Can chicks/ chickens overeat?

[fatimastic]

This person I talked to who has experience in poultry told me that you have to take out the food and waterer at night to prevent them from overeating. But, I strongly disagree with that. What are your opinions?

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Hmm, that's strange. Are you talking chicks or adults? I raise most of my chicks in my bedroom in a brooder. When they get feathered enough to go without the heat lamp, I prefer to take the water and possibly food out overnight, but not for that reason...

 

[The Happster]

Take the feeder out overnight to keep rats away, by all means. They will not overeat.
Broilers will eat noticeably more than other breeds.

The birds will retire for bed with a nice full crop, and then digest that overnight. They cannot see well in the dark, so they will not be eating at night.

 

[fatimastic]

Hmm, that's strange. Are you talking chicks or adults? I raise most of my chicks in my bedroom in a brooder. When they get feathered enough to go without the heat lamp, I prefer to take the water and possibly food out overnight, but not for that reason...

Take the feeder out overnight to keep rats away, by all means. They will not overeat.
Broilers will eat noticeably more than other breeds.

The birds will retire for bed with a nice full crop, and then digest that overnight. They cannot see well in the dark, so they will not be eating at night.

For adults, only take out the waterer at night as it gets cold and its not good if they drink it.
For chicks its both.
I found it really weird too when he told me to do that.
We have lights in the coop of adults. We turn it on for 4-5 more hours after sunset.
I keep chicks under the staircase with enough light to eat at night.
I randomly hear the chicks eat after midnight.

I am against taking out the feeders and waterer of chicks.

 

[The Happster]

No. They won't overeat. Neither chicks or adults.

I would certainly not take the waterer out overnight! That's 8 hours of them submitted to heat without being able to drink.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

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.

 

[21hens-incharge]

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.

Clearly stated.

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

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

I don't take the food and water out for the chicks when the heat lamp is on. I'll only do that overnight when the light is off. Then as I stated earlier, I like to take the food and maybe water out overnight.

 

[Aapomp831]

Chickens are completely blind in the dark, so they don’t get up to eat or drink.

 

[Katie386]

We have lights in the coop of adults. We turn it on for 4-5 more hours after sunset.

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.