Should i feed my chickens at night

[Geena]

I think people may have been responding to this, which also stuck out to me, because it makes it sound as if OP is sometimes leaving them without anything to eat.

I usually do, but sometimes I can't make it home before dark to feed them and I feel bad that I'm either making them go to bed without dinner or potentially attracting something to my coop that might want to turn them into a snack.

 

[TNchickenlady]

Forgive me, I was responding to the accusation that people were being harsh. I don't think anyone was and I can see both sides. I can see why someone would want to put food out at night for their own convenience and I can see why people think saying "I don't have time to do it in the morning" is silly.
Rats are gross. Full stop. Inviting them near your chickens by leaving food out at night is inviting disease. Cockroaches are gross. But neither are predators so if that is literally all Op wants to know and getting peoples' thoughts and ideas outside of that narrow question is unwelcome I will bow out of the conversation.

if you're infested with rats that's a problem. but an occasional field rat is not something to gross out over! We not talking about disease laden city rats here!
My chickens will chase down a rat, play tug of war with it til it's shredded, than proceed to eat the rat!

 

[Rahnee]

It depends on what schedule you want to have them on.

I have Feeders in an enclosed run, I feed around the same time in the evenings. In winter it's dark and in summer it's not,, It doesn't make a difference to my birds because that's their schedule.

 

[Saveria]

I had another thought. If you are giving your birds access to food in the AM before you see them, you'll want to keep an eye on their crops to make sure that they aren't becoming impacted, which frequently happens this time of year. If their crop is impacted there would be a bulge on their chest, a couple inches down from their beak. It is like their first stomach, or a holding tank for their food.

Their crops should be empty by the AM, but if they have access to food before you get out there it is harder to tell if it emptied properly. I think it is easy enough to spot an impacted crop without having to feel it every morning before it becomes an issue for the hen, but if you have a hen with crop issues already, feeding in the AM before you see them might not be the best.

Plenty of great crop health articles on here if you need them.

 

[TNchickenlady]

I had another thought. If you are giving your birds access to food in the AM before you see them, you'll want to keep an eye on their crops to make sure that they aren't becoming impacted, which frequently happens this time of year. If their crop is impacted there would be a bulge on their chest, a couple inches down from their beak. It is like their first stomach, or a holding tank for their food.

Their crops should be empty by the AM, but if they have access to food before you get out there it is harder to tell if it emptied properly. I think it is easy enough to spot an impacted crop without having to feel it every morning before it becomes an issue for the hen, but if you have a hen with crop issues already, feeding in the AM before you see them might not be the best.

Plenty of great crop health articles on here if you need them.

a FULL crop is not a sign its impacted! If the chicken has been eating it will show a large buldge, a full crop, and has a mushy feel to it! If it's hard as a rock, firm and the chicken isn't eating than there is a possible problem.

https://www.cacklehatchery.com/crop-impaction-in-chickens/

 

[Battlepants]

I'm not sure if it was discussed, but what about a large automatic feeder/waterer in the coop coupled with an automatic chicken door? If the predators cannot physically get to the chickens/feed, it becomes a non-issue if they are attracted or not. If you want added security, you could add additional things like a secured run, electric fences and motion activated lights.

 

[K0k0shka]

Sidestepping the drama to weigh in with what I do. I have feed in the coop 24/7 (dry crumble) so the chickens can eat whenever they want and don't depend on me. The feeder holds a couple weeks' worth of food. The feeder itself isn't rodent-proof, but the coop is. I have an automatic door. When the door closes, nothing can get in, so having food in there doesn't attract anything at night. The combination of the auto door and the large capacity feeder in the coop means that I can wake up, work, and come back whenever I want to, and the chickens don't depend on me. You can have a busy life AND have animals that are properly cared for, without having to get up before sunrise or be shamed by strangers on the internet.