How many cups?

[Phionex Man]

How many cups of egg laying pellets would be healthy amount for 6 chickens? What other things should i add to them? i AM RUNNING OUT OF FOOD FAST PLEASE HELP...

 

[Kelsie2290]

Most commercial feeds seem to say laying hens should be free fed / have food available all the time. In general the feeds say the average laying hen will eat around 4 oz of the food per day as their main/only food source. The pellets I use are about 8 oz a cup, but that will vary by size of the pellet etc. The amount will also depend on time of year, they tend to eat more when it is cold, less when hot, if you are feeding them other things or they free range etc. There is a nice chicken treat chart in the Learning Center in case you haven't seen it https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens usually treats should be limited to about 10-15% of the diet so you don't unbalance it.
If your hens are going through a lot more feed than seems reasonable, double check to be sure something else isn't eating the food, wild birds and rodents often help themselves to chicken feed.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Most commercial feeds seem to say laying hens should be free fed / have food available all the time. In general the feeds say the average laying hen will eat around 4 oz of the food per day as their main/only food source. The pellets I use are about 8 oz a cup, but that will vary by size of the pellet etc. The amount will also depend on time of year, they tend to eat more when it is cold, less when hot, if you are feeding them other things or they free range etc. There is a nice chicken treat chart in the Learning Center in case you haven't seen it https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-treat-chart-the-best-treats-for-backyard-chickens usually treats should be limited to about 10-15% of the diet so you don't unbalance it.
If your hens are going through a lot more feed than seems reasonable, double check to be sure something else isn't eating the food, wild birds and rodents often help themselves to chicken feed.

This is correct except dual purpose hens may eat closer to 1/3 of a pound or 5+ ounces/day. The four ounces above is by weight & not simply 1/2 cup of food. Chickens eat a lot more than people seem to think.