How Much to Feed Chickens
How much layer feed do your chickens need a day, a week and a month – and how long does a bag last? Enter the number of hens or chicks. The result is a starting point – leftovers and your hens’ body condition show if it fits.
Which chickens are you feeding?
Starting point: how much your hens eat depends on breed, laying and weather. Feel the breastbone regularly or weigh them (German veterinary association for animal welfare, TVT).
The short answer
A standard-size laying hen eats about 100 to 150 grams of layer feed a day, roughly 0.25 pounds (Alabama Extension); the RSPCA says around 120 g, up to 180 g in winter. So 4 hens eat about 0.88 to 1.32 lb a day, 6.2 to 9.3 lb a week and 26.5 to 39.7 lb a month. Treats, scratch and greens are part of that: no more than 0.7 to 2.1 oz, 5 to 10% (British Hen Welfare Trust, Oklahoma State). Chicks need about 2.0 to 4.0 lb of starter feed each for the first 6 weeks.
How we calculate
Formula: For each standard-size laying hen 100 to 150 grams (3.5 to 5.3 oz) of layer feed a day (Alabama Extension), times the number of hens. Week = day × 7, month = day × 30. Treats, scratch and greens: 5% of the lower to 10% of the upper daily amount, so 5 to 15 g (0.2 to 0.5 oz) per hen. Bag: bag weight divided by the daily amount, rounded to whole days. Chicks: 2.0 to 4.0 lb each by 6 weeks (University of Maine and Alabama Extension versus UF/IFAS), 12.3 to 15.9 lb until the first egg (Oklahoma State, extension.org, Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony).
How it compares: Most other sources fit: Mississippi State 1/4 to 1/3 pound, depending on weather, size and laying; NC State and Cornell 1/3 pound; Ohio State 2 pounds a week; the RSPCA around 120 g; the British Hen Welfare Trust 100 to 120 g. The calculator helps you plan how much feed to buy – it’s not a ration to weigh out.
Where sources disagree: Treats: 5% (British Hen Welfare Trust) versus 10% (Oklahoma State, Colorado State, University of Maryland, RSPCA Australia) versus 10 to 15% or what they finish in about 20 minutes (Oregon State) – the calculator shows 5 to 10%. Grit: for all hens (Penn State, NC State, RSPCA) versus not needed on complete feed (Alabama Extension, UF/IFAS). Oyster shell: free choice (Penn State, Oregon State, University of Maryland, UF/IFAS, RSPCA) versus mostly not needed on a good layer feed (Alabama Extension, Mississippi State).
Limits: No source gives an amount for bantams – they eat less than standard-size chickens (Ohio State, RSPCA). None for roosters either; Alabama Extension says the same diet as the hens, UF/IFAS no layer feed. Nothing added for winter, molting or high laying, nothing taken off for pasture (University of Maryland: 5 to 20% from pasture). Not for broilers, sick birds or home-mixed feed, and not for more than 100 birds.
Questions
How much feed does a chicken eat a day?
A standard-size laying hen eats about 100 to 150 grams (3.5 to 5.3 oz) of layer feed a day, roughly 0.25 pounds (Alabama Extension). Mississippi State says 1/4 to 1/3 pound, depending on weather, size and laying; the RSPCA says around 120 g, up to 180 g in winter. Larger breeds eat more, smaller breeds less (RSPCA).
How much feed do chickens need per week and per month?
Per hen about 1.5 to 2.3 lb a week and 6.6 to 9.9 lb a month (30 days). 4 hens need 6.2 to 9.3 lb a week and 26.5 to 39.7 lb a month; 10 hens 66.1 to 99.2 lb a month.
How long does a 50 lb bag of chicken feed last?
For 10 hens about 15 to 23 days – Alabama Extension’s example says about 20 days. For 4 hens about 38 to 57 days. The calculator works it out for your flock and your bag.
Should I measure the feed or free-feed?
Most sources say to offer layer feed free choice – hens mostly eat what they need (Alabama Extension, Mississippi State, Oregon State, University of Maryland, UF/IFAS). The German veterinary association for animal welfare (TVT) disagrees: constant free access to grain or layer mash can cause unhealthy obesity. So feel the breastbone regularly or weigh your hens (TVT); hens may need less when they stop laying.
How many treats can chickens have?
