Contents: How Much Feed Does a Layer Chicken Eat per Day?
How Much Do You Feed Layer Chickens?
Once chickens start laying eggs or are 18 weeks old (whichever comes first), the average hen needs about 1/4 lb of layer feed (Amazon) a day, which is roughly 3/4 cups daily
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Of course, this is just a rule of thumb!
There really isn’t a hard rule on how much to feed your layers because it depends on the breed, how active they are, and the season. Your hens might need a little less or a little more than 3/4 cup of chicken feed per day.
But please note that, at first, you really want to aim at giving your chickens a little more feed than you think they would eat. Over time, you’ll get a feel for how much your chickens need to be fed.
If you’re constantly finding leftover feed in the feeder at the end of the day, you can always give them a little less feed the next day.
Trust me, you’ll get to know how much your chickens eat pretty quickly.
How Much Feed Does a Layer Chick Eat per Day?
A chick (0 to 8 weeks old) will eat around 3/4 to 1 lb of chick starter (Amazon) or starter grower feed (Amazon) a week, which is between 2 1/4 cups and 3 cups a week.
This amount will gradually increase as the chickens grow bigger. A pullet (8 to around 18 weeks old) will eat about 1 1/2 lb a week, which is about 4 1/2 cups a week.
Pullets should be fed a high-quality grower feed (Amazon) or starter grower feed (Amazon) until they’re 18 weeks old or they start laying, whichever comes first.
I’ve always let my chicks and pullets consume whatever amount of feed they want because they won’t overeat. I think chicks drink way more water than they eat food.
How Much Does a Layer Chicken Eat per Day in KG?
Once chickens start laying eggs or are 18 weeks old (whichever comes first), the average hen needs about 0.11 kg of layer feed (Amazon) every day
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A chick (0 to 8 weeks old) will eat around 0.34 to 0.45 kg of chick starter (Amazon) or starter grower feed (Amazon) a week.
This amount will gradually increase as the chickens grow bigger. A pullet (8 to around 18 weeks old) will eat about 0.68 kg a week of high-quality grower feed (Amazon) or starter grower feed (Amazon)
until they’re 18 weeks old or they start laying, whichever comes first.
How Much Feed Does a Layer Chicken Eat per Month?
Once chickens start laying eggs or are 18 weeks old (whichever comes first), the average hen needs about 7.5 lb to 8 lb (3.4 – 3.6 kg) of layer feed in a month
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So how long would a 50 lb bag last for one laying hen?
From experience, I found that one adult layer chicken will go through a 50 lb bag of chicken feed in approximately 200 to 266 days (around 6 1/2 to 9 months).
Conclusion: How Much Do You Feed Layer Chickens?
As a general rule of thumb, you should provide 1/4 pound of feed per adult layer chicken each day.
However, there are a few factors that can affect feed intake:
- It turns out that the amount of food a chicken needs to eat each day is often directly related to its size. Larger chicken breeds will need more food than smaller breeds, simple as that.
- If you’re feeding your chickens a high-quality diet that is full of nutrients, they will need less of it than if you were feeding them a lower-quality feed. (High-quality feed might cost more per bag, but it’s typically worth the money).
- Chickens will eat more in the fall when they need extra protein to regrow feathers during the molting season.
- They’ll also eat more during the winter months when they require extra energy to stay warm. Plus, in the winter, they’re not foraging as much so they can’t supplement their diet with seeds, plants, worms, and insects.
- If you give your chickens too many chicken treats (Amazon), they won’t be eating as much feed. This also means they might not be getting the nutrients they need to be healthy (If you’re going to give them treats, including table scraps, make sure it’s not more than 10% of their total calories.)
- It’s very important that chickens have access to poultry grit (Amazon) or chick grit (Amazon) if anything other than commercial feed is offered.
- If you have egg-laying hens, then you definitely want to make sure they have enough calcium in their diet for maximum egg production. You can give your chickens calcium in the form of crushed oyster shells (Amazon). But don’t mix the oyster shells with the chicken feed. Oyster shells should be served on the side so the laying hens will eat only what they need.
Another thing to keep an eye on when you are feeding your flock is to make sure the most dominant chickens don’t eat all the food. If this is becoming an issue consider feeding the weaker birds on their own to ensure they get some food.
But it’s always a good idea to have a few feeders and waterers (Amazon Best Sellers) to prevent bullying when feeding backyard chickens.