How much feed does a chicken eat per day?

A mature laying hen eats roughly 0.25 lb of feed per day — about 3 lb a week for a 6 lb bird. That figure comes from Extension's guidance on feeding chickens for egg production, and it is the number to plan feeders, bags and budgets around.

By flock size

What changes the number

Temperature — the biggest factor

Extension guidance is explicit that environmental temperature plays an important role: feed intake falls in hot weather and rises in cold weather, because birds eat more to supply the extra energy needed to maintain body temperature. In a cold snap, expect consumption noticeably above the 0.25 lb baseline.

Bird size and breed

The 0.25 lb figure is for a standard-size hen of roughly 6 lb. A bantam eats considerably less; a heavy breed such as a Brahma or Jersey Giant eats more. Scale roughly with body weight.

Laying rate

A hen in full lay needs more energy than one in moult or winter rest. Consumption drops in autumn when laying stops, which surprises people who expect it to rise with the cold. Both effects are real and they partly cancel.

Free-ranging

Birds with access to pasture, insects and forage take less from the feeder — sometimes substantially less in summer. This is real and it is also why free-ranging birds need insoluble grit: they are eating material the complete feed does not account for.

Waste, which is not consumption

If your feed disappears much faster than 0.25 lb per hen per day, the likely explanations are waste and theft rather than appetite. An open trough lets hens bill feed onto the ground; an open feeder at night feeds rodents. Both look like consumption on the bag count.

Sizing the bag and the feeder

1. Work out weekly consumption: flock size x 1.75 lb.
2. Buy a bag that lasts about a month. Longer and it stales in the bag; shorter and you are shopping constantly.
3. Buy a feeder that holds one to three weeks. Not more — a hopper holding two months of feed in summer is a mold risk.
4. Store it in metal. A galvanized bin with a tight lid. Rodents chew plastic and paper.

Water goes with it

Feed planning without water planning is half the job. Hens drink roughly twice as much water as they eat by weight — about 6.4 fl oz each per day in cool weather, and about double in hot weather. For ten hens that is half a gallon a day in cool weather and a gallon in heat, per University of Minnesota Extension.

Sizing the purchase

Two bag sizes that match common flock sizes, and a hopper that holds the right amount for six to ten hens.

#1 · The standard bag for a six-hen flock

$35.98·on Amazon

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

Purina Layena Layer Crumbles, 25 lb

Purina

8.3/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

25 lb of complete layer crumble — roughly a month for six hens. Crumble suits mixed-age flocks and bantams that find full pellets awkward.

Published specifications

Type	Layer crumbles, nutritionally complete
Weight	25 lb
For	Laying hens
Protein	Not published by manufacturer

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Complete layer ration from the most widely stocked brand in the US
• Crumble is easier for bantams and smaller breeds to eat than pellets
• 25 lb is about a month for six hens — fresh all the way down the bag

Where it falls short

• Crumble generates more dust and more billed-out waste than pellets
• Protein percentage is not stated on this listing
• Needs an airtight bin once opened or it absorbs moisture

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

9.0

Mess and waste

7.0

Quality

9.0

Value

8.0

#2 · The cheapest cost per pound for a bigger flock

$41.39·on Amazon

$43.99 6% off

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

Nutrena Country Feeds 16% Layer Pellets, 50 lb

Nutrena

8.8/10★★★★◐Assessed on specs and owner reports

50 lb of 16% layer pellets with the protein figure published. For eight or more hens this is the sensible format — provided you have a sealed bin to keep it in.

Published specifications

Type	Layer pellets
Protein	16%
Weight	50 lb
For	Laying hens

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Lowest cost per pound of any layer feed here
• 16% protein stated
• 50 lb is about six weeks for eight hens

Where it falls short

• 50 lb needs a rodent-proof metal bin, or you are feeding mice
• Heavy to move and awkward to pour
• Too much feed for a flock of three — it will stale before it is finished

Our rubric

Fit for purpose

9.0

Mess and waste

8.0

Quality

8.0

Value

10.0

#3 · Thirty pounds of feed in a lockable metal hopper

$29.98·on Amazon

$39.99 25% off

#ad How we are funded · Price as of October 5, 2026

Tgeyd 30 lb Feeder with 6 No-Waste Ports

Tgeyd

8.2/10★★★★☆Assessed on specs and owner reports

A heavy-duty 30 lb metal feeder with six no-waste ports, adjustable height and a locking lid. The locking lid is what lifts it above an ordinary port feeder — it keeps rain and raccoons out of the hopper.

Published specifications

Capacity	30 lb
Feeding ports	6
Lid	Locking
Height	Adjustable
Material	Heavy-duty metal

Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.

What it does well

• Locking lid keeps the hopper dry and stops raccoons helping themselves
• 30 lb capacity means fortnightly refills for a six-hen flock
• Adjustable height lets you set the ports correctly as pullets grow

Where it falls short

• The ports themselves are still open at hen level, so rodents can reach the feed in them
• 30 lb of feed plus a metal hopper is heavy to reposition
• Port diameter is not published

Our rubric

Waste control

9.0

Capacity

8.0

Rodent resistance

6.0

Weather resistance

9.0

Value

9.0