Feeding Chickens

I am often asked how much feed it takes to raise a chicken. Since I am in the process of raising a flock I figured this would be a good time to answer that question! First of all it depends on what type of chicken you are raising. One for laying or a fast growing one for meat. For example, Cornish Crosses are often fast growing chickens raised for meat production. Laying chickens will consume about 2 pounds of feed, per chicken, during their first six weeks of life. These type of chickens will normally take six months to mature so they will definitely be eating more than that to reach maturity. Faster growing meat chickens though, which mature at two months of age, will consume eight pounds of feed in their first six weeks! Beyond that, these type of chickens will consume anywhere from four to seven pounds of feed before reaching maturity. There are many factors that can impact the amount of feed needed to raise chickens including temperature, activity level, availability of clean water, and their general living conditions. Obviously the better the conditions the better off the chicken will be! In the end figure 12-15 pounds to raise a chicken to full maturity.