Feeding my girls

[Promised land farm]

So I adopted 7 girls and they came with a beg of layered 16% feed and the old galvanized feeder
It has been getting cold at night...teens
So I have been feeding them a little bit of mealworms about an hour or two before they roost, I heard it was good for them, they were under a house before and probably warmer where they were, I have only had them a week now,
There are 7 girls and I have been giving them an old coffee can full of the layered feed every morning and the only seem to be eating about half, lately I dump the feeder out in the morning and they are all over it before I fill the feeder up, it seems they would rather eat off the ground. I thought I was feeding them too much maybe and cut back to a 3 Qaurt grain scoop but I'm not sure if that is enough
Should I just dump it on the ground or keep using the feeder? It seems they hardly eat from the feeder at all but when I come in at night with those mealworms they act like they haven't eaten all day,
What should I do?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Mealworms are a great treat though quite high in fat... formulated feed is the BEST thing for them when it's "cold"... as it has all the added vitamins and minerals (and importantly amino acids) to sustain them. Otherwise, a calorie is a calorie and all calories help the birds maintain body temp.

Mealworm nutrient info...
http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm#freeze

I personally prefer to use Purina flock raiser with 20% protein and oyster shell available free choice on the side. Layer is usually around 16% protein. It's the nutrient content I care about, not the brand.

All birds go CRAZY for meal worms UNLESS they are very sick. It's a lot like the cookie of the chicken world. Scratch (I know you didn't mention using it) is a lot like the potato chip of chickens.

Sounds to me like they are partly bored. But also they may be used to eating off the ground and chickens are creatures of habit. Feeding on the ground can be OK... but I prefer not to as that is also where they defecate.

Each bird should eat about 1/4 pound or less of feed per day. You are not underfeeding them. If they are eating what you dump... not need to eat what's in the feeder. They do enjoy scratching as it's quite natural for them. Consider a compost area where they can scratch for worms or bugs. And maybe toss the meal worms for them to scratch for. They WON'T starve if there food is in a feeder... just make sure it isn't bugging combs and such. Also, is there enough room at the feeder for all of them?

I would also be sure to collect OR close up feed at night... chickens don't eat in the dark, but rats do.

Honestly, do what's best for you and the chickens will adjust quickly.

For a fully feathered chicken... teens is nothing as they are wearing down jackets that cover their feet when roosting. Just make sure their coop has plenty of ventilation higher than their heads... as it's moisture settling on combs and freezing that causes frost bite.

Congrats on your new ladies, the promised land farm sounds like a lovely place!

 

[Promised land farm]

Thanks for the information, I will hafta look into this stuff you call scratch..... I was told to get either scratch or mealworms from my wife who has a friend that has chickens, I looked around my local TSC and didn't see anything labeled scratch but found plenty of varieties of mealworms so that's what I bought, I have a run for them I just finished yesterday but it's only 7x7 for now, I will expand that in the spring but for now at least they have an area to go scratch and peck.