Change in eating habits in winter

[Yuki]

HowcanI make it more appealing for her to eat she wants nothing to eat

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Norm is layer feed with orgeno in water mornings they get kale peas Green beans and carrots chopped up with bread in mornings sms evenings with meal worm or boss in small amounts I'm just worried abt het that's all sorry for all the trouble I just love my girls so much

Personally, I would lay off of all the vegetables and bread. The reason being that the layer feed is formulated to be nutritionally complete. When you add all those other things, you are diluting what they should be eating. In addition to not having a complete blend of vitamins/minerals/amino acids/fats in the ratios chickens need, vegetables and bread are very low in protein.
Make a warm mash out of the layer feed and add just a little bit of the cat food only if it is above 18% protein. Not all cat food is high in protein.
My wife has a closet full of canned cat food she uses for a cat treat. It is only 12% protein. That wouldn't help your bird.

 

[Northern Flights]

Personally I avoid dry cat food, because it 'aint fit for cat nor beast IMO, but in very small amounts it's likely no worse than lots of other foods not really ideal for chickens. I will reiterate that my cold weather mash is strictly a treat/enticement and not a regular feed. You could play with the recipe and keep it much more simple, lets say 1/2 whatever crumble/pellets you use and the other half scratch, add warm water and boom yer off to the races? Fact is if your hen is indeed sick then even a change in diet might prove a very bad thing. If the mash doesn't help right away then re-evaluate your diagnosis/treatment asap.

Remember, wind can drain a bird pretty fast and often some cardboard or even old bed sheets can make a big difference by shielding them a bit when they are in the run.

 

[Yuki]

Alrightwill do I didn't see your messages by the time it was feeding time sorry but I understand I won't use it as primary to begin with she ate a tad of cat food we have traps on all sides of the kenelling except for the doors and2areas so there is Ventilation I will try the layer mash tomorrow morning before I go to classes just thank you guys for your in put Ik that is stupid but I worry about them in the cocold weather I'll give you guys am update by 7 am my time tomorrow

 

[Yuki]

I fed her the moosh she only ate 7 bites shewent after normal pellets and some grit she is a bit more perky its better than nothing anything else can I try to feed her

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If your chicken feed is fresh and she eats it, the plain chicken feed is her best nutrition.
What is the mill date on the feed?
If your birds aren't laying eggs currently, you could temporarily switch to a higher protein starter, grower or all flock feed.
You could still do the same even if they are laying just by offering oyster shell in a separate container free choice.
Just make sure they stay hydrated. They won't drink as much as when it is hot but they still need to drink several times a day.
In answer to your original question, their eating habits don't change much in winter, they just look for more energy to deal with producing heat.

 

[Yuki]

Okay but when she was a chick her parathyroid had a chemical change and so did her sibling Brahma they both almost died lotus the one who is not eating right has a problem with her eye sight the other Brahma has a deep voice and has an shivering issue could this be something that contributes to that

 

[Northern Flights]

Good to hear she is eating her feed. Always a good sign that. IMO, they are in very good hands. All the best.

 

[Acre4Me]

Good luck. We’ve had the cold snap here-I think -10F the other day night. Prior to that an ice storm with snow. Because they aren’t coming out in the run as much due to the snow/ice, I want to make sure they are eating. The last couple of days I’ve rehydrated a couple of alfalfa cubes (16% min protein) and added it to a mash of grower feed (20% protein). My girls think mash is awesome, though. I’ve used a sprinkling of small bird seed on top to attract their attention.

Other cold nights we will occasionally throw them some whole corn before they go in for the night, but not every day.

Agree that the formulated feed is the best to use overall.

 

[Yuki]

Thanks can't wait for the wind to go down and to be able to take tarps down I'm waiting to see if she will eat more