A single meat chicken eats roughly 15 pounds of feed from hatch to butcher day, assuming you process at 8 to 9 weeks. That number can shift a few pounds in either direction depending on the breed, the weather, and how long you let the birds grow, but 15 pounds per bird is the figure most small-flock growers use for planning.
Week-by-Week Feed Consumption
Chicks barely eat anything in the first week, then their appetite climbs steeply. University of Kentucky extension data lays out the typical weekly intake for a standard broiler:
- Week 1: 0.29 lb
- Week 2: 0.62 lb
- Week 3: 1.03 lb
- Week 4: 1.48 lb
- Week 5: 1.87 lb
- Week 6: 2.36 lb
- Week 7: 2.60 lb
- Week 8: 2.86 lb
- Week 9: 3.11 lb
Add those up through week 8 and you get about 11 pounds. Run to week 9 and the total crosses 14 pounds. Factor in some waste from feeders and a little spillage, and the real-world number lands close to 15 pounds per bird for an 8- to 9-week grow-out. Notice how the last few weeks account for a disproportionate chunk of the total. A bird eats nearly as much in weeks 7 through 9 as it did in the entire first five weeks combined, which is why processing timing matters so much for your feed bill.
Three Feed Stages and Why They Matter
Meat chickens don’t eat the same ration their whole lives. The feed changes as their nutritional needs shift with growth.
Starter (weeks 1 to 2): This is the highest-protein feed, typically around 22 to 23% protein. Each bird eats roughly one pound during this phase. The high protein fuels rapid early development of muscle and organs.
Grower (weeks 3 to 5 or 6): Protein drops to about 20%. The birds are putting on frame and feathers at this stage, and consumption starts ramping up quickly.
Finisher (final 2 to 3 weeks): Protein drops again to around 18%. The birds are filling out, adding the last few pounds of body weight before processing. Some small-flock growers skip the finisher stage and just run grower feed straight through to butcher day. That works fine, though you’ll pay a bit more for the higher protein content.
Together, the grower and finisher phases account for about 14 of the 15 total pounds per bird.
Feed Conversion: What You Get Back
Modern Cornish Cross broilers convert feed into meat more efficiently than almost any other livestock. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) for a commercial-type broiler runs around 1.5 to 1.7, meaning it takes roughly 1.5 to 1.7 pounds of feed to produce one pound of live body weight. By 35 days, a well-managed Ross 308 broiler hits about 5 pounds live weight with an FCR near 1.47.
At 8 weeks, most Cornish Cross birds reach 6 to 8 pounds live weight. After processing, expect to lose about 25 to 30% of that to feathers, organs, and blood, leaving you with a 4.5- to 6-pound carcass. So your 15 pounds of feed ultimately yields around 5 pounds of chicken in the freezer.
Heritage and Ranger Breeds Use More Feed
If you’re raising Freedom Rangers, Red Rangers, or a true heritage breed instead of Cornish Cross, budget for significantly more feed per bird. Heritage breeds grow slower, take 12 to 16 weeks to reach a comparable weight, and convert feed less efficiently along the way. Research comparing a heritage line to a modern broiler strain found that modern birds were substantially more efficient at turning feed into body mass, and their breast muscle made up 18% of total body weight versus just 9% for the heritage birds at the same age.
In practical terms, a heritage or ranger-type bird may eat 20 to 25 pounds of feed before reaching a processing weight that’s still lighter than what a Cornish Cross hits at 8 weeks. The meat often has more flavor and firmer texture, but you’re paying for it in feed. If you’re choosing between breeds, this is the biggest cost difference to weigh.
Water Goes Along With Feed
Chickens drink roughly 1.8 times as much water as they eat by weight. For a bird consuming 15 pounds of feed over its life, that translates to about 27 pounds (a little over 3 gallons) of water total. Daily consumption climbs alongside feed intake, so by the final weeks your birds may be drinking half a gallon or more per day for every 10 birds. Hot weather pushes water intake even higher. Clean, cool water available at all times is non-negotiable for good feed conversion, because a bird that stops drinking also stops eating.
Budgeting Feed for a Small Flock
For a batch of 25 birds at 15 pounds of feed each, you need 375 pounds of feed, or about 7.5 standard 50-pound bags. For 50 birds, double that to 750 pounds, or 15 bags. Feed prices vary by region and whether you buy conventional or organic, but a reasonable range for a 50-pound bag of conventional broiler feed is $15 to $25 in most of the U.S. Organic and non-GMO feeds run higher, sometimes $30 or more per bag.
That puts the feed-only cost for 50 birds somewhere between $225 and $375 for conventional feed, or $450 and up for organic. Add in chick cost (typically $2 to $4 per bird for Cornish Cross) and your all-in price before processing equipment lands around $5 to $8 per bird for conventional, or $10 to $12 for organic. Some growers in northern states report total costs (chicks plus feed) near $400 for 50 birds, while others spending more on premium feeds and supplements push past $500.
Buying feed in bulk, splitting orders with other growers, or sourcing from a local mill rather than a retail farm store can shave 10 to 20% off your feed bill. If you’re raising fewer than 25 birds, the per-bird cost tends to creep up because you lose access to bulk pricing and may have leftover feed that goes stale before your next batch.
Ways to Reduce Feed Waste
The 15-pounds-per-bird figure assumes reasonably good management. Sloppy feeding practices can push that number to 18 or 20 pounds without adding any extra growth. A few things make the biggest difference.
Feeder height matters more than most people think. Keeping the lip of the feeder at the birds’ back height reduces billing-out, the habit of flicking feed onto the ground. As the birds grow, raise the feeders every week or two. Trough-style or hanging tube feeders with a lip waste less than open dishes or trays. Don’t fill feeders more than two-thirds full.
Feeding on a schedule rather than free-choice 24 hours a day can improve feed conversion slightly and reduce leg problems in fast-growing Cornish Cross birds. A common approach is 12 hours on, 12 hours off starting around week 2 or 3. The birds still reach a good market weight, they just grow at a slightly more controlled pace.
Finally, store your feed in sealed containers away from moisture and rodents. A mouse-infested feed bin can lose 5 to 10% of its contents before you notice, and damp feed grows mold that can sicken or kill birds.