Treats, scratch and greens together: no more than 5 to 10% of the daily feed, depending on the source – 5% from the British Hen Welfare Trust, 10% from Oklahoma State, Colorado State, the University of Maryland and RSPCA Australia; Oregon State says 10 to 15% or what they finish in about 20 minutes. That’s about 0.2 to 0.5 oz per hen a day, and it’s part of the daily feed, not on top.
Do chickens eat more in winter?
Usually: extension.org (University of Kentucky) and Alabama Extension say more in winter and less in hot weather; the RSPCA says up to 180 g in winter. Ohio State says the opposite. So the calculator adds nothing for winter – the range stays, and leftovers and body condition show if it fits.
How much feed do chicks need?
About 2.0 to 4.0 lb of chick starter per chick for the first 6 weeks (University of Maine and Alabama Extension: 2 lb; UF/IFAS: at least 4 lb), and about 12.3 to 15.9 lb in total until the first egg. Sources count that period differently: the Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony until rearing ends at day 120, extension.org until week 20, Oklahoma State until the hens begin to lay at 6 to 8 months. Daily amounts differ (RSPCA 28 g, Oklahoma State 0.10 lb), so we don’t give one. Chicks need chick starter free choice – no layer feed and no extra calcium.
How much do bantams and roosters eat?
No source gives an amount. Bantams eat less than standard-size chickens (Ohio State, RSPCA). For roosters, Alabama Extension says to feed the same diet as the laying hens, while UF/IFAS says roosters should not eat layer feed. So the calculator counts standard-size laying hens only.
Can chickens eat kitchen scraps?
It depends on where you live. US extension services allow small amounts of table scraps, no more than 10 percent of the daily diet (Oklahoma State). In the UK, it’s illegal to feed kitchen scraps to chickens, even pet hens (RSPCA, APHA). In the EU, Germany’s agriculture ministry (BMLEH) says kitchen and food waste must not be fed to laying hens. Our list “What can chickens eat?” shows which foods are fine.
Related
Sources (29)
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System – Feeding the Laying Hen (ANR-2913)
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System – Nutrition for Backyard Chicken Flocks (ANR-1317, 2022)
- Mississippi State University Extension – Feeds and Nutrition (Poultry)
- NC State Extension – Keeping Garden Chickens in North Carolina (AG-729)
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Warren County – Backyard Chickens
- Oklahoma State University Extension – Simple Budgeting and Pricing Calculations for Backyard Hens
- Oklahoma State University Extension – Backyard Flock Production (AFS-8202)
- Ohio State University Extension – Ohioline fact sheet ANR-66 (2018)
- Jacob, University of Kentucky – Feeding Chickens for Egg Production in Small and Backyard Flocks (Poultry Extension, extension.org)
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension – Bulletin #2222: Nutrition for Backyard Chicken Flocks in Maine
- University of Maryland Extension – Feeding the Flock
- UF/IFAS Extension – AN239: Raising Backyard Chickens for Eggs
- Penn State Extension – Management Requirements for Laying Flocks
- Oregon State University Extension – How to Feed Your Laying Hens (PNW 477)
- Colorado State University Extension – Raising Poultry the Organic Way: Disease Control and Feeding
- RSPCA – Keeping chickens as pets: how to care for backyard hens
- British Hen Welfare Trust – Feeding your hens
- British Hen Welfare Trust – A guide to chicken treats; everything in moderation (2024)
- RSPCA Australia – How do I feed my chickens a healthy diet?
- LfL Bavaria (Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture) – information sheet by Zapf and Damme (2012, in German)
- Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony – nutrient deposition of different pullet strains (in German)
- Chamber of Agriculture Lower Saxony – feeding laying hens (in German)
- Straubing-Bogen district veterinary office – leaflet on keeping chickens (2015, in German)
- City of Bielefeld veterinary office – leaflet on keeping chickens (2021, in German)
- TVT (German veterinary association for animal welfare) – Leaflet No. 131.3: Chickens (in German)
- BLV (Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office) – Animal welfare information 10.4: keeping chickens as a hobby (in German)
- BMLEH (German Federal Ministry of Agriculture) – Animal feed: frequently asked questions (kitchen and food waste, in German)
- LAVES Lower Saxony – Questions and answers on bird flu (backyard keepers, in German)
- APHA (GOV.UK) – APHA warns not to feed kitchen scraps to farm animals because of disease risk (2017)