Adjust feed quantity based on body condition and production

Monitor animal body condition and production levels to adjust feed amounts rather than following a fixed ration. Growing animals, pregnant or milking females, and animals in cold weather need more feed. Learn to body-condition score your animals — feel the ribs and spine on goats (ribs should be felt but not seen), and check the keel bone on chickens (should have light fat cover).

Why It Works

Overfeeding causes obesity, which leads to fatty liver disease in chickens and pregnancy toxemia in goats. Underfeeding causes poor growth, reduced egg/milk production, and weakened immune systems. Body condition scoring gives you an objective measure rather than guessing.

Tips

• Follow feeding guidelines on commercial feed bags as a starting point, then adjust
• Laying hens eat roughly 1/4 lb of feed per day; consumption drops during molt and increases in cold weather
• Dairy goats in milk may need 2-3x the feed of dry does