How much feed do chickens eat per day?

A standard laying hen eats 100–150 grams of feed per day— about a quarter-pound (0.22–0.33 lb). For a flock of 6 that's 1.3–2.0 lb/day combined; for 12, 2.6–4.0 lb/day. Heavy breeds eat ~20% more, light breeds ~10% less. Plan your buy on the high end of the range — underbuying means a midweek tractor-supply run; overbuying means opening the next bag a week later. The cheaper miss is obvious.

The dollar shape: a 6-hen flock of standard layers burns one 50-lb bag every 25–35 days at roughly $20–25 per bag, depending on whether you're on conventional layer pellets or organic. That's $260–360/year in feed for a flock that produces around 1,200–1,500 eggs a year. The numbers below come from the feed-amount calculator engine at standard breed weight; everything past the layer baseline (life-stage multipliers, breed adjustments, free-range cap) is synthesized from published extension feed charts, not a single sourced figure.

What each life stage actually eats

The four life stages have distinctly different feed needs. Numbers below come from the feed amount calculator engine at standard breed weight.

Life stage	Age	Per bird / day	Feed type
Chick	0–8 weeks	0.08–0.12 lb	Starter (≥18% protein)
Pullet	8–18 weeks	0.12–0.20 lb	Grower (~16% protein)
Layer	18+ weeks	0.22–0.33 lb	Layer (16–18% + calcium)
Molt	Annual, 6–12 weeks	0.16–0.28 lb	Layer or 20% protein boost

Don't rush the switch off grower at 16 weeks just because the bag is empty. The calcium load in layer feed is sized for a hen that's actually laying — fed early to a non-laying pullet, the kidneys process more calcium than they need to. Wait for the first egg, then switch. If you mistime it by a week the hens won't notice; if you mistime it by a month, they will.

How much to budget by flock size

Flock	Lb/day	Lb/week	Lb/month	50-lb bag lasts
3 hens	0.66–0.99	4.6–6.9	20–30	50–75 days
6 hens	1.32–1.98	9.2–13.9	40–59	25–35 days
10 hens	2.20–3.30	15.4–23.1	66–99	15–22 days
12 hens	2.64–3.96	18.5–27.7	79–119	13–18 days
20 hens	4.40–6.60	30.8–46.2	132–198	7–11 days

Buy the 50-lb bag, not the 25. The per-pound price gap is real (typically 20–30% cheaper at the larger size), and feed doesn't go stale in the 25–35 days a 6-hen flock takes to finish one. The only flock that should default to 25-lb bags is a 3-hen starter flock, where a 50-lb bag pushes past the 4–6 week palatability window before it's gone.

Breed weight changes the answer 25%

Breed weight class shifts intake noticeably:

Light breeds (Leghorn, Ancona, Andalusian) eat 5–10% less than standard. Adult weight ~4–5 lb. Daily intake ~0.20–0.30 lb/bird.
Standard breeds(Plymouth Rock, Sex-Link, Australorp, Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington) run the calculator's baseline at ~0.22–0.33 lb/bird. Adult weight 6–7 lb.
Heavy breeds (Brahma, Jersey Giant, Cochin, Marans) eat 15–25% more. Adult weight 8–11+ lb. Daily intake ~0.30–0.42 lb/bird.
Bantams (true bantams 1–2 lb) eat ~30% of standard layer baseline. Bantam mixes (Easter Egger bantams, ~3 lb) eat ~50–60% of standard.

Bantams aren't a feed-cost play. The eggs are smaller (often half-size) and the lay rate runs 30–40% lower than standard layers, so the per-egg feed cost is roughly the same as a Plymouth Rock flock — sometimes worse. Keep bantams because you want bantams (ornamental, kid-friendly, broody-mom service for hatching standard eggs), not as a budget move.

Free-range cuts the feed bill less than people expect

Most backyard guides oversell the free-range savings. The 30%+ reductions you read about need real pasture — diverse grasses, bug load, room to scatter — not a half-acre suburban yard with a tired patch of grass behind the swing set. Realistic ranges:

4–8 hr/day run access, lush spring pasture: ~20–30% reduction.
4–8 hr/day, summer dry pasture or autumn leaf litter: ~10–15% reduction.
Most-of-daylight ranging (rural, low-predator, large yard): ~30–40% reduction. Still need commercial feed available 24/7 for protein + calcium.
“Free-range only,” no commercial feed: Don't. Lay rate crashes within 4–6 weeks; egg-shell quality drops; hens become protein- and calcium-deficient.

The calculator caps free-range supplement at 50% as a safety choice — even mostly-ranged flocks still need a complete commercial feed available, just consumed at half the full-confinement rate. If you're seeing reductions above 40% in a backyard setup, double- check the feeders for rodents before you credit the pasture.

