How much to feed chickens per day
A standard laying hen eats about 4.0 oz (113 g) of complete feed a day (Mississippi State University Extension, Feeds and Nutrition (undated), 2026-09-19). Six hens eat 1.5 lb (680 g) a day and 45.7 lb (20.7 kg) a month: 0.9 (buy 1) bags of 50 lb, one bag every 33 days. The calculator below does it for your own flock and bag; the tables give the same figures for flocks of 3 to 50 birds and by stage.
Chicken feed calculator
Opens in US units (lb, oz, the 50 lb bag); switch to UK or metric for kg and g. Type your birds, their stage and the bag you buy.
Mississippi State Extension and UKY ASC-191: about 1/4 lb (113.4 g) of feed a day
Result
- Complete feed per bird per day
- 4.0 oz
- Feed for 6 birds per day
- 1.5 lb
- Feed per month
- 45.7 lb
- Bags per month
- 0.9 (buy 1)
- One bag lasts
- 33 days
- Cost per month
- $13.70
- Cost per bird per month
- $2.28
Starting figure for laying hen, standard breed: Mississippi State University Extension, Feeds and Nutrition (undated), 2026-09-19. Real intake varies with breed, weather, laying and how much the birds forage; set the feed per bird to what your flock actually finishes. Bags per month is exact first, then rounded up to what you buy.
Keeping more than chickens? Pro adds every species into one feeding plan.
Daily and monthly amounts per species, the monthly shopping list in bags and bales, the total cost. Printed or exported to Excel.
Feed per bird per day, by stage
Complete feed only, before any scratch or scraps. These are the calculator’s starting values, each with its source and the date it was read; the calculator lets you change them.
| Stage | Per day (oz) | Per day (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laying hen, standard breed | 4.0 oz | 113 g | Mississippi State University Extension, Feeds and Nutrition (undated), 2026-09-19 |
| Laying hen, bantam | 4.0 oz | 113 g | University of Kentucky Extension ASC-191, How Much Will My Chickens Eat? (2012), 2026-09-19 |
| Meat bird (broiler), growing | 4.3 oz | 121 g | University of Kentucky Extension ASC-191, How Much Will My Chickens Eat? (2012), 2026-09-19 |
| Chick, 0-8 weeks (starter) | 1.6 oz | 44 g | University of Kentucky Extension ASC-191, How Much Will My Chickens Eat? (2012), 2026-09-19 |
| Pullet, 8-18 weeks (grower) | 2.3 oz | 64 g | University of Kentucky Extension ASC-191, How Much Will My Chickens Eat? (2012), 2026-09-19 |
- Laying hen, standard breed: Mississippi State Extension and UKY ASC-191: about 1/4 lb (113.4 g) of feed a day
- Laying hen, bantam: No published number: UKY ASC-191 says only that bantams eat less than standard hens, so the standard hen's 1/4 lb (113.4 g) is the starting point; lower it for your birds
- Meat bird (broiler), growing: UKY ASC-191 Table 1, week 5: 1.87 lb a week = 121.2 g a day (7-week average 95 g)
- Chick, 0-8 weeks (starter): UKY ASC-191 Table 2: 5.46 lb over the first 8 weeks = 44.2 g a day on average (week 1 is far less)
- Pullet, 8-18 weeks (grower): UKY ASC-191 Table 2: 9.88 lb between 8 and 18 weeks = 64 g a day
Feed per day, per month and bags for common flock sizes
Standard laying hens, no treats share, the US starting bag. Per month is 30.44 days; bags are exact first, then rounded up to what you buy.
| Birds | Feed per day | Per month | Bags per month | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12.0 oz | 22.8 lb | 0.5 (buy 1) | $7 |
| 6 | 1.5 lb | 45.7 lb | 0.9 (buy 1) | $14 |
| 10 | 2.5 lb | 76.1 lb | 1.5 (buy 2) | $23 |
| 12 | 3 lb | 91.3 lb | 1.8 (buy 2) | $27 |
| 25 | 6.3 lb | 190 lb | 3.8 (buy 4) | $57 |
| 50 | 12.5 lb | 380 lb | 7.6 (buy 8) | $114 |
The same flocks in kg, UK bag
| Birds | Feed per day | Per month | Bags per month | Cost per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 340 g | 10.4 kg | 0.5 (buy 1) | — |
| 6 | 680 g | 20.7 kg | 1.04 (buy 2) | — |
| 10 | 1.1 kg | 34.5 kg | 1.7 (buy 2) | — |
| 12 | 1.4 kg | 41.4 kg | 2.1 (buy 3) | — |
| 25 | 2.8 kg | 86.3 kg | 4.3 (buy 5) | — |
| 50 | 5.7 kg | 173 kg | 8.6 (buy 9) | — |
Scratch grains, treats and kitchen scraps
Scratch and scraps replace complete feed rather than adding to it, and complete feed is where the protein and calcium are, so the usual advice is to keep them at or under 10% of what the birds eat (University of Maryland Extension, Feeding the Flock (updated 11 May 2022), 2026-09-19). In the calculator the treats share comes out of the complete feed you buy, so the bag count drops a little and the ration stays the same.
