This guide is for you if you’re planning a flock and need to know which feed to give when, and how much of it to order. It follows the feeding schedule built into the Easy Chicken App, for commercial broiler chickens sold by day 42.
You’ll learn when to change feeds and how to do it, how much feed to plan per bird, how many 50 kg or 40 kg bags that comes to for your flock, and how to feed through the day without running out. Day 1 is the day the chicks arrive.
In short
- Starter from day 1 to 14, grower from day 15 to 28, finisher from day 29 until you sell: two weeks per feed.
- Switch gradually, mixing the new feed in with the old over a few days.
- Plan 3.5 kg of feed for every chick you place: 0.7 kg starter, 1.3 kg grower and 1.5 kg finisher.
- For 1 000 chicks that’s 14 bags of starter, 26 of grower and 30 of finisher, in 50 kg bags.
- Have the finisher in by day 28, and don’t let the feeders run empty.
The three feeds and when to give them
| Feed | Days | Plan per bird |
|---|---|---|
| Starter (mash or crumble) | 1–14 | 0.7 kg |
| Grower (pellets) | 15–28 | 1.3 kg |
| Finisher (pellets) | 29 until you sell | 1.5 kg |
| All three | 3.5 kg |
Starter has 20–23% protein. For the first 2 days, spread it on paper or chick feeder trays so the chicks find it easily.
The finisher runs from day 29 until your last birds are sold. The guide’s selling window is days 36 to 42, and day 40 is the target selling day.
Switching feeds without upsetting the birds
Change feeds gradually. On day 15, start mixing grower into the starter, and move the birds over to grower across a few days. Watch for feed refusal: birds leaving the new feed in the feeders.
Do the same on day 29 with the finisher, and watch for a drop in how much the birds eat.
Have the finisher on the farm by day 28, so the switch can start on time.
How much feed per bird
Plan 3.5 kg of feed for every chick you place: 0.7 kg of starter, 1.3 kg of grower and 1.5 kg of finisher. Grower and finisher together make up 2.8 kg of it, so four-fifths of the feed you plan is for day 15 onwards.
This is planning guidance, for ordering. Your birds won’t eat exactly 3.5 kg each, and the app never forces your records to match it. Your feed records show what the birds really eat.
Plan for the chicks you place, not the birds you expect to sell.
Turning kilograms into bags
Feed comes in 50 kg or 40 kg bags. Multiply your number of chicks by 0.7, 1.3 and 1.5 to get the kilograms of each feed. Then divide by the bag size and round up to whole bags.
Feed to plan, in kg
| Chicks | Starter | Grower | Finisher | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 70 kg | 130 kg | 150 kg | 350 kg |
| 500 | 350 kg | 650 kg | 750 kg | 1 750 kg |
| 1 000 | 700 kg | 1 300 kg | 1 500 kg | 3 500 kg |
| 2 000 | 1 400 kg | 2 600 kg | 3 000 kg | 7 000 kg |
| 5 000 | 3 500 kg | 6 500 kg | 7 500 kg | 17 500 kg |
In 50 kg bags
| Chicks | Starter | Grower | Finisher | All bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 500 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 35 |
| 1 000 | 14 | 26 | 30 | 70 |
| 2 000 | 28 | 52 | 60 | 140 |
| 5 000 | 70 | 130 | 150 | 350 |
In 40 kg bags
| Chicks | Starter | Grower | Finisher | All bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 500 | 9 | 17 | 19 | 45 |
| 1 000 | 18 | 33 | 38 | 89 |
| 2 000 | 35 | 65 | 75 | 175 |
| 5 000 | 88 | 163 | 188 | 439 |
Rounding up each feed gives you a little extra. For 100 chicks you plan 350 kg, and 8 bags of 50 kg hold 400 kg.
For a number that isn’t in the tables, here is 1 200 chicks in 50 kg bags:
- Starter: 1 200 × 0.7 = 840 kg, and 840 ÷ 50 = 16.8, so 17 bags.
