Chicks go outside and eat a lot less?

[theabee]

I just put my 4 pullets outside.

Previously, they were eating one ovaltine jar a food of day. That's probably a quart and a half, I dunno.

Then, I put them outside and they eat about 1/3 of what they used to! Is this normal? I thought maybe they were just so bored inside that they scattered all their food around and ate like crazy, so it looked like a lot. Could this be the case? I see them eating sometimes, so it's not like they can't find it anymore...
Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

If they have access to grass they will eat less because they are eating the grass.

 

[donrae]

They were wasting a ton of food inside, not eating it.

4 grown, productive laying hens should eat a max of 2 cups of feed per day, your young chicks much less than that. I think they just found other things to do than waste the feed.