Are my hens starving?

[Kiki]

Thanks all.

They've been laying fine (24 eggs in a week from 4 hens), so I didn't think much about their diet being off. But that behavior was a cue. Certainly don't want them stressed as the hot months come.

I have an old feeder and will get it out today.

Fwiw. Chickens do tend to eat less in the hotter weather.

 

[Henriettamom919]

If you don't want to keep dry feed out all day, fermenting whole grain feed might be a good option, too. I recently began doing this because my girls seemed to be losing interest in their dry feed and they gobble it up! Plus it stretches my bags of feed out by about 30+%.

Just lay out scoops morning and night and they absorb a ton of extra nutrition since the feed is essentially pre digested and full of probiotics that make nutrients far easier to process.

For sure they need dry feed available throughout the day, but this is a great alternative too!

 

[Timothy Menezes]

If you don't want to keep dry feed out all day, fermenting whole grain feed might be a good option, too. I recently began doing this because my girls seemed to be losing interest in their dry feed and they gobble it up! Plus it stretches my bags of feed out by about 30+%.

Just lay out scoops morning and night and they absorb a ton of extra nutrition since the feed is essentially pre digested and full of probiotics that make nutrients far easier to process.

For sure they need dry feed available throughout the day, but this is a great alternative too!

I like this, hopefully will get to try it sometime.

 

[Bamas-Chicks]

Chickens will not over eat,if you feed them too much it's just wasted feed. I fed mine a little more everyday till I noticed feed left behind and then I cut back a little not to leave leftovers to attract pests.

 

[Ptera]

Never throw crumbles or cracked corn on the ground! They can't eat enough that way. I once had to give away my chickens and gave them to a friend. I went back to visit them & they were skin & bones. Turned out she was only tossing a handful of cracked corn on the ground every morning! I put a bowl of food out and it was like shark feeding frenzy. It was so traumatic seeing them starve. I'm still traumatized 20 years later. These were my babies!

 

[tjcib]

Final report. providing them with more food solved most of the aggression issues at feeding time.

I haven't weighed the exact amount yet, but I fill their off-the-ground feed trough in the morning with two scoops (scientific, i know). When I get home in the afternoon/evening there is only a little left in the trough. I fill it back up with one more scoop and it lasts them until they put themselves to bed. They usually get a treat or yard scraps from me in the afternoon also, hence why I only add one.

The pecking has mostly stopped, except it seems one lady thinks show owns the feeder. But there is plenty for the others once she loses attention.

 

[Folly's place]

Glad to hear it! I'd add another feeder, just to make everyone's life even better.
Mary