Can chicks/ chickens overeat?

[mcdze]

chickens wont overeat .. if they get real hungry they can eat too fast lol, you can see them stretching their neck around trying to choke it down ... only time ive learned to take food and water away is at night for chicks still in the brooder box and old enough not to need the heat lamp 'indoors' we're talking .. if the box is covered in the evening, it keeps the draft off, they go right to sleep so they arnt keeping me up, and they dont make a wet stinky mess out of the feeder and waterer i have to fix in the morning .. i just wake up uncover them and drop the feeders back in and we're off to another productive day lol ... bonus is they start equating 'daddy' to the provider of food .. thats what we want around here lol ..

 

[fatimastic]

Clearly stated.

Sleeping birds do not eat or drink or get up and move about. Well ducks move some after dark but not chickens.

I used to keep a light on for my chickens because I worried that they couldn’t see at night But I realized that they would stay up pecking each other. now I turn off the light as soon as they are all comfortable.

As others said, they don’t eat or drink at night. Even when nights are long and days are short, I never leave water in my laying flock’s coop because it gets knocked around. I leave food in there just because it’s easier. Even my broilers go to bed without food and water after the age of three weeks. I never remove food and water from chicks.

I many times witness some of my chickens at night walking around the coop and eating.
They just dont directly go to sleep.

When we didn't install the light, they used to stay put and sleep.
So I should also remove the water at night? Because it was said by the man that drinking cold water may result in sore throat for them.

 

[fatimastic]

chickens wont overeat .. if they get real hungry they can eat too fast lol, you can see them stretching their neck around trying to choke it down ... only time ive learned to take food and water away is at night for chicks still in the brooder box and old enough not to need the heat lamp 'indoors' we're talking .. if the box is covered in the evening, it keeps the draft off, they go right to sleep so they arnt keeping me up, and they dont make a wet stinky mess out of the feeder and waterer i have to fix in the morning .. i just wake up uncover them and drop the feeders back in and we're off to another productive day lol ... bonus is they start equating 'daddy' to the provider of food .. thats what we want around here lol ..

My feeder and the waterer are hanged from the roof. Feeder remains clean but they always manage to get,waterer dirty with mud while they play on the ground.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I many times witness some of my chickens at night walking around the coop and eating.
They just dont directly go to sleep.

When we didn't install the light, they used to stay put and sleep.
So I should also remove the water at night? Because it was said by the man that drinking cold water may result in sore throat for them.

Is there a reason you have 4-5 hours of extra light on at night? If I left the light on next to your bed, could you sleep easily?

They're not going to go to sleep or stop eating if you have the light on. If the light is for egg production, I believe it's supposed to be added on early in the morning, not late at night.

I do not have food or water available at night for adults. But it's not because they'll eat it, it's to keep rats away. Very young chicks I always have food and water available, but as early as 4-5 weeks they are on the adult schedule.

 

[fatimastic]

Is there a reason you have 4-5 hours of extra light on at night? If I left the light on next to your bed, could you sleep easily?

They're not going to go to sleep or stop eating if you have the light on. If the light is for egg production, I believe it's supposed to be added on early in the morning, not late at night.

I do not have food or water available at night for adults. But it's not because they'll eat it, it's to keep rats away. Very young chicks I always have food and water available, but as early as 4-5 weeks they are on the adult schedule.

That is true. We did put the light in for increased egg production.
We don't have a problem regarding rats here.
From today ownwards, I will change the time in which we turn on the light.
Just before it gets dark, I send the flock away in their coop after they free range for 1-2 hours. And when I turn on the light, they eat and drink for almost 30 mins before going off to sleep.