The trap: feed waste vs feed consumed

Calculator output is feed CONSUMED — what enters the bird. What you BUY is consumed + waste. On most backyard setups waste runs 15–30% before deliberate fixes. Common waste mechanisms:

Scratching out of open feeders. Birds use trough feeders as kick-toys. Switch to vertical-sided feeders (PVC, galvanized) with anti-scratch grills.
Rain-spoiled feed in open feeders. Molds within 12–24 hr after wetting; birds reject. Cover or shelter the feeder.
Rodent theft. Rats and mice eat 1–2 lb/day per rat from open feeders. The first sign: consumption climbs without flock changes. Galvanized lidded feeders + metal trash-can storage with tight lid.
Stale feed rejection.Open feed loses palatability within 4–6 weeks. Don't over-buy.

Of the four, rodents are the one that compounds — a population that finds an open feeder doubles in weeks, and the take goes from a rounding error to half the bag. Fix that one first. The scratch-and-rain losses are flat 15–20% nuisances; rodents are the difference between “my hens eat a lot” and “I bought three bags this month and the flock looks the same as last month.”

Run the math for your specific flock

For your specific flock count, breed weight class, life stage, and free-range setup, the feed amount calculator outputs lb/day, lb/week, lb/month, recommended bag size, and reorder cadence. Tune the inputs to match your setup.

Common questions

How much feed does a single chicken eat per day?

A standard laying hen (~6 lb adult weight) eats 100–150 grams of feed per day, or roughly 0.22–0.33 lb (about a quarter-pound). Heavy breeds (Brahma, Jersey Giant, Cochin) eat 15–25% more (~0.30 lb/day). Light breeds (Leghorn, Ancona) eat 5–10% less (~0.20 lb/day). Pullets at 8–18 weeks eat 0.12–0.20 lb/day on grower feed. Chicks under 8 weeks eat 0.08–0.12 lb/day on starter.

How much feed for 6 chickens per day?

For 6 standard layers: 1.3–2.0 lb/day combined, or about 9–14 lb/week, or 40–60 lb/month. A 50-lb bag of layer feed lasts roughly 25–35 days for a 6-hen flock. The math is 6 hens × 0.22–0.33 lb/day; you'll see consumption hit the lower end in summer and the higher end in winter (10–20% more in winter for thermoregulation).

How much feed for 12 chickens per day?

For 12 standard layers: 2.6–4.0 lb/day combined, or about 18–28 lb/week, or 79–119 lb/month. That's two 50-lb bags per month, or one bag every 13–18 days. Heavy-breed flocks bump these by ~20%; free-range supplement at 30% drops them by roughly 30%.

Do chickens eat more in winter?

Yes — about 10–20% more. Cold-weather thermoregulation requires extra calories; the bird burns more body fuel maintaining 105°F core temperature in sub-freezing ambient. The increase shows up most clearly in zone 3–5 winters where ambient runs below 20°F for weeks. Conversely, hot-weather appetite drops 5–15% — panting reduces interest in eating, and birds shift eating windows to dawn and dusk. The annual average evens out near the calculator's baseline.

Does free-range time reduce how much feed chickens eat?

Yes, but less than people expect. Hens with 4–8 hours of daily run access in a typical backyard reduce commercial feed intake by 10–30%, depending on pasture quality and season. Lush spring pasture covers more of the calorie budget; dry summer grass or autumn-leaf-litter covers less. Even mostly-ranged flocks need at least 50% of their calories from a balanced commercial ration — calcium, methionine, and lysine availability from foraged sources is essentially zero on most backyard pastures.

How do I tell if my flock is over-eating or wasting feed?

If consumption runs more than 30% above the calculator output, it's almost always feed waste, not overeating. Three common waste sources: (1) Open trough feeders without anti-scratch grills — birds use the feeder as a kick-toy. Switch to a vertical-sided feeder. (2) Feeders left open in rain — molded feed gets rejected. Cover or move under shelter. (3) Rodents — rats and mice can take 1–2 lb/day from an open feeder. Galvanized lidded feeders + night lockup of feed in a metal trash can solves it.

By Jimmy L Wu. Reviewed 2026-05-02. Layer baseline (100–150 g/day, ~0.25 lb/day) anchored on Alabama Cooperative Extension System ANR-2913 and UMN Extension. Life-stage multipliers, breed-class adjustments, and free-range supplement cap are HatchMath methodology grounded in published extension feed-charts. All flock-size table values are direct outputs from the feed amount calculator engine. Not veterinary advice — for sick birds or any animal-health emergency, consult an avian or livestock veterinarian, or your county Cooperative Extension office.