Why your flock may eat more, or less
- Breed and size: heavy dual-purpose breeds eat more than light layers; bantams eat less.
- Laying and moulting: a hen in full lay eats more than one resting or moulting.
- Weather: cold pushes intake up; heat pulls it down and the birds drink more.
- Foraging: free-ranging birds replace part of the bought feed with what they find, most of all in summer.
- Waste: open feeders lose feed to raking, wind, wild birds and rodents; a covered feeder closed at night brings the bag count down.
The honest way to find your own figure: weigh what you put out for a week, divide by seven and by the birds, and type that into the calculator.
Work it out for your own flock
The calculator at the top of this page, also on its own page as the chicken feed calculator, takes your birds, their stage, the feed per bird, a treats share and the bag you buy, and gives feed per day and per month, bags per month, how long a bag lasts and the cost per month and per bird from your own bag price, in lb and oz or in kg and g. For a flock of five or ten, the 5-chicken and 10-chicken pages give the feed and the cost per day, week, month and year, and the monthly chicken feed cost for 3 to 50 hens, by feed and at other bag prices, is on the cost guide.
Amounts are published averages for planning, not veterinary advice; a vet or a poultry nutritionist decides what an individual bird needs.
Frequently asked questions
- How much feed does one chicken eat per day?
- About 4.0 oz (113 g) of complete feed for a standard laying hen (Mississippi State University Extension, Feeds and Nutrition (undated), 2026-09-19), and about 4.0 oz (113 g) for a bantam. Heavy breeds, cold weather and laying push it up; free-ranging in summer pulls it down.
- How much feed do 6 chickens eat per day?
- 1.5 lb (680 g) a day for six standard laying hens at 4.0 oz each, or 45.7 lb a month.
- How much feed do 10 chickens need per day?
- 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) a day for ten standard laying hens, 76.1 lb (34.5 kg) a month: 1.5 (buy 2) bags of 50 lb, one bag every 20 days.
- How much feed do 20 chickens need per day?
- 5 lb (2.3 kg) a day for twenty standard laying hens, 152 lb (69 kg) a month: 3.04 (buy 4) bags of 50 lb, one bag every 10 days.
- How much to feed chickens per day in kg?
- About 113 g per laying hen, so 680 g for six hens and 1.1 kg for ten. A 20 kg sack lasts six hens 29 days and ten hens 18 days; the kg table above has flocks of 3 to 50.
- How much to feed chickens per day in cups?
- The published figure is by weight, 4.0 oz (113 g) per hen, and a cup of pellets, crumbles or mash weighs differently by feed, so there is no honest single cup figure. Weigh one level cup of your own feed on a kitchen scale and divide the daily amount by it.
- How many chickens will a 50 lb bag feed?
- A 50 lb bag feeds six laying hens for about 33 days at the US starting values; the answers for 10 and 20 hens above give it for bigger flocks. Divide the bag weight by the flock's daily feed for any other bag.
- Should I feed chickens once or twice a day?
- The daily amount is what matters for buying feed; how it is split is up to you. Most keepers leave complete feed in a covered feeder so the birds eat little and often, and give scratch or scraps late in the day so the complete feed is eaten first.
- Do chickens eat more in winter?
- Usually yes: birds burn feed to stay warm, and there is less to forage. Expect the bag count to rise in cold months and to fall when the flock free-ranges in summer; weigh what you put out for a week in each season and use that figure in the calculator.
More guides
- How much feed does a chicken eat per month (and per year)
Feed one chicken eats per month and per year in lb and kg by stage, how long a bag lasts one bird, and feed, bags and cost per year for flocks of 3 to 50.
- How much feed does a chick eat per day, and to point of lay
Starter per chick per day to 8 weeks and grower to 18 weeks in oz and g, feed per chick to point of lay, bags and cost for batches of 3 to 50 chicks.
- How much feed does a broiler chicken eat per day, per week and to 7 weeks
A broiler chicken eats 1.87 lb of feed in week 5 (4.3 oz a day), 10.26 lb to 7 weeks (UKY ASC-191, 2012). Per bird and for 10, 25 and 50 birds, in bags.
- How much do chickens cost per month to feed: 3, 5, 10 and 20 hens
What chickens cost per month: about $2.28 a hen at $15 a 50 lb bag; 5 hens $11.41, 6 $13.70, 10 $22.83, 20 $45.66. Per year, other bag prices, UK sacks.
Last updated 2026-10-01. Figures are planning estimates built from published feeding guidance, each with its source and year: adjust for your own animals and follow the guide on the bag. Not veterinary advice.