Another bank adventure this morning as I waited an hour outside and an hour inside as “the system is down, please wait small”. Luckily cash was available.
I ordered some roofing materials through Mr, Barbar today for a change. He had the same price as Eagle and will deliver it right to our site…a huge bonus in my book.
Completion of the first chicken pen is neck and neck with our delivery date of May 22nd. I think we’ll make it. The guys at BRAC are confusing me a bit with their numbers. They say we should take 10 bags of starter feed for our 250 chicks which should last 2-3 weeks. Here are the variables …and I’m requesting your math on this (I’m crowdsourcing this part of the poultry project!):
- We’re buying 250 chicks (all layers, eggs only, no males)
- Feed comes in 50kg bags
- Week 1: feed them 10grams per day per chick.
- Week 2: increase to 15g per day per chick
- Week 3: 20g per day per chick
What do you get for answers to:
- What’s the total weight of feed a single chick eats in 3 weeks?
- How many bags of starter feed should we buy for the first 3 weeks?
- Tell me (if you have chicken experience) if these numbers sound correct.
Send me answers in the blog comments.
Titus, our school janitor, has been weaving more baskets for me with the dyed reed. In this photo I placed my business card for scale reference. The basket on the right is pretty big.
I had to have conversation with him because I noticed the school toilets were not looking too clean and he’s been spending too much time during his shift weaving. I took two women in with me so they could confirm they were not even “guy clean”.
I finally got word back that the solar panels have been found. Tomorrow I go to Monrovia!
Walking the campus today I spied this under a tree. There’s something wrong with this picture:
Apparently these unused biohazard bags left from the Ebola era are perfect for starting seedlings.
Gbarnga Mission | Liberia - West Africa 
70+105+140= 315 grams per chick
315×250= 78,850 grams= for 78.85kg for 3 weeks for 250 chicks.
I think starter feed is used for longer than 3 weeks though, but I’m no expert on that. But for 3 weeks of feed it seems only 2 of the 50kg bags would be used if the numbers are accurate. I have no idea if they are. I’m just using what you gave for numbers. There is an expected percentage that won’t make it to 3 weeks too, so those numbers will drop some. Are they getting medicated feed to prevent illness in this flock? We only had 6 chickens for a short time and they were 6 months old when we got them so we have very little knowledge of chicks.
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Jon, I have the same numbers as Amy. I did find that when laying,a chicken eats 1.5 lbs/week(.68kg). Dad
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I agree with Amy’s numbers – 2 bags for the first three weeks for 250 chicks. Judging by Dad’s comment they eat a lot more when laying – 680 grams per week vs. 140 grams during week 3. This means you’ll need 680 * 250 = 170,000 grams / week = 3.4 bags / week once you are in full production.
I wish we had been able to stay longer and see the new solar panels and chicks. Maybe we’ll see them on our next visit!
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Hi, Jon,
I spent about 11 seconds on the math, and then, when my head started to hurt, I stopped. Those banks sound like fun. I still remember, back in the mid-60s, when I was working in Manhattan, and wen going to the bank, complaining about the separate teller lines, invariably getting on the slowest-moving one . It was in those years, I believe, that banks began their “common line theory” (my words), to feed off to the next available teller. Weren’t bakery shops dong that since 1900?? The chicken project sounds like it’ll be fun, as well as productive. I may have mentioned to you, but at our previous church, there’s a 90-year-old gentleman who’s been raising chickens for many, many years. He’s always got between 700 and 800 at a time; rotates them every 2 – 3 years.. I didn’t do the math, but my recollection is that he mentioned that he harvests about 55 dozen a day, primarily selling them to Chinese restaurants in Bergen County. He also sells them outside his farmhouse, on the honor system. And the beat goes on.
Be well, Herk
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