How to use it
- Enter the number of birds and choose their age group.
- Check the daily amount per bird; change it to what your feed bag recommends or what you have measured.
- Enter the period, the bag size and, if you like, the price of a bag.
How it works
feed = birds × feed per bird a day × days × (1 + spill %)
Bags to buy is the total divided by the bag size, rounded up. A bag lasts bag size ÷ daily feed. The cost counts only the feed used in the period: bags (with a fraction) × price.
Example
10 laying hens at 4 oz a day for 30 days:
- 10 × 4 oz = 40 oz = 2.5 lb a day;
- 2.5 × 30 = 75 lb for the month;
- with 50 lb bags, buy 2; one bag lasts 50 ÷ 2.5 = 20 days.
In metric, 10 hens at 115 g eat 1.15 kg a day and 34.5 kg a month; a 25 kg bag lasts 21.7 days.
Tips and common mistakes
- Chicks, pullets and layers need different feeds; layer feed has extra calcium that young birds do not need.
- Store feed dry and closed: damp feed goes mouldy, and open bags attract rodents.
- Weigh what the flock eats for a week to replace the default with your own figure.