Do chickens in general, eat less food in winter?

[FrontPorchIndiana]

Mine eat WAY more now that it's cold.

 

[Catalina]

I'm filling the feeder at least twice a day.
During the summer I filled it every other day.
Plus they get 3 cups of hot mash every morning.

edited:spelling

 

[chickenma]

Mine chickens eat a lot more too . They seem to be very hungry . I go tru the feed a lot faster then normal.

They still free range and get their veggies and fruit. layer feed, start and grow. And scratch corn / wheat.
I will be glad if the weather change, and they will need less feed. It's a good thing they lay yummy eggs even in the freezing cold weather.

They don't have heat or extra light but they still are good egg layers. So that save's money .

 

[Wildsky]

Mine eat WAY more in winter as well. Summer they're too busy eating the grass

and bugs and stuff to worry about FOOD.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Mine are eating more and by mid January I'll have to buy a new bag of layer. But I AM getting at the least 12 eggs a day, I do add light, no heat, and they have access to outside with hay, greens, sometimes warm mash, often snacks hung from the run and house.

 

[Henrietta23]

Mine are eating more too. They are reluctant to leave the coop. Frequently there's snow covering the yard. There are fewer treats to find while scratching around anyway. I'm going through feed twice as fast I'd say.

 

[texchi]

I am in Illinois and the girls have turned into eating machines now that it is cold- Feed biils are awful- but they are worth it

 

[Wolf]

Mine eat more in the winter cause there's less weeds, berries, n' bugs to scrounge for. In summer mine eat less pellets cause they'd rather have the real-deal while it's available.
They also get scratch-feed as an "extra" when I know it's gonna be freezing-temps overnight - helps with body-warmth.

 

[HenniePennie]

My girls seemed to be eating less with this frigid cold spell we have had in the Pacific NorthWest. The feed in the feeder was going down very slowly and I noticed they were stirring up the straw in the part of my chicken coop where it is a dirt floor so I now throw feed down on it. I mixed scratch with their food during winter & also give them apples, melons, pasta, and squash.

 

[silkiechicken]

My girls are now going though 50 lbs of feed in just under 4 weeks. In the summer, that would last a month or more. The cold weather really makes them eat a whole lot more out here at least.