Are you new to chickens and want to know how much they eat, or do you have some backyard chickens and want to know how much to feed them? Keep reading to learn how much feed chickens eat per day!
How much feed does a laying hen eat
When we talk about how much feed chickens need per day we first need to understand the connection between egg production and the amount of feed. Laying hens will need a balanced diet to lay eggs, and if they don't get the nutrients they need, they will stop or slow egg production.
There are four main things laying hens need to eat in order lay eggs: calcium, protein, carbohydrates, and fresh water. Egg shells are made from calcium, and the yolk and white are mostly comprised of water and protein. (It is more complicated than that, but let's keep it simple.)
Most conventional feeds are going to have these necessary ingredients. Keep in mind that a laying hen is going to need to eat in order to continue laying eggs.
On average a laying hen will eat ¼ pound of feed per day. In volume this comes out to about ½ cup of feed per day per chicken.
How do I know if my hens are eating enough
Some choose to feed their chickens free choice (meaning the chickens can eat whenever) because chickens don't usually over eat. If you offer your chickens free choice feed, you should not have any issues with your hens not getting enough feed.
I do not give my chickens free choice food for a few reasons!
First of all, offering your chickens free choice food is wasteful. I actually figured this out from watching my chickens.
When I first had chickens I had a big feeder full of feed that I left outside for the hens. Whenever it rained the feed got wet and spoiled. I also noticed that chipmunks were getting into the coop and helping themselves to the chicken feed!
So I ended the free-choice feed and decided that the best way to feed my chickens was by measuring out their feed each day.
I can keep an eye on how much my chickens eat and feed them exactly as much as they need. If I notice the feed disappearing quickly or the chickens laying less I will increase their feed.
How much feed do chicks need
Chicks have different feed requirements and should be fed a different kind of chicken feed. Chick starter is what you should be feeding your chicks (I choose the unmedicated version). This is a complete feed and offers everything the chicks need.
On average a baby chick is going to eat a pound of feed a week or around 2-3 ounces of feed a day. Chicks will not overeat and you should absolutely be giving them free-choice food!
The small chick feeders can be found at most feed stores and are great for the chick brooder. The brooder will protect the feed, so it will not go to waste like chicken feed would in the coop.
Keep in mind that the chicks will sometimes eat less and sometimes eat more. Offering free choice feed to chicks is the easiest way to feed them.
Chicken feed requirements fluctuate
Chickens don't require the same amount of feed everyday and it takes experience to gauge how much feed they need. For instance, if you feed your chickens table scraps, they will not need as much poultry feed.
How much feed do chickens require in winter
My chickens eat less feed in winter because they are not laying as much during the cold weather. During the winter months I know to lower the amount of feed I give to my chickens.
I also supplement more of their feed with scratch grains to keep them warmer. If you want to know how I keep my chickens warm through the winter read this post.
How much feed do chickens need in the summer
You will also notice that when the temperatures go above 86oF your hens will lay fewer eggs and eat less. Healthy chickens are affected by hot weather, so keep this in mind. It is more important to offer your hens clean water in the summer than to always have feed out.
If you supplement their feed with scratch grains, table scraps, or free-range hens, then you will not need to offer them as much feed. How much your chickens eat also depends on the chicken feed quality.
What type of chicken feed to buy
You may not want to hear this, but organic chicken feed is currently really expensive to buy! I would love to feed my chickens an organic feed diet, but the feed costs are just too high.
To make a compromise, I choose to buy high-quality feed for my hens. If you buy high-quality chicken feed, you can actually save money!
The low-quality chicken feed is often full of fillers and doesn't offer as much nutritional value as other feeds would. This means that you can feed your chickens less feed if you buy high-quality feed.
I used to buy my chickens crumble feed, but I noticed that there was a lot of waste in this feed. The crumbles created a lot of dust that the hens could not eat. After realizing that, I have switched to buying feed pellets, because there is less waste.
Is non-GMO feed worth it
I recently switched to feeding my chickens non-GMO feed and found that it was only 3 cents a pound more expensive than the other feed I was buying.
Now, while there is much debate about whether genetically modified foods are harmful or not, I have chose to switch to this type of feed for the below reasons.
Glyphosate
Glyphosate is the active ingredient found in Round-Up and has been labeled a probable carcinogen. It is also known to affect immune health, disrupt hormones, and harm unhatched chicks.
Soybeans and corn have been genetically modified to not die when sprayed with glyphosate. This means that farmers spray their grains with this herbicide all year long.
While non-GMO feed is not certified glyphosate free it may have less glyphosate in it.
Terminator genes
If you have read much about GMO's and how their pollen can cross with neighboring plants, then you may have heard of terminator genes.
Monsanto originally proposed the terminator gene to solve the problem of cross pollination. This gene would be spliced into the corn or soybean DNA and would cause the seeds to be sterile.
This means that any seeds that were cross pollinated with Monsanto's GMO plants would not germinate. Thankfully, it was recognized that this could lead to the killing or sterilization of many crops. If you are curious about the terminator gene this article provides a lot of information.
Now while these suicide genes are not currently allowed in GMO crops what other genes could be affecting agriculture?
Internal pesticides
Did you know that GMO corn and soybeans are altered to create their own internal pesticides? Then this corn is meant to be eaten by animals and sometimes humans.
Biotech companies alter the plants to make this internal pesticide, so that they are immune to pests. Supposedly this food is still okay to eat, but I have my doubts.
Is organic feed actually better
The short answer is yes organic chicken feed is better for your chickens. Here are a few reasons why.
Glyphosate
Now while non-GMO will have less glyphosate in it non-GMO certification does not prevent farmers from using it on their crops. Most wheat is actually sprayed with glyphosate before harvesting, because it will kill the wheat and cause it to dry faster and cause an earlier harvest.
To be organic certified you cannot use glyphosate on your crops, so organic chicken feed should have no glyphosate in it.
Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
USDA organic certified plants can not be grown with the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This means that these residues shouldn't show up in organic feed.
So organic chicken feed is the best type of chicken feed you can buy. If you really want organic chicken feed, but don't want to pay the price there are ways you can save money on chicken feed.
How to save money on chicken feed
Chicken feed can be expensive, especially if you buy high-quality organic chicken feed. If you want to stretch your feed farther and save money, you can do a few things.
Free-range chickens
Free range chickens require less feed because they are allowed free access to forage. In the summer time I will feed my hens less because they are great foragers and are able to find much of their own food by free ranging.
Table scraps
Don't let your table scraps go to waste. Feeding table scraps to your chickens is a great way to save money on chicken feed. Before commercial feeds were available your great-grandmother's chickens were most likely fed on table scraps and free ranging.
Fermenting your feed
Another great way to save money on chicken feed is by fermenting it. Fermenting does work better with grain mix feeds, and you can learn how to do it here.
I will occasionally use scratch grains to make a ferment and my hens love it. When you ferment chicken feed it can expand to two times its original size meaning you spend less on feed.
Do chickens only need feed
Can chickens live on commercial chicken feed only? I believe chickens need more than just commercial feeds to be their healthiest.
If you are raising laying hens then you need to buy complete layer feed because it will have vitamins and nutrients that hens need to lay eggs. However, your hens may still need supplements like oyster shells.
I offer oyster shell to my hens if I notice that their shells are getting thin. You may also want to offer your hens chicken grit which you can learn about here.
In the winter time I will offer my hens scratch grains. In the summer you will want to avoid feeding them scratch grains, because they can cause your hens to gain weight.
Feeding your hens scratch grains can help them stay warm in the winter. Not only will they gain a little weight, but the scratch grains are a high energy feed that warms the hens up.
How much water do chickens consume
Chickens will drink about three times as much water as they do feed. Their water consumption will also increase in the hot weather. Fresh, clean water is essential to the health of your flock.
You can never give your chickens too much water, so it is good to offer them free access to water at all times. I use a gravity feeder in the summer and transition to a dish with a heater for the winter months.
Can I mix my own chicken feed
I have never made my own chicken feed, because it is not economical for me. I have, however, heard that people have had good success feeding their hens home mixed chicken feed.
If you want to learn how to make your own chicken feed this post from Abundant Permaculture is a great resource.
If you have enough space you could mix this feed in bulk to save on feed costs. You could also work with a local grain mill to see if they could mix a recipe for you!
Why can't I just let my hens free range
When I started raising chickens I wondered why I couldn't just free range my hens and not offer them supplemental feed. I soon learned that chickens cannot live on grass alone. While cattle are made to only require grass as food, chickens need grains and other foods.
The fact is chickens didn't used to lay as many eggs as they do today. When egg production became a priority in breeding hens, chickens that could forage and live off of table scraps faded into the background.
These hens were called heritage breed chickens. I only raise this type of chickens and you can find a few of my favorite heritage breed hens here.
Now even heritage breed chickens will lay less eggs if you don't feed them commercial chicken feed. If you want to experiment with this by all means try it. This post may help you learn how you can raise chickens without commercial chicken feed.
If you want to raise your chickens grain free you can learn how to do it here. If you are allergic to soybeans, feeding your chickens a grain free diet is a great idea!
Final Thoughts
Chickens need about ½ cup of feed a day and high quality feed is going to give your chickens the nutrients they need so you can feed them less.
Chicken feed can be supplemented with table scraps and free ranging to save you money on chicken feed!
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