How much feed does a laying hen eat per day? With calculation formulas
SummaryAt 10 days of age, a laying hen eats about 12 grams of feed per day; at 20 days of age, about 21 grams per day; at 50 days of age, about 50 grams per day; at 150 days of age, about 100 grams per day; and over 150 days of age, about 100-120 grams per day.
The weight of feed eaten varies among different types of chickens, and for laying hens it is calculated according to the number of days of age they have lived; the amount of feed a laying hen eats differs at each time period. One hen consumes a cumulative total of about 8.84kg of feed by 150 days of age, and about 36.50kg by 550 days of age.
I. How much feed does a laying hen eat per day
1. Before 10 days of age: daily feed amount = number of days of age + 2. For example, the daily feed amount for a 10-day-old laying hen is 10 + 2 = 12 grams.
2. 11-20 days of age: daily feed amount = number of days of age + 1. For example, the daily feed amount for a 20-day-old laying hen is 20 + 1 = 21 grams.
3. 21-50 days of age: daily feed amount = number of days of age. For example, the daily feed amount for a 50-day-old laying hen is 50 grams.
4. 51-150 days of age: daily feed amount = 50 + (number of days of age - 50) ÷ 2. For example, the daily feed amount for a 150-day-old laying hen is 50 + (150 - 50) ÷ 2 = 100 grams.
5. Over 150 days of age: the daily feed amount for laying hens over 150 days of age should remain stable at 100-120 grams.
II. Causes of feather loss in laying hens
1. Nutritional causes
(1) A lack of dietary energy during rearing can cause dermatitis and folliculitis in laying hens, leading to feather pecking and feather loss. If the stored corn has a high moisture content and contains large-molecule polysaccharides that cannot be absorbed, it can easily cause long-term diarrhea in laying hens or lead to feather loss due to insufficient energy.
(2) A deficiency of sulfur amino acids in laying hens can also easily cause feather loss. Insufficient protein affects the synthesis of keratin, leading to stunted growth and whole-body feather loss in laying hens.
(3) If the zinc content in the feed is too high, it will cause a significant drop in the feed intake of laying hens and will also lead to molting.
(4) If the selenium or arsenic content is too high, it will cause chronic poisoning in laying hens, with feathers falling out while new ones grow in.
(5) Excessive salt content in the feed can also cause chronic salt poisoning in laying hens, leading to feather loss.
2. Poor management
(1) Laying hens kept hungry for a long time will peck at feathers and lose feathers. In summer, a lack of water can cause severe stress responses and feather loss in laying hens and can also lead to a decline in egg production. The vertical wire spacing at the front of the laying hen cage should be widened a little; if the spacing is too small, it will cause the feathers on the neck of laying hens to break or fall out.
(2) During the peak egg-laying period, the estrogen levels in the body of laying hens decrease somewhat, and the hens will molt.
(3) Different light durations can lead to a decline in the egg production rate of laying hens and cause feather loss. Especially when spring and summer alternate, the sudden increase in light causes a stress response in the chickens, which easily leads to feather pecking and thus feather loss.
(4) Chicken lice and mites are external parasites commonly infecting caged laying hens in autumn and winter, causing laying hens to peck off their own feathers or injure themselves.
(5) Sarcoptic mange mites can cause inflammation of the chicken's skin, leading laying hens to frequently peck at the feathers at the affected area, causing all the feathers at the site of the mange mites to be pecked off.