- Grower: 1 200 × 1.3 = 1 560 kg, and 1 560 ÷ 50 = 31.2, so 32 bags.
- Finisher: 1 200 × 1.5 = 1 800 kg, and 1 800 ÷ 50 = 36 bags.
That’s 85 bags in all. A tonne of feed is 20 bags of 50 kg, or 25 bags of 40 kg.
Feeding through the day
On a small farm, feed several times a day: that’s the guide’s tip for day 16, along with feeding more often whenever the feeders run empty. Keep the same routine every day.
On hot days, feed in the cooler morning and evening, and give less at midday.
From day 8, raise the feeders to the height of the birds’ backs as they grow. It cuts the feed they spill. If the birds differ a lot in size, give them better access to the feeders.
Read the feeders. Feeders that stay full can mean the birds aren’t eating, so check their health. If the birds suddenly eat less, check the water, the house temperature and the birds themselves.
Feed and water go together: if the birds drink less, check the drinkers for blockages.
In the Easy Chicken App
On each flock’s Feed tab, record the morning, afternoon and evening feedings in a few taps, or copy yesterday’s amount. A bar shows the day’s feed against what chickens of that age usually eat, and Feed so far adds up the starter, grower and finisher. The bell reminds you to start the grower, get the finisher ready and switch to it.
Never run out
Order before you need the feed, and know how much you have left. The guide’s job for day 28 is to get the finisher ready, so the birds never run out.
Record what you buy in Finances. Under Purchases, In stock shows each feed and about how many days it will last at your current use, and it warns you when 2 days or less are left.
In South Africa you can plan the feed together with the chicks. Each booking in Placement planning carries the recommended inputs, with the feed counted in 50 kg bags, and you can send it to ECC for a quotation. You can also add feed to a request in the Easy Chicken Shop and submit a quotation request.
ECC combines farmers’ requests, gets prices and availability from suppliers, and sends your quotation with VAT included. You accept it, pay by EFT and tap I’ve paid, and ECC orders the inputs and delivers them to your farm. ECC can’t guarantee availability, which is one more reason to book early.
What your feed records tell you
Your feed records and your weighings show how well the birds turn feed into meat. This is the feed conversion ratio (FCR): the total feed divided by the total live weight sold. It includes the feed eaten by birds that died.
For example, a flock that ate 17 100 kg of feed and sold 4 750 birds at 2.20 kg each (10 450 kg live) has an FCR of 17 100 ÷ 10 450 = 1.64.
While the flock is growing, the app works out its FCR at your last weighing. An FCR above 1.80 marks the flock as Needs attention, and above 2.20 as Critical.
On day 22, the guide asks you to track feed against growth. A lot of feed with a low weight points to a poor FCR, so find out why. Our broiler chicken weight chart by age shows how to weigh.
Stop feeding birds you should have sold
From day 34, compare what the feed costs with how fast the birds are still growing. When the gain slows, get ready to sell. From day 36, sell the biggest birds first, and don’t overfeed the ones that are left.
Day 40 is the target selling day, and by day 42 every bird should be sold. Keeping birds after that is a financial loss: from 6 weeks, feed costs more than the weight it adds. Our guide on when to sell your broiler chickens covers the selling window.
Ask MamaG: “My birds have eaten less since I started the grower on day 15. What should I check?” or “Is my flock eating enough for day 20?”
Your feed plan for the next flock
- Work out the starter, grower and finisher for your number of chicks, in kg and in bags.
- Have the starter in before the chicks arrive, and the finisher by day 28.
- Day 15: mix in the grower. Day 29: mix in the finisher.
- Feed several times a day, at the same times, and raise the feeders as the birds grow.
- Record every feeding, and weigh once a week.
- Sell all the birds by day 42.
Read next: The first 7 days: how to place and brood day-old broiler chicks · 15 common broiler chicken farming mistakes (and how to avoid them)
This guide gives general advice. It doesn’t replace a vet. For a sick flock, ask MamaG in the Easy Chicken App, or WhatsApp ECC support on +27 69 339 4013.