Do chickens eat more when it's really HOT outside?

[kgend912]

For the past week or so, my girls have been going through more than twice as much food during the day. In the morning, I let them out to free range and the coop stays open, so I thought maybe they were sharing with another critter (chipmunk maybe?). I tested that out the other day by not letting them out and they still went through as much. I suppose something little could still be sneaking in...but I don't see any signs of that. We've had some extreme weather lately, so maybe that's it?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

No, they should actually be eating less in the hot weather. They don't need the calories to maintain their body temperature and the digestion process creates some internal heat so they generally don't eat as much in hot weather.

 

[kgend912]

Thanks for the reply...that is actually what I thought made the most sense. Hmm....gonna have to figure out if something is sneaking in. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be bothering them, but I'd prefer it not come at all.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

It could be mice or songbirds

 

[vjbakke]

Are they shoveling a lot of it out or knocking it out?