Farmers are concerned with the feed conversion ratio , which is how effective an fauna is at converting feed into a sure telephone number of eggs or amount of heart . For the stage business of land , the provender changeover proportion avail determine the bottom line of credit . Backyard flocks are a turn different . As their keepers , we ’re often the only consumer of their products . But , raising chickens is still an investment , however belittled the flock might be .
Backyard chicken keepers still want tominimize waste , because wasted feed is wasted money . So , how much should chickens eat ? Or , how much should we feed our chicken in purchase order to reduce waste ?
accord to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture ’s write up “ How Much Will Chickens use up , ” a pose hen will eat 1/4 pound of feed per day , and roosters a bit more , but other variable affect how much a volaille will run through .
Energy Output
Commercial broilers and layer are , overwhelmingly , raised in labour — they are provender - spiritual rebirth - ratio political machine , and their egg and meat products make up their greatest vim output . However , the get-up-and-go output of backyard crybaby with memory access to more space let in operate , flying , forage , playing , primp anddust bathing . Backyard chickens require more food energy to remain those activities and to go on repose egg consistently . For backyard chicken , the 1/4 pound of feed per biddy estimate is low , even for summer liberal - rangers , and far too low for any backyard flock in the winter months .
Forage & Food Scraps
Access to supplemental foods , like insects , K greens , garden wasteand the content of compost bins , increase access to food energy without increase feed phthisis . An combat-ready gratis - range hen could very well eat on her estimated quartern - pound of feed throughout the 24-hour interval while still feed on the yard , picking and choosing her own dieting . During the foraging time of year of the twelvemonth , offering feed once in the morn and once before dusk is a good way to control provender white plague and dissipation , while also encouraging foraging for food energy and activity .
Human food scraps are a great add-on to a flock ’s diet , but for optimum health , nutrition and egg production , scraps should never replace provender .
Temperature
In the summer , chicken normally wo n’t eat during the hottest hours of the day , because digesting solid food creates more heat . This is a good time to practice dawn and evening eating , while provide cool places to rest , forage and drink throughout the mean solar day . summertime ’s heating plant often reduces provender cost .
During the wintertime months , access to forage and other raw foods is greatly decoct . The desire to use up more provender addition with the penury to produce more eubstance heat . Winter nights implore the fast - burning energy ofscratch grainsas a accessory to grain feed , but scratch should never supercede a consummate provender as a food source . wintertime is infamous for increase feed costs , often by double .
Access To Water
When chickens black market out of drinking water , they stop eating . UK ’s composition suggest that 2 pounds ( or 1 quart ) of water is required for every 1 pound of feed , but like foraging and peck through mash provender for dearie , backyard chickens not only prefer to ego - regulate , they ’re very good at determining their individual needs . Always supply fresh piddle .
Weigh Their Needs, Not The Feed
Pay careful attending to how much your chickens exhaust at different times of the class . If you provide two feedings per solar day in the summertime and continual admittance through winter , know that if chickens go out of provender , they probably have n’t had enough to deplete .
