Chicken Feed Calculator
A laying hen eats about 0.25 lb (113 g) of feed a day. Pick layers, chicks/pullets by week (Hy-Line guide) or broilers by week (Ross 308 objectives) to get daily, weekly and 30-day feed, bags, grow-out totals and feed cost per dozen eggs.
Use the Chicken Feed Calculator
Flock & Feed Parameters
Whole number between 1 and 10,000 birds.
OSU & MSU Extension baseline: ~0.25 lb/day (range 0.25–0.33 lb for adult layers).
Waste covers spilled or scattered feed; eggs per week give feed per dozen eggs.
Leave blank if only calculating feed weight and bags.
Enter Flock Parameters
Provide your flock size and daily intake rate to calculate feed weight, bag longevity, and replenishment planning.
Feed Consumption Plan
Calculated on 7-day week & 30-day planning month
Grow-out Feed
Feed per Dozen Eggs
Feed Cost & Outlay Breakdown
Unit Relationships & Intake Limitations
• Metric Conversion: Standard international avoirdupois pound conversion is 1 lb = 453.59237 grams (exact).
• Planning Baseline: Monthly volume is projected across a standardized 30-day budget window. Whole bag replenishment follows the ceil function because commercial feed is distributed in intact retail packaging.
• Consumption Variance: Individual hen intake fluctuates with breed body size, ambient coop temperatures, active egg laying intensity, and foraging access. Agricultural extension authorities document mature layer ranges from 0.25 to 0.33 lb/day. Verify label specifications on your selected feed brand.
• Formulation Stages: University of Georgia and Oregon State University Extension recommend starter rations from 0–6 weeks, grower rations from 6–18 weeks, and complete layer rations starting at 18 weeks. Always maintain free-choice access to clean drinking water.
Chick and Pullet Feed by Week of Age
Hy-Line Brown commercial layer rearing targets (feed per bird). White-egg strains eat slightly less; heavy breeds more.
| Week | g/bird/day | lb/bird/day | Cumulative lb/bird |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16–17 | 0.036 | 0.25 |
| 2 | 18–19 | 0.041 | 0.53 |
| 3 | 21–23 | 0.049 | 0.86 |
| 4 | 26–28 | 0.060 | 1.27 |
| 5 | 31–33 | 0.071 | 1.77 |
| 6 | 37–40 | 0.085 | 2.37 |
| 7 | 43–46 | 0.098 | 3.06 |
| 8 | 48–52 | 0.110 | 3.84 |
| 9 | 53–57 | 0.121 | 4.69 |
| 10 | 57–61 | 0.130 | 5.60 |
| 11 | 61–65 | 0.139 | 6.57 |
| 12 | 63–68 | 0.144 | 7.58 |
| 13 | 66–70 | 0.150 | 8.62 |
| 14 | 68–73 | 0.155 | 9.71 |
| 15 | 70–75 | 0.160 | 10.82 |
| 16 | 73–78 | 0.166 | 11.98 |
| 17 | 77–82 | 0.175 | 13.20 |
Broiler (Cornish Cross) Feed by Week
Aviagen Ross 308 as-hatched performance objectives, full feed. Cornish Cross from hatcheries are similar fast-growing broilers.
| Age | Live weight (lb) | Feed that day (lb) | Week avg (lb/day) | Cumulative feed (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (day 7) | 0.47 | 0.078 | 0.052 | 0.37 |
| Week 2 (day 14) | 1.18 | 0.148 | 0.116 | 1.18 |
| Week 3 (day 21) | 2.23 | 0.232 | 0.195 | 2.55 |
| Week 4 (day 28) | 3.56 | 0.320 | 0.282 | 4.52 |
| Week 5 (day 35) | 5.06 | 0.397 | 0.365 | 7.08 |
| Week 6 (day 42) | 6.61 | 0.457 | 0.433 | 10.11 |
| Week 7 (day 49) | 8.12 | 0.497 | 0.481 | 13.48 |
| Week 8 (day 56) | 9.52 | 0.517 | 0.509 | 17.05 |
Worked example: 25 Cornish Cross raised to 8 weeks eat about 25 × 17.05 = 426 lb of feed, or 9 bags of 50 lb. Ten laying hens at 0.25 lb/day eat 2.5 lb a day, 75 lb a month: one 50 lb bag lasts 20 days. At 5 eggs per hen per week they use 4.2 lb of feed per dozen eggs; with a $22.50 bag ($0.45/lb) that is $1.89 of feed per dozen.
Sources: Hy-Line Brown Commercial Layers performance standards; Ross 308 Broiler Performance Objectives 2022; Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, University of Georgia and Oregon State Extension poultry publications for the 0.25 lb/day layer baseline and ration stages.
Summary
The Chicken Feed Calculator estimates feed consumption and bag requirements for backyard and small-scale flocks. Laying hens use the extension baseline of 0.25 lb (113 g) per day, which matches the 110–118 g/day in the Hy-Line Brown commercial guide. Chicks and pullets use the Hy-Line Brown rearing table by week of age (about 13.2 lb of feed per bird to 17 weeks), and broilers use the Aviagen Ross 308 as-hatched performance objectives (about 10.1 lb per bird to 6 weeks and 17.0 lb to 8 weeks). The tool adds an optional waste allowance and returns daily, weekly and 30-day feed, how long a bag lasts, bags to buy, grow-out feed to processing or point of lay, feed cost and feed per dozen eggs.
How it works
- Enter the number of birds in your flock (whole integers from 1 to 10,000).
- Choose the bird type: laying hens, large or dual-purpose hens, chicks/pullets by week of age, broilers by week of age, or a custom per-bird rate from your feed label.
- For chicks, pullets and broilers enter the current week of age (and the processing week for broilers); the daily rate comes from the breeder table for that week.
- Optionally add a waste allowance for spilled or scattered feed.
- Specify the net weight of your feed bag (e.g., 50 lb, 40 lb, or 25 lb).
- Optionally input the retail price per bag to compute unit cost, monthly consumption value, and initial purchase outlay.
- Click Calculate to view feed volume (in pounds and grams), bag longevity, replenishment totals, grow-out feed and, for hens, feed per dozen eggs.
Use cases
- Determine how many whole bags of layer ration to buy for a 30-day planning cycle.
- Calculate how many days a 50 lb bag of feed will last a given flock size.
- Budget monthly poultry feed expenses based on bag retail pricing.
- Plan feeding requirements when brooding chicks or expanding flock numbers.
- Estimate total feed to raise Cornish Cross broilers to 6, 7 or 8 weeks.
- Estimate feed to raise chicks to point of lay at about 17 weeks.
- Work out the feed cost per dozen eggs from lay rate and bag price.