Do chickens eat significantly less in the winter?

[B'villechicken]

Quote:
I agree. Mine eat more because the snow is in the run & they don't go out as much when it's cold. It seems as though they are bored so they eat more! I try to give them a cup of scratch per day but if they don't go out, I usually don't give them any. They get less treats in the winter definitely.

 

[JimWWhite]

Chickens eating less in the winter??? When is it that chickens eat less at any time??? They're pigs with feathers. All they do is eat, poop, and lay. Oh, and squawk that they never get fed... Pigs with Feathers. But that would be unfair to pigs, since pigs have a similance of manners...

 

[pixie74943]

Completely different thought... Is you're coop/feeder wild bird proof.. because Mine isnt :-( I swear half my feed goes to the sparrows. Maybe cause its snowing the wildbirds are staying at home

 

[Lucy4]

Nope, no wild bird access.

I've greatly limited the treats, but it still doesn't look like they're eating much. I'm starting to worry. They're acting normally though. Maybe they're just getting ready to molt?

 

[pixie74943]

Do they feel thin? have they stopped laying?
(sorry, I cant really say, just asking the questions)

If they feel plump, look healthy, I wouldnt worry to much. If they're laying, they're probably fine. If they've stopped for winter, maybe they're eating less cause they dont need the nutrients for the eggs

 

[Lucy4]

Still laying, acting normally. I'll go pick one up in a bit, but they don't *look* on the thin side. Hm.

Eat, girls, eat!! I wish I had someone telling me to eat more!!

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
If your production is good why change anything? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Mine get no scratch except in cold weather. I give mine extra greens all year, but in warm weather even more of those and no scratch. They need the extra carbs to stay warm now. If you read enough posts on BYC, you will soon see that there are a good number of people out there who have low to no production right now.

It doesn't matter at all, but mine night be eating a little more of their feed now that it is cold. Their treats vary throughout the year. Now I throw a couple of sweet potatoes out there because I still have 5 gal left from my garden. They do not get as much garden waste etc as during the warm months because we just do not have it. 21 eggs today from 24 pullets almost 7 mo old and no artificial light and no special food, just 16% Dumor pellets kept full 24-7, and greens, fruit scraps, bread crusts, beans, egg leftovers, etc once a day. Maybe 3 cups scratch a day for the 24 chooks.

 

[gsim]

digitS' :

Your 4, 9 month-old pullets should be eating 16 ounces to 32 ounces of feed each day, depending on breed (and 32 ounces is probably for the very largest chickens around).

The scratch I buy weighs 4 ounces per cup.

If they are a light-weight breed, a cup of that scratch would amount to 25% of their 16 ounce rations.

"A general rule of thumb is to feed only as much scratch as the chickens can consume in about 20 minutes, or about 10 to 15 percent of their total daily food consumption. . . . Table scraps and greens . . . The same rule applies here: the total supplementation of scratch and table scraps should be no more than can be cleaned up in about 20 minutes." Oregon State University, How to feed . . .

I hope that helps. It's very easy to give them more scratch and scraps than probably they should be getting. It has a lot to do with their enthusiasm for more, more, more . . . My birds eat about one-third more feed now than they did when it was still warm about 3 months ago. Daytime temperatures are not rising above freezing.

Steve

If I left mine (24 pullets) with a bag of scratch, I swear they would go thru 1/2 of a 50# bag in 20 min. As far as treats go, I take a big bowl full and it disappears in a minute! I can't imagine what they could eat in 20 min!

I put a cabbage out there and it disappeared like a sacrificial cow in a river full of piranhas!

A sweet potato goes even faster.​

 

[Kim_NC]

In my experience they eat more. They need more food to make additional body heat to stay warm in cold weather.

 

[adkchickmama]

As KIM says in the North they seem to eat more to stay warm. Well , mine do anyway, when its cold. They do go outside to forage but not much on the ground at this time ofyear with the snow and all. They spend lots of time under the coop taking dust baths.

I also give them a hot meal at nite of pellets, oatmeal, raw egg, and hot water to make a mash. THey love it, its a frenzy to get to the dish. Also supplement with some BOSS as a treat and a couple scoops of Game Bird pellets mixed in with their regular Purina layer pellets in our 30lb feeder. In the summer they eat less feed pellets and more bugs, grass etc. Not sure why your girls are eating less. Keep an eye on them. SOmeone with more experience here will help.