Are you looking for the perfect chicken feed guide but can’t find the right one? Continue reading. One of the most common questions is how much feed I need. While many factors impact how much feed your chickens will need over the years, we have established the following guidelines based on years of experience.
Although this chicken feeding schedule is designed primarily for Filipino farmers here in the Philippines, this is also applicable to chicken farmers in other countries as long as you have the feed equivalent of what we mentioned here.
This chicken feed guide is divided into two parts. The first part is for broilers, and the second part is for layers. Layers and broilers consume different amounts of feed.
Chicken Feed Guide for Broilers
Starter Feed. After acquiring day-old chicks, for the first two weeks, your chicks should be given starter feed. The most common starter feed available at every poultry supply is Integra 1000 by BMEG, but you can ask the store for a cheaper alternative. Each chick will require about 28 grams daily or approximately 392 grams of feed for the first 14 days.
Grower Feed. Starting in the third week, feed your broiler/free-range chickens grower feed locally called “crumbles.” The protein level of grower feed is typically 18%. You will need about 680 grams of feed per bird per week, assuming you butcher at week 5 or 6 (35 to 42 days).
Typical feed schedule per 1 chicken
- Week 1 – 140 grams starter feed
- Week 2 – 310 grams starter feed
- Week 3 – 455 grams of grower feed
- Week 4 – 680 grams grower feed
- Week 5 – 1,133 grams grower feed
- Week 6 to slaughter – 1,360 grams of grower feed per week *** chicken could be slaughtered on Day 38
Putting it into financial perspective, the computation would look like this (actual feed price may be higher or lower):
- Chick price = ₱23.00
- Total feeds consumed = 3 kgs x ₱30.00 = ₱90
- Total investment = ₱113
The average price of dressed chicken is ₱170/kg, so assuming that your chickens weigh 980 grams, you should get ₱166.6 per chicken or a profit of ₱53.6. If you have 500 chickens, you can make around ₱26,800 in 35 to 38 days – not bad!
Your profit can be higher or lower depending on many factors, such as chick price, chicken price, slaughter weight, and feed price. You must also consider mortality and other vitamins and supplements.
Chicken Feed Guide for Layers
Layers have the same feeds as broilers, but they consume less.
Starter Feed. Your chicks should be on the starter feed for the first six weeks. Each bird will require about 28 grams daily or approximately 1.176 kgs of feed for the first 42 days.
Grower Feed. From week seven through week 15, feed your laying chicken grower feed (crumbles). The protein level of this feed is typically 18%. You will need about 3.6 kgs of feed per bird based on a consumption of 85 grams per bird per day.
Layer Feed. Switch your chickens to layer feed at about 16 weeks (4 months). The protein level of this feed is typically 16% to 17%. A laying hen will consume about 110 feeds per day. Hens will start to lay eggs at 4.5 to 5 months of age.
More or less 5 kgs of feed a laying hen could consume before it laid an egg. When putting it into financial figures, the data should look like this:
- 5 kgs of feeds – ₱150
- Chick price – ₱25
- Daily feed consumption during laying time – 110 grams (₱3.3)
- If the egg costs ₱6 (farm price), you should make ₱2.7 per egg
If you have 500 laying hens, you could make around ₱1.147 profit per day (consider the 15% non-laying hens. Not all hens will lay eggs daily)
If you find the above explanation vague, you may also refer to this table from RA Hog and Poultry
Questions Related to Chicken Feeding
What is the best feed for broiler chickens?
Chicken feed is primarily a mix of corn and soybean meal, as advised by poultry nutritionists. Corn is the primary element in most chicken diets, and two-thirds of chicken feed is corn.
What is the formula for broiler feed?
Broilers should be fed a feed with 22 – 24% digestible crude protein, DCP. You should add 10-20 grams each of toxin binder, coccidiostat, and growth enhancers like zinc bacitracin. The above feed formula contains metabolizable energy of Kcal/Kg=3038.80, a calcium content of 1.19%, and a crude protein of 21.05%.
How much do 100 broilers feed need?
Feed Broiler starter crumbs of a very high standard for the first 21 days ( 2 bags – 50kg each- per 100 chicks). Feed Broiler growing pellets from day 22 to 42 ( 5 bags – 50kg each – per 100 chicks).
What makes broiler chickens grow faster?
The main reason broilers are getting bigger and growing faster is genetic selection. A good analogy is dog breeds. Dogs can be as small as only a few pounds, like chihuahuas, or as big as 100 pounds, like Great Danes.
What food makes chicken grow faster?
While chickens need a lot of carbs to meet their energy needs and make them put on weight, a high-protein diet can help your indigenous chickens grow faster. Animal by-products are generally some of your chickens’ best-quality protein sources.
How can I make my broiler feed?
You will require 110 kg of cracked corn, 68 kg of ground roasted soya beans, 11 kg of rolled oats, 11 kg of alfalfa meal, 11 kg of fish or bone meal, 4.5 kg of calcium powder, and 6.8 kg of poultry Nutri-balancer. This will make about 230 kg of chicken feed.
How many kg of feed does a broiler eat per day?
To reach market weight, a broiler chicken will eat about 1 kg of starter, 1.5 kg of the grower, and 1.5 kg of finisher.
What is the best time to feed the broiler?
Your broilers should be ready to sell in 35-42 days at 1.5 kg.
Feeding guide for your broilers
Day 1 – 21: Starter Mash. Each chick will eat 1 kg in 21 days.
Days 21 – 35: Finisher Mash. Each chicken will eat 2 kg in 14 days.
Days 35 – 42: Finisher Mash. Each chicken will eat an extra 1 kg in 7 days.
How many months does it take a broiler to grow?
Broiler chickens are one of the most popular poultry breeds. They are uniquely bred for fast growth and are great at converting feed into muscle weight. Typically, their growth period is between 6 and 8 weeks of age, and during this period, they are groomed to 6 pounds.
What is good chicken feed for layers?
We recommend a crumbed or pelleted feed (not a grain mix!) with a minimum of 17% protein and 4% calcium for laying hens. For the average backyard layer through show-quality birds, we usually recommend Showbird Breeder MP and Red Hen 17.
How much feed does a layer need daily?
Layer chickens need a diet high in protein and calcium. Each laying hen is expected to consume between 115g and 125g of feed per day.
At what age do you feed chickens to layer feed?
Switch laying hens to a complete chicken layer feed when they start laying eggs around 18 weeks. Choose a complete layer feed that includes all the essential nutrients laying hens need to lay and stay strong. Then, gradually make the transition over one week.
How many times do you feed layers?
Serve feed 2 or 3 times a day until they are 18 weeks old. The demand for feed increases very fast when the birds begin laying. Provide them with layer poultry feed according to their age and weight. Don’t decrease the quantity of feed while they are lying (even if their weight increases).
What are the 3 types of feeds?
We can conveniently classify feeds into three main types: (1) roughages, (2) concentrates, and (3) mixed feeds. Roughages include pasture forages, hays, silages, and byproduct feed containing a high fiber percentage.
Conclusion
Raising both layers and broilers can be a profitable poultry business. However, considering the high cost of chicken feed, strict following of a chicken feed guide like this could save a lot of money. Farmers who don’t have a chicken feed guide system often overfeed their chickens and lose money in the process. Feeding broilers is trickier than feeding laying hens because you have to control their feed intake once they reach their slaughter weight.