible for me right now that it has gotten cold, way early I might add. Was 25 last night and will be 21 tonight. We usually get that kind of cold in mid Jan to Feb and that is rare for us. Looks like it is going to be 2 hard winters in a row for us. Chicken feed is not as bad as my Duck food. My Mazuri cost 34 dollars a 50 lb bag grrrrrr. Last 2 morning their bowls have been completely empty and right now my geese and yard ducks are gettting to for the next week while I worm them. Can't use it on their scratch flock raiser feed mix as they might get to much. Needless to say the one bag is going to only last a week instead of 3 or 4 weeks ugh!!!!!!!!!!
Wow Donna, that is high for duck food. Ouch.
I guess so! Sheesh, what's in duck food that makes it so expensive?
My ducks eat my chicken food. They're just run of the mill ducks. Am I doing something wrong?
Well today all my chickens are getting left overs and the last pumpkin I kept in reserve....
my yard ducks and geese get flock raiser but my very expensive exotic ducks get Mazuri which is what many Zoo's use. The are captive and can't free range. I feed them the best so they are getting everything they need and will be healthy. I buy them crickets and minnows once in awhile and they get rye grass in winter I pull for them. They get water melon and spinach on occasion in summer. I mix scratch, white millet, and flock raiser as a treat to eat as they desire. Also for extra high protein treat I buy floating catfish food and put it in a pan of water. it is very hard and a little big for them to eat dry. a 50 lb bag last me almost a yr. I just give 1 scoop a day.
Do the math
1 Cayuga $3.00
vs.
1 Falcated Teal $100
my exotics run from $50 a pr to $200 a pr. There are others I want but they are even more expensive
I found that if I feed my Chickens in the afternoon when they finish free ranging, they not only eat less but come home right away! If I feed them early in the day they have a tendency to not want to go into the coops when I want them too!
I also had to go back to Crumbles, they just would not eat the pellets. I guess if I tried Hays method of waiting it out , they would eat whatever was there! I know they have full gizzards whenever they free range , but in the colder days I tend to baby them more with more feed!
I'm giving mine lots of scratch right now. We were 20 degrees last night. Supposed to go back up for the next few days thankfully
Oh Donna I want to be one of your ducks...However I'm not very exotic...LOL...You rock gurl...Hay
LOL @ Haystack too funny!
I'd love to wander around your place Donna and see those beautiful ducks! I bet they are great... Sounds divine..
I saved some baby ducks when I first learned to drive.. Momma got hit by a car.. I took them home and raised them till they flew away. I love ducks. :)
DonnaB, do you buy, or sell too? Just curious, hope it's an ok question.
Mr Haystack you are SO a One of a KIND Exotic bird... LOLOL (Said purely out of respect sir)
That is so like you Z, saving the baby ducks.
I have mostly traded with a guy in Tallahassee Florida for new breeds since DH goes right past they guy on the way to his moms at Christmas but now I have everything I want from his stock. I may sell this yr as they all should breed now if they like the nesting site you provide for them so I have to buy a Federal Permit to sell. Last yr only my Ringed Teal, Fulvous Whistling Ducks and Mandys bred and need permit for the Whistlers and all the other U. S. Migratory birds. I think my Chiloe Widgeon hen is sterile. She has laid 2 clutches each for the last 2 summer with none hatching and eggs clear. I got a new male last yr after the other one died so last month I bought a new female grrrrrrr. I found a guy in Destin, Fl to trade with which is only a 2 hrs away yea!!!! and a guy in Hammond, La that sells and he is only 2 hrs away dbl yea!!! and he may be up for trading as well. You have to/need to swap out brothers and sister. My biggest problem is telling drakes and hens apart on some of them
You get Federal Papers from the seller and you can have all the babies you want to raise from your birds but to sell you have to buy your own Federal Papers and keep records. With each sale you have to send a paper to the buyer and a copy to the Feds
DonnaB, that's a lot of information. Thank you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzPz9q9VbwQ
Wow, I had no idea duck breeding could be so complicated!
All U.S. Migratory birds fall under the Migratory Bird Act for their protection after the Passenger Pigeons were wiped off the face of the earth because all the rich folks way back wanted to eat them. They were killed by the thousands at a time. Other fall under the act because 1 was seen a time of 2 in the U.S. for in cooperation with other countries for endangered birds. Like I want Ne Ne Geese I believe they they are no longer considered threatened but you can't ship them across state lines without a expensive permit cost to the buyer and it takes months to get. The strange thing is you don't have to have a permit to keep them. So what's the deal??? makes no sense to me
nice video LFJ did you notice the toe was cut off the unbanded foot. You have to permanantly mark them by toe cutting or pinioning. I toe cut mine at a day old. Thankfully they didn't feel anything or gave me no signs that they did
Did you see the Red-breasted Geese. I want them too but they start at 600 a pr