Feed Question: Do you take away the poultry's feed at night? Why or why not?

[GardenJen77]

I let my chickens take a break during the winter. Laying is hard on their systems and they need a rest. Most of the birds I have now will be breeding stock, so I want to keep them healthy. I may at some point, start a "laying flock" of hybrids that I keep laying all year. This year, I'm experimenting with storing eggs in lyme water to use over the winter.

I will keep that in mind for this coming winter. I have customers that purchase my eggs, and I lost 1/2 of them because my hens had quit laying for awhile. The eggs is what helps pay for the feed and care.

 

[Redhead Rae]

I will keep that in mind for this coming winter. I have customers that purchase my eggs, and I lost 1/2 of them because my hens had quit laying for awhile. The eggs is what helps pay for the feed and care.

You may just need to level with them that laying slacks off during the winter and you won't have enough to keep them supplied consistently during the winter. You can explain the biology of it to them as well. Unfortunately, people are used to industrial eggs where the hens are kept in controlled conditions and in cages all their lives, never seeing a blade of grass or a bug in their lives.

 

[Quacky4Quackers]

I don't know about chickens or other birdies but with ducks - if you do leave food out - they need access to drinking water.

 

[CarleeAnn]

I give my girls enough food in the morning to last till dusk, then I let them forage and swim before I put them up to bed with no water or food access.

I used to fill the bowl and leave it out but then I had rat problems and a visiting opossum!!


My ducks eat pretty vigorously when I first put their food down but they don’t get upset when I take away an empty bowl. On some days they will quack at me when I’m holding the bowl to put it down, and sometimes they will quack at the window if they knock over their food.

 

[lilmillefleur]

We aren't with our chickens every day, so we leave it out. However if we were in a different situation, we probably would store the feed at night.

 

[GardenJen77]

I give my girls enough food in the morning to last till dusk, then I let them forage and swim before I put them up to bed with no water or food access.

I used to fill the bowl and leave it out but then I had rat problems and a visiting opossum!!


My ducks eat pretty vigorously when I first put their food down but they don’t get upset when I take away an empty bowl. On some days they will quack at me when I’m holding the bowl to put it down, and sometimes they will quack at the window if they knock over their food.

Good to know! Seemed that mine would literally gorge themselves when I did that. I might try it again and see. Though I have plenty of wire that I shouldn't have any my opossums or raccoons, doesn't hurt to try new things.

 

[Aji Dulce]

Mine have food and water available 24/7 in their attached/enclosed/secure run. I see no need to take it up. Further, I am not willing to get my butt up at 5:30 AM to put food and water out nor to take it up/put it away after they've gone to roost at night.

No problems attracting mice?

 

[imnukensc]

No problems attracting mice?

Don't seem to have a problem with them, but I have a cat that is an absolute murderess. My only problem is with squirrels, but I have a couple of .22s that are minute of squirrel head accurate and I'm in the country so shooting is not a problem.

 

[llombardo]

Right now mine are still inside, the food and water is taken up right before dark and they get it back at 5:30-6am. They get a treat before bed--tomatoes, cucumbers , strawberries , oatmeal, etc. They are quiet and actually sleep. Before I made the decision on the food they were not sleeping, they were up all night. Once outside--ducks will be locked in their house and chickens in the coop up higher. Food and water will be in the coop area for chickens., but not where they sleep.

When I feed them in the morning they aren't bad, most of the time they are just starting to move around. The Pekin starts quacking if she hears the dogs or my alarm clock.

 

[arrowti]

I leave food and water for the ducks overnight because, for the most part, that's the only time they eat grain. During the day they mostly forage from the ground, not interested in the feed.