# Chickens eating too much feed



## wife89 (Jun 29, 2011)

Seriously, they have about 1/2 acre fenced in chicken yard and my 20 chickens gobble up 50 lbs of feed in less than a week. We leave it out for free feeding. On the plus side we do get 17 eggs a day....but still it just seems like a lot of food. Any ideas on how to cut down on our feed bill?


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

Couple of things spring to mind: don't free-feed. Feed twice a day at a certain ration. There are several online feeding ration guides to determine how much each bird needs to be efficient.

Figure up what breed you have and what the ideal amount of what ration is appropriate and go from there. You can also cut back on the store-bought feed by supplementing garden and kitchen wastes - they love it!


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Could you be feeding something else too? A family of rats? Raccoons? Wild birds? Rats this time of year are stashing away a lot of food in preparation for the winter.


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## Dixie Bee Acres (Jul 22, 2013)

I have a similar sized chicken pen, I now only feed my birds once a day, mid to late afternoon, plus in the morning I throw a half coffee can of scratch grains into their pen.
A chicken will usually eat as much as it is offered, if you cut back on the amount you offer, and only offer it in late afternoon, they will forage for their own food throughout the day.


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## DeerHaven (Oct 20, 2006)

We feed free mostly in the winter, but as we transition to summer I have to start feeding daily. We have a huge flock of some sort of chicadee that totally overtakes the chicken coop (it is open to an outside run as well) and eat away at the chicken feed  kind of pricey feed for the wild locals! I would seriously consider what else you are feeding... 
I think I am going to check out that info on proper rations too! I really hate overfeeding with the price of feed. I also feel that the mite problem I had this year could have been brought on by the influx of wild birds in the chickens living quarters. When 15-20 wild birds fly out in your face when you get the eggs it seems like a little much!

Good Luck and hope you find the problem asap!


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## theshoenlebens (Nov 5, 2012)

jennigrey said:


> Could you be feeding something else too? A family of rats? Raccoons? Wild birds? Rats this time of year are stashing away a lot of food in preparation for the winter.


 
I would have to agree. 
I only have nine but a bag of layer will last me over a month with free ranging from 3-8 pm week nights and basically sunrise to sunset on weekends.


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## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

We have nearly 30 hens pastured on about 1 acre and we go through about 50 lbs of feed every 3 weeks. Early on, we found the more feed was available, the more they ate and the less they free ranged. When we realized we had to break that habit, we started only casting some feed into the pasture in the morning and not putting down the feeder until the afternoon. Once they got out of the habit of looking for the feeder all day, we were better. Now we put down about 1-1.5 pounds of feed a day for free feeding and lock up what ever's left at night when the birds have gone to roost. We cast about a half pound of feed on the ground in the late afternoon. As the light gets shorter, we add about 2 cups of BOSS and a handful of catfood to up their protein in the afternoon treat. As the weather gets cold, we add about a cup of cracked corn.


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## K Epp (Jan 7, 2013)

Is there a link to the site on how much to feed? I have 32 chickens, 4 ducks, and 4 turkeys. I just got 2 of the turkeys and want to make sure I'm feeding enough. I went through a 50lb bag of food a week. I don't free feed. I live in North Georgia it just frosted last week so they are still getting lots foraging during the day on 3 acres. I'm thinking I may need to add cracked corn in the evenings when it gets cold.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

DeerHaven said:


> I also feel that the mite problem I had this year could have been brought on by the influx of wild birds in the chickens living quarters. When 15-20 wild birds fly out in your face when you get the eggs it seems like a little much!
> 
> Good Luck and hope you find the problem asap!


Yep, wild birds are notorious for bringing in pests - particularly mites.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

With free-ranging chickens, they really don't need that much feed. (Our geese were eating our pelleted chicken feed until we started hanging the feeder in an area where the geese cannot get to.) 

Chickens will, indeed, eat all they can get. They'll even come up and eat the dog food and eat the grain fed the goat....if the dogs would let them. 

I've been throwing out some cracked and some whole corn each morning for our mix of fowl (chickens, geese, guineas). Then they don't get anything else and have not gotten anything else for months now. (They are still very healthy looking and are still laying well, though less than they do when fed the store-bought pelleted.)

This winter will be different in that the brooder compartment will no longer be needed; and that means the chicks/guineas can get over there to eat the pelleted food. They will continue to get the corn each morning and, thru the day, will have access to the pelleted.


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## Guest (Nov 1, 2013)

For those off you having problems with wild birds and small critters eating the chicken food, here are plans for a homemade treadle feeder. 

http://www.woodworkingcorner.com/feeder.php


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I've almost got the opposite problem. My chickens are eating too little.

They are 22 barred rock cockerals hatched mid June. Once I let them out to free range last month their food consumption dropped to about 1/4. They follow me like they are starving but don't seem to want their food. It may have to do with the cooler weather and giving them whole corn as a treat. I've cut out most of the corn but they still don't seem too concerned about their feed.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

We used to have a huge problem with wild birds raiding our feeders and pans of mash.... we went out and got 2 more cats (=3 currently)-- no more bird problems, the cats sit in the tree and wait for the birds and now they are wise to the cats and stay away...

AS in right NOW cat has brought live bird onto my bed Uck, poor little thing its so cute and tiny.....


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

fishhead said:


> They follow me like they are starving but don't seem to want their food. It may have to do with the cooler weather and giving them whole corn as a treat. I've cut out most of the corn but they still don't seem too concerned about their feed.


Ours get spoiled on treats very quickly. The racket they set up when they think they need treats!!! It makes a person go check their food and water because SURELY they are dying of hunger or thirst! But no... they just want snackies.


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## crazyfarm (Oct 29, 2013)

DeerHaven said:


> We feed free mostly in the winter, but as we transition to summer I have to start feeding daily. We have a huge flock of some sort of chicadee that totally overtakes the chicken coop (it is open to an outside run as well) and eat away at the chicken feed  kind of pricey feed for the wild locals! I would seriously consider what else you are feeding...
> I think I am going to check out that info on proper rations too! I really hate overfeeding with the price of feed. I also feel that the mite problem I had this year could have been brought on by the influx of wild birds in the chickens living quarters. When 15-20 wild birds fly out in your face when you get the eggs it seems like a little much!
> 
> Good Luck and hope you find the problem asap!


I had this problem, then I got guineas. They actually kill the wild birds. They are some annoying birds themselves but 3 of them control our pest problem pretty well. It's kept them out of the soup pot thus far at least.

For OP I farm meal worms. Pretty cheap way of feeding some extra protein.

I also go to Albertsons and get their throw away produce. Helps cut down on cost. 

I also use hay as bedding and they'll forage around in it. Makes it a fun 2 fold bedding for me.


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## crazyfarm (Oct 29, 2013)

CAjerseychick said:


> We used to have a huge problem with wild birds raiding our feeders and pans of mash.... we went out and got 2 more cats (=3 currently)-- no more bird problems, the cats sit in the tree and wait for the birds and now they are wise to the cats and stay away...
> 
> AS in right NOW cat has brought live bird onto my bed Uck, poor little thing its so cute and tiny.....


Aren't you worried about your own birds?? We have some feral cats in the neighborhood and I can tell you I'm trying to eliminate them. I house my baby birds outside in the barn and when I lose one to a cat it gets me awfully ----ed